The fourth release from Seattle singer/songwriter Wes Weddell, a champion of the Emerald City’s local scene who also makes regular forays across national stages. Propelled by versatile character voices with compelling stories to tell, these 11 songs comprise some of Weddell’s strongest work—and performances—to date, exposing his rural roots and exploring threads that run through smaller communities as they grow and change. The album follows 2007’s “Songs to Get You From Here to There,” a Top-12 DIY pick from the late Performing Songwriter Magazine, which described Weddell’s music as “folk meets rockabilly meets lonesome cowboy waltzes.” He and co-producer/bassist Alicia Healey are joined by the same band here, with acoustic guitars and strong vocals remaining the backbone of diverse arrangements that nonetheless feel crisp and of-a-piece—unashamedly contemporary when the full band kicks in, but not afraid to leave the expertly-crafted narrative to a solo banjo or mandolin at times, too. “The Lake” here evokes the common dream of scoring access to something exclusive: a literal waterfront in the title track’s easy waltz; a more figurative escape in the decidedly-urban drive of “Remember When.” Songs like “Out of the Way” and “On My Watch” move through different seasons with cautious nostalgia, while “Not Now” and the two aforementioned cuts suggest a few things such reminiscences fail to deliver. From its contemplative opening, through playful and solemn turns to a grateful conclusion, By the Side of the Lake stands as a complete listen in a ‘Springsteen-ian’ style that suddenly seems antiquated in this era of iTunes. Too soon, perhaps, to be retro—but intentional.