Getting the girly sound right

Soprano vocals, softly plucked guitars and plenty of piano? Yup, Elaine Lachica makes a very girly brand of music, and she does it well.

Lachica hails from Baltimore, Md., and is now based out of Brooklyn, N.Y. Her classical voice and piano training led to stints as a soprano soloist with the Waverly Consort and the Rebel Baroque Orchestra, as well as her performance during the Mostly Mozart Festival. Her name buzzes on the classical music wire, and this year will mark the release of her first label album, I Think I Can See the Ocean, through New York label Stunning Models on Display (Will Stratton, The Receiver).

She will also tour with a live ensemble, though she will not make it to the West Coast just yet. However, Ocean will be available in a few short weeks and her earlier EPs, 9 and Apolune, are still floating around. It’s worth picking up if you’re scoring a soft night at home, by yourself or with a dating mate, complete with candles and a hot bath.

Do note that where it excels as an album of dulcet tones and feminine mystique, that success was Lachica’s specific goal. This lovely brunette rarely wavers from her steady pace of graceful, sweeping soundscapes—this is not an album for running, working out at the gym, driving fast or any other activity that uses lots of energy.

Truth be told, the first thing my testosterone-laden mind thought of when this album began was reading a book near a window as it rains outside. That said, this is a solid album for those dreary winter afternoons between class here in Portland, and it merits at least checking out Lachica’s MySpace (www.myspace.com/elainelachica).