Only Worn One Time (Mesa/Bluemoon) by singer/songwriter Dulcie Taylor & Friends is a beautifully crafted 11-track credo of personal proportions. She writes from the heart. Filled with provocative imagery, universal sentiment and hopeful (yet oftentimes sad) story-songs, her folksy Americana comes to the fore with the help of some master instrumentalists.

California-based by way of South Carolina and Washington DC, she writes ‘em like she sees ‘em, or, better yet, like she feels ‘em, since auto-biography is her stock-in-trade. It’s her fourth and it seems she’s reached that sweet spot where it all coalesces into a superior whole: guitars, bass, percussion, organ, violin, mandolin, accordion and lap top steel. Depending upon the track, it all swirls incessantly underneath an earthy mix that makes sure to accentuate every nuance of her warm and inviting vocals.

The over-all effect gives off a back-porch vibe of total effortlessness, which is ironic since, to get a sound like this, not only great effort but great talent is required. This is the kind of CD to listen to alone, maybe when life gets to be too damn much. It’ll make you feel better. Earthy, acoustic, countrified, Only Worn One Time is a rare message-in-a-bottle floating in a sea of 2014 country mediocrity