By Ed Symkus

In his new album, Terry Kitchen moves effortlessly through lilting songs of happiness and sadness.

Terry Kitchen, We All Dream, (urban campfire)

It’s a good idea to know a little bit about an artist, to maybe garner some insight, before settling down to listen to their newest release. Here’s what I’ve got on Terry Kitchen: He’s an Ohio transplant who moved to the Boston area many decades ago. He was a rocker who fronted the band Loose Ties. (His first band, The Odyssey, played their first gig at a Cub Scout meeting when he was in the fifth grade.) He later morphed into a solo singer-songwriter. He maintains a gentle, laid-back atmosphere in most of his songs, whether they be happy or sad or strive for social commentary. He’s constantly looking for songs to cover (past successes include “Nature’s Way,” “Norwegian Wood,” and “I’m a Believer”). Terry Kitchen is not his real name (it’s Max Pokrivchak); he borrowed his stage name from a character in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Bluebeard. Now, about that new release…

We All Dream kicks off with a perfect opener — the pop-drenched “Rain Rain Rain,” featuring Kitchen’s strong, pure tenor voice, nicely accompanied by angelic backup from Rebecca Lynch and Bob Vivona. The initially dreary lyrics give way to a jangly, dazzlingly upbeat outlook on life. A couple of chord progressions bring to mind George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun,” and sporadic hand claps leave no doubt that Kitchen is a Beatles fan.

The country tune “Loretta’s Icebox,” with another lovely vocal accompaniment, this one from Louise Coombe, brings Kitchen into story-song territory. The lyrics focus on Loretta Lynn’s penchant for keeping unfinished songs, on scraps of paper, tucked away in her refrigerator, which were found after she died.

The title track — one of the most positive on the album — comes across as a kind of follow-up to an earlier Kitchen song, “How Many Horses.” Both gently insist that no matter how many times we fail at something, we need to get up and try again. But there’s no contest: “We All Dream” wins because it features a melodica solo by Kitchen, who, for the record, plays acoustic and electric guitars throughout the album, as well as bass and keys.

This is a beautifully produced record, its arrangements generally bare and stripped-back, shining particularly brightly when other singers meld with Kitchen’s always pleasing voice. Of note is the duet he performs with Michael Holland on the wistful cover of The Zombies’ “Time of the Season.”

Still, while the sound remains mostly light, Kitchen delves into darkness with some of his lyrics. “Crane’s Ledge” — another of his story songs — explores the repercussions of a bank robbery during the Great Depression (relax, there’s a happy ending). “Twice as Old as Jesus” peeks inside the mind of a man who has lost faith in himself; “Older Than Yesterday” tackles the horrors of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. It is the one song on the album that I need not listen to again.

Some of the finest moments here focus on Kitchen’s solo voice, notably on the guitar-filled and very sweet — or is it bittersweet? — “Mona Lisa Blue,” which packs a neat little twist near the end, and the album’s second cover, a bouncy but delicate take on “Do You Hear What I Hear?” For anyone wondering why there’s a Christmas carol here, look this one up on Google. You’ll likely be as surprised by the song’s provenance as you’ll be captivated by what Kitchen has done with it. Like the album’s opening song, this one is a perfect closer.

Note: Terry Kitchen performs at the Hyde Park Library’s summer concert series on July 10, and at the Somerville Armory on July 16.

Ed Symkus is a Boston native and Emerson College graduate. He plays guitar, went to Woodstock, has interviewed David Bromberg, Chris Smither, Christine Lavin, and Ellis Paul, and has visited the Outer Hebrides, the Lofoten Islands, Anglesey, Mykonos, Nantucket, the Azores, Catalina, Kangaroo Island, Capri, and the Isle of Wight with his wife Lisa.