Greetings from the desert! The free track for this week is “Pet Me.” I’m currently in Kingman, Arizona, made famous by the highway and song “Route 66,” staying with three adorable rescue pets. The newest addition to the family is a majestic feline called Jin-Jin—a possible Maine Coon named for his two golden eyes (jīn, or 金, means “gold” in Mandarin). His kind owners saved him from their neighbors who threatened to kill him by stoning. He’s definitely got a wild streak to him, but it’s clear that now that he’s being given love, he’s quite capable of loving back.

“Pet Me” is from the point of view of a cat who longs for such kind owners, but still wants to keep a sense of her independence. It’s among the oldest songs on The Long Way Out—in fact, I originally wrote it on the guitar, but later transferred it to the harp. Now, after so many years of playing it on the harp, I don’t remember how to play it on the guitar anymore!

Snatch up “Pet Me” for free while you can! It will be free for the next seven days. Enjoy this tiptoe-jazz-pop number with harp by yours truly and cello by Valerie Thompson. Be sure to tell all the cat-lovers you know!