Nina Shallman has such a lovely voice, it almost doesn’t matter what she’s singing. The local singer-guitarist reveals a nimble touch and jazzy delivery on standards such as Bob Wells and Mel Tormé’s “The Christmas Song,” and she even recasts The Smiths’ “Ask” as a languidly sugary pop idyll. But Shallman is just as engaging in her own songs. “Stay still on the grass/Let me feel your fingers lace through mine,” she coos invitingly. “Meet me halfway/Sing those notes that tickle my spine.” Buoyed by her own harmonies and judicious guitar arpeggios, Shallman makes such small romantic details feel sumptuous and grand with the help of producer Andrew Williams. On ballads such as “The Moon Can Stay,” she breaks hearts with little more than sparse piano accents, the faraway swoon of violins and her wistfully ethereal vocals.

Sat., Jan. 3, 7:30 p.m., 2015
(Expired: 01/03/15)

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