Well, they do sound lonesome, though more in a Townes Van Zandt sort of way than in the old mountain-wail manner. (The Lonesomest Sound That Can Sound takes its inspiration from an obscure Woody Guthrie song.) What Clay Parker & Jodi James offer, or at least the first thing you notice, is melancholy harmony set against spare, largely acoustic arrangements. The music lands softly enough that on initial exposure it all but escapes notice.

Based in Baton Rouge, the two draw on strains of American folk music, occasionally quoting traditional lyrics or borrowing titles ("Gallows Tree," the epic "Killin' Floor") which they integrate into their original material, sometimes simple, sometimes only deceptively so. The songs will find their way to you only when you put aside all else to pay attention to them.

The reward is exemplified in, for example, "Far Away," turning on one of the enduring themes of folk, blues, country and pop music: lovers separated when one boards a train and leaves the other in the distance. Yet the song fills itself with images, details and emotional complexity, a vividly imagined world in which the parting happens. Beyond the underlying premise, no cliche intrudes, and the melody lingers.

It seems at least possible to me -- other listeners may not hear it -- that the Katie of "Katie's Blues" is the Katy of "Katy Dear," the dark Appalachian ballad, even if the mood of Parker & James's self-penned piece could hardly be different. Maybe it's the refrain "Katie, keep your dagger close." "Katy Dear" sometimes bears the title "Silver Dagger." Or maybe the artists are borrowing an image from that source but mean no more than nodding homage. In Parker & James' telling Katy is seeking love and happiness; in the old ballad looming violence and a deranged family destroy such aspiration. Anyway, "Katie's Blues" is a gem of a song, creatively conceived, tuneful, even thrilling in its unassuming way.

Some albums hit you hard the first time, then diminish as you return to them, once in a while to the point that you wonder what the attraction was. Others, barely there on introductory spin, grow in beauty and estimation, hiding their power in subtlety and mystery, waiting to deliver something revelatory each time you listen. This is how The Lonesomest Sound That Can Sound sounds.