Kevin Bronson on June 20th, 2013

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Clare Means’ voice ranges from a mere flicker to full-on conflagration; there’s always a little smoke there, as if she’s been singed, or done some singeing herself. Her new album “War for Love” isn’t so much all-out combat as it is a lyrical boxing match – Means’ nimble wordplay has been her calling card since 2008, when she released her debut “White Bamboo.” The UCLA-educated songstress detoured to make an album of children’s music in 2010, and her new collection speaks to the mountain of dues-paying she’s done, gigging everywhere from Hollywood venues to the Santa Monica Promenade.

||| Stream: “Pins & Needles”

||| Live: Clare Means plays tonight at the Hotel Café.