Never Mind The Reasons; Just Listen To The Music

‘You know what I’m so glad you didn’t ask me?” said Bellingham singer/ song-writer Erin Corday in a phone interview this week. “‘How did you first get into music?”’

It’s a question often asked of the budding folk artist and a question that makes Corday, who plays The Met on Saturday, cringe.

“So many people have been asking me that lately,” she paused. “I don’t know why I play music.”

How about the other obvious question: What are your influences?

“I hate that one, too.”

Corday may not know why she’s playing music or what inspired her. The answers to those questions, whoever, aren’t nearly important as the fact she plays some of the most beautiful, acoustic music in the Northwest.

Since stepping onto the stage five years ago, Corday has bloomed into one of the region’s most promising artists.

Her first two albums “Butterfly Tattoo,” and “Concert For The Cat” only hinted at Corday’s talent.

But with her brand-new album “Secrets About The World” on the Chicago-based Waterbug label, Corday has arrived.

What makes this CD a winner is that Corday’s soft, unassuming voice can cut right through to someone’s soul. Together with the exotic, yet subtle, acoustic arrangements, “Secret About The World” is an amazing accomplishment.

Most singer/songwriters use music as merely the background and spend most of their efforts on the lyrics and the message. The result is often predictable, mundane and not very compelling.

Corday, on the other hand, channels Latin-based and other worldly rhythms into her music. Not only is it an inviting mix, but it also draws the listener to the heart of the song, the lyrics. And when Corday goes off on an instrumental tangent, the music is solid enough to hold the listener’s attention.

The songstress is particularly proud of the recording of this album. It sounds as close a studio album can get to a live album.

Her first album “Butterfly Tattoo,” lacked the live feeling and Corday was disappointed with result. That was one of the reasons the artist recorded “Concert For The Cat,” recorded live in her living room.

She tried a similar approach with her new album.

“When me and Joel (Litwin, her long-time percussionist and co-producer) made (“Secrets About The World,”) we wanted to make sure that we liked it first,” said Corday. “You can’t make everybody like your music but at least we can make an album that sounds like we sound live.

“So we hoped that people who like what we do live will like the album.”

The concert starts at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $8, $6 for students ($10 and $8 at the door), and are available at G&B outlets.