Happy Town

Sobule coolly balances singer-songwriter insight with alterna-rocking irony on her third album, Happy Town. She wryly sings about living in a safe emotional gray zone on the title song (”Life is just okay in happy town”); later she articulates nostalgia on ”Super 8.” Clever production, full of dynamic extremes and sweet ‘n’ scrappy sounds, creates a Sam Phillips quality that underlines Sobules’ savvy.