Neko Case, k.d. lang, Laura Veirs find harmony on new trio album

One night about three years ago, the lush-voiced maverick k.d. lang decided to fire off a pair of emails to fellow singer-songwriters Neko Case and Laura Veirs, asking if they'd like to record with her.

Veirs, an indie-folk/pop favorite, had met lang at a benefit concert while pregnant with her second son. "I believe I had just had him" when lang's message arrived, she says, but admits, "I can't remember the exact chronology."

Alt-rock veteran Case proposes that "k.d.'s email is what put her into labor."

Anyhow, Veirs "kind of pretended I had nothing going on," and sessions were arranged. The resulting album, case/lang/veirs, out Friday, features 14 new songs crafted and performed by the three women; lyrical and reflective, with frugal but richly atmospheric arrangements, they were produced with the trio by veteran boardsman Tucker Martine, Veirs' husband.

"The easiest thing would have been to make an album of covers," says lang. "We thought, that would be cool — but it would be way cooler if we could write together." They worked in lang's loft and at Veirs' home, both in Portland, Ore., before heading into Martine's studio. (Case, who lives in Vermont, "was kind enough to come out and grace us with her presence," says Veirs.)

The process could be challenging. "We're all used to being bossy-bosses," Case says. "We had to surrender some things we felt married to, but then you learn later that serving the song is a better idea."

For Veirs, "It was eye-popping to learn that, yeah, you could make really cool music co-writing. I'd never done that; I had the notion that kind of deep creativity was a solitary endeavor. You're not going to write a novel with someone else, and you're not going to paint a painting with someone else. But wow, you can do this with other people, and it can be better than doing it on your own."

Lang's original vision for the album was "to have it be kind of punk and fun and kitschy," she says. "But Neko and Laura are such beautiful, soulful writers that they kind of held me back from the ledge." The songs on case/lang/veirs also emphasize the individual voices of each member, says lang: "Neko and Laura are both known for great background parts, so we made a conscious effort not to sing the obvious parts at all times, and to really let the lead vocalist shine."

But "when we had three-part harmonies, we definitely wanted them to have great impact," Case adds. "I remember the exact spot I was staring at on k.d.'s ceiling" when they began singing parts together. "I remember just feeling the vibration. You feel it before you hear it, and it's the craziest, most excellent feeling in the world."

Lang suggests the album is a one-shot, quipping, "The only way we would do a 'Volume 2' is if we win exactly seven Grammys." The trio will launch a tour, though, on June 22 in San Diego; songs from the album will be mixed with covers and tunes from each member's personal catalog.

"I was actually thinking we should sing each other's songs," lang says, mischievously. "I'd be totally down with that."