New Buffalo

Wed., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $16, with Stars, Starlight Ballroom, 460 N. Ninth St., 866-468-7619, www.r5productions.com.

by M.J. Fine

Outside of Fatboy Slim and Dido, secular music hasn't had much time for praise. Gospel's full of it, but why should Jesus get all the adoration? Australia's Sally Seltmann has a song in her heart for her man, her friends and other underappreciated souls. On Somewhere, Anywhere (Arts & Crafts), her second album as New Buffalo, she expresses her gratitude through any instrument she can find. You're drawn in by Seltmann's wide-ranging piano rhythms — sometimes stately, sometimes jaunty — but it's her bright voice that lingers in your mind: the ahhhhs and bum-bum-bum-bums of "Cheer Me Up Thank You"; the ooh oohs of "I'm the Drunk and You're the Star"; the delicate harmonies with husband Darren Seltmann (of the Avalanches) on "Stay with Us." Through all of the good vibes, somehow she avoids sounding the least bit saccharine. Give the lady a hand. (Feist, who's getting a lot of love from her handclap-happy co-write "1234," can't thank her enough.)

Wed., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $16, with Stars, The Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., www.r5productions.com.