LUCY KAPLANSKY The story of Kaplansky’s life journey is so compelling, it would overshadow the work of a lesser performer. Just out of high school, the precocious daughter of a piano-playing mathematician ditched the future mapped out for her to instead join a revived Greenwich Village folk scene where she sang with Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin. A talented lead and in-demand harmony singer, Kaplansky was perched on the brink of stardom, but gave it up for a career in psychology. A decade on, another left turn took Dr. Kaplansky out of the clinical field and back into folk singing. Like her career arc, Kaplansky’s music strikes a balance between practical and left-field. With a warm, conversational voice that recalls the raw and open emotion of Judy Collins, Kaplansky’s biggest payday probably came when she shilled for Chevrolet’s “Heartbeat of America” campaign. A traditionalist who’s covered June Carter Cash and Gram Parsons with folk supergroups Red Horse and Cry Cry Cry, Kaplansky has also taken a stab at drum ‘n bass and collaborated with her father on 1940s-style swing tunes about mathematics. It’s clear that despite the unexpected turns in Kaplansky’s career, she’s always known exactly where she wants to be.

Pat Moran

Price: $17/$19