Amanda Shires has a fine sense of humor, which may be why a single measure at the start of My Piece of Land is propelled by handclaps. They seem odd and out of place, but funny.
Soon enough we’re on to the main attraction, which is Shires’ voice – a distinctive, delicate alto with an uncanny quaver that punctuates the end of a phrase. Her approach is bend but don’t break, like a good NFL defense.
It’s the voice of a performer fully invested in her material, and the 10 songs on My Piece of Land warrant such commitment. She wrote them all, with help on two from her husband, fellow singer-songwriter Jason Isbell.
The material explores the many definitions of home, and also love, lust and loss. The varied musical approaches make it seem short. Some tunes are slow and quiet, with Shires’ ukulele playing prominent, but her humor shows with a Broadway-esque rat-a-tat delivery on “Nursery Rhyme,” and Mr. Shires delivers a crank-the-volume solo on “My Love (The Storm).”
By the end Shires has found a new home, giving the album a happy ending. That’s when clapping seems most appropriate.