Jen Wood has a more impressive pedigree than your average singer-songwriter. Her resume includes records on Kill Rock Stars in the 1990s and as a backing voice on several of indie rock’s greatest hits of the 2000s, including on The Postal Service’s Give Up. All of that, of course, is irrelevant to her new solo release. If her songs don’t stand on their own, what is the point in comparing them with past work? Where it does help, of course, is that she is able to arrange an impressive ensemble to back her on the ambitious Finds You in Love.

Courtesy of several Seattle musicians, the record has a fully-orchestrated feel that separates her from her acoustic-strumming peers. While her songs are undoubtedly crafted around the guitar, what defines them are the hypnotic rhythms, backing vocals, and harmonies that interplay with her charming voice. While there isn’t a moment on the record that doesn’t feel like it belongs to Wood, there is enough variation in musical tone that it also feels like a full band. On “Flight,” the drums are mixed heavily from the getgo, developing a tribal hint until the bass kicks in. Instead of relying on Wood’s contemplative lyrics and soothing voice, the rhythm section carries the song. In “Morning Light,” she mixes in male harmonies and showcases just why her voice is so effective—matching and harmonizing with her band—creating a perfect calm. “Zeppelin” has an ethereal feel, created by raising her voice in a lofty, floating feel befitting of the song’s title.

Not surprisingly, the record comes from the heart: the predominant theme considers love from a mature, give-and-take point-of-view. Sacrifice, trust, unconditional reactions, and tough decisions are what drive Wood’s songs. Titles like “Let Me Down,” “Trust,” and “Flight” reflect this thematic approach without even delving into more specific lyrics, as in the album’s closer, “Never Doubt.” “Never doubt my love for you/ ‘cause I’m sticking around,” Wood reflects. The song, with its country ballad guitar, laments a lost love, but manages to embrace the difficult reality of life’s choices and the mutuality of a relationship as a positive, strength-building endeavor, albeit one laced with uncertainty.