Fly, the 2008 album from Elizabeth Wills, paints a range of emotions across the album’s 13 tracks. The Fort Worth, Texas native comes off as a cross between Sarah McLachlan and Carole King, which is a smart fit for her style of folk-pop with a dab of blues. With the exception of one song, the confessional “See the Light”, Ms. Wills explores interpersonal terrain, resulting in a variety of moods that are alternately dreamy (“Sweet”), soothing (“Fire”, “Rain”, “Hold You”), impetuous (“Run Away”), restrained (“No I Won’t”), and appreciative (“One of Those Days”, “So in Love”, “Beautiful Life”). The grooves, however, refuse to be mere accompaniment, driven by vigorous drumming and captivating guitar work. At times, the music threatens to take center stage, but Ms. Wills always manages to hold her own. That tug of war between the vocalist and her background offers an interesting tension, and rarely rises to the level of being unsettling. Moreover, Fly gets extra respect for expert mixing and production, the latter being handled by Jean Claude “Poke” Olivier and Samuel “Tone” Barnes (“Track Masters”) and Corey Rooney.

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