LOOK out, Laura Veirs is on her way to York, but not until next year.

The 44-year-old Colorado Springs singer-songwriter will play The Crescent community venue on February 6, in the wake of releasing her tenth folk/alt.country solo record, The Lookout, a concept album about the fragility of precious things.

Produced by Tucker Martine, Veirs’ longtime collaborator and husband, this soundtrack for turbulent times is full of allusions to protectors: the camper stoking a watch fire, a mother tending her children, a sailor in a crow's nest and a lightning rod channelling energy.

"The Lookout is about the need to pay attention to the fleeting beauty of life and to not be complacent; it’s about the importance of looking out for each other,” says Veirs, a prolific songwriter for 20 years now.

"I’m addressing what’s happening around me with the chaos of post-election America, the racial divides in our country, and a personal reckoning with the realities of midlife: I have friends who’ve died; I struggle with how to balance life as an artist with parenting young children."

Written and produced on the heels of Veirs’ collaborative album with Neko Case and kd Lang [Case/Lang/Veirs], the 12 songs are the result of a year's worth of daily writing in her attic studio in Portland, Oregon.

"Twenty years ago when I was just starting out with my punk band, it never occurred to me to write five versions of a song," she says. "I’ve learned to see how malleable lyrics and melodies can be. I have more tools as a musician, so I write many versions of songs until I find the right fit."

This range is demonstrated on the operatic vocals of The Meadow and the intricate finger picking on Watch Fire, while the title track is an ecstatic anthem to trusted relationships.

The Lookout draws on the time-tested talents of musicians Karl Blau, Steve Moore, Eli Moore, Eyvind Kang and Tucker Martine, who had first fallen for Veirs' voice on a tape cassette she sent him in the mail. "These guys are a good hang, ego-free and wonderful players who just want to serve the songs," says Laura, who called on Sufjan Stevens and My Morning Jacket's Jim James for guest vocals.

Tickets for Veirs' 7.30pm show, presented by York promoters Please Please You, are on sale at £17.50 at pleasepleaseyou.com or in person from The Crescent, Earworm Records in York or Jumbo Records in Leeds.

Charles Hutchinson