Compact and effervescent, Laura Barrett’s music is the antidote to the concrete and crystal architecture of her native Toronto. Melding the vibrant tones of the kalimba (an African thumb piano) with her earnest and intimate voice, she crafted a debut EP, Earth Sciences, that received both national radio airplay and critical acclaim. Her single “Deception Island Optimists Club,” was a finalist for the 2006 SOCAN ECHO songwriting prize. This coming fall, Barrett will introduce us to Victory Garden, her first full length where we can find the wondrous sounds of her kalimba accompanied by a small orchestra. Laura has composed songs that run from childlike to funereal. Always trying to engage an audience torn between taxonomy and techno-babble, Barrett’s live performances are a spine tingling delight.