TERRY EVERETT QUIETT

With Paper Doll Spokesmen, a moving 15-song release, Terry Everett Quiett makes a dramatic entrance into the area’s singer-songwriter’s club. Whether lamenting the plight of laid-off workers at a plant in his hometown of Winfield, Kan., or speaking eloquently about the aging process, Quiett is a gifted writer, equally at home with prose and straightforward observations. Musically, Quiett fleshes out his subtle, acoustic-guitar-based compositions with the help of jack-of-all-trades and labelmate Gooding, who lends his numerous production and instrumental talents. Quiett’s vocals maintain emotional intensity throughout the album, as he moves from vulnerable pleas to gruff defiant statements. Standouts include the slow, smoldering “Caroline” and “Controlled,” which benefits from tight harmonies. Quiett’s well-constructed tunes end strong, revealing, careful thought to the songs’ construction. Paper Doll Spokesmen already ended up on one Massachusetts radio station’s Best Of list; soon this album should gets its due closer to home as well.