Irene & Reed, "Closer to Home"

In a nutshell: Vocalist Leslie Benson and keyboard player Jason Milner create a sonic playhouse for strong-willed love songs and dreams of better days.

Fan finder: The ethereal and theatrical sounds of Sarah McLachlan are echoed here, with lounge-friendly passages allowing Irene & Reed a connection to the real world.

That's a keeper: An engaging flurry of seasoned philosophy launches "All Your Tomorrows," the album's opening track: "Home to me is not where I am, but where I've been. It's where I come from. How I've loved, and how I've left. Words I've said, and tears I've wept. Ones I've learned from." Intensifying the emotional wallop is the song's room-to-breathe spacing of piano, bass and drums.

Didn't see it coming: It's a rare treat to hear a music journalist take a commanding voice into the spotlight. (Benson helmed NUVO Newsweekly's music coverage in 2006 and 2007.)

The verdict: Milner has mastered a distinctive Irene & Reed sound, but his arrangements stagnate slightly during "Closer to Home's" second half. He's gifted enough to be inventive and embrace the moxie heard on "Small Miracles": "You can't stop me, I'm unstoppable. I put my faith in small miracles."

Visit the duo's website.