“I have the great good fortune upon waking every morn / to welcome what’s before me like a babe who is newborn.”

So begins the title song and first track on Wendy Luella Perkins’ new album, Lucky Life. The sentiment of blessedness and delight in these lyrics sets the stage for the rest of the album, a collection of simple but beautiful songs with spiritual overtones.

Perkins’ songs feature simple, repetitive lyrics and melodies. The repetition is common to many of the songs, yet its effect on each is unique.

In “Lucky Life,” the emphasis on good fortune evokes genuine gratitude. In “Apple Blossom Time,” the repetition evokes the rhythm of a season-dependent country life. In “Little Brown Bird,” the repetition is very simple, very peaceful, and I think makes the song well suited to a child audience.

Lucky Life is an album full of joy. Perkins captures moments of pleasure from various aspects of life in her songs. She delights in nature in “Apple Blossom Time,” explores family dialogue in “Live Life Love Life,” rekindles romance in “Let’s Start Again,” and revels in relaxation in “Hour.”

Most of the album is slow and peaceful, but the tracks “Long Way Back” and “Sing the Universe” have a bit of a fast paced, folk-rock feel, which adds some unexpected punch to an otherwise very tranquil album.

Perkins is known for leading Soulful Singing workshops and her ardency comes through in her music. This is not the same “soul” as is in Soul music; Perkins’ soul is Folk soul. Her voice is pure, sweet and cheerful, her words express childlike wonder and spiritual gratitude, and she delivers her gentle melodies alongside gentle guitar, piano and banjo.

Perkins’ sound is reminiscent of folk festivals and summer in the country. Imagine yourself reclined on a picnic blanket on a grassy field, with warm sun streaming down on your face; in the distance you hear whispers of birdsong and murmurs of a brook. Picture a small wooden stage in front of you. On it is a soft-spoken woman with a guitar. She serenades you a lullaby about birds, water, birth and life. If this scene makes you yearn for sunshine and birdsong, you’ll enjoy Lucky Life.