Ruthann Friedman

Hurried Life is a snapshot of Ruthann Friedman at a time when life was anything but hurried. Her magically wholesome voice exudes an innocence and beauty in these reel-to-reel demos that is of another time and place.

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The surreal folk whir of songs such as “That’s Alright” and “Typical Sunday” are far removed from her recent liner notes about her first cocaine experience, which resulted in the paranoid strum that drives the song “Method Madness.” This is the same songwriter who penned the flower-power classic “Windy” (as in, everyone knows it’s ... ), which shines brightly among these dreamy and drug-addled gems. Each song fits together like pages from a diary, capturing a breezy day in the life of the psychedelic ’60s.

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These sounds still resonate in the chords of neo-folkies such as Devendra Banhart, Jana Hunter and Joanna Newsom, but are projected here with breathtaking purity. 5 stars