Award-winning songwriter brings stripped-down style to Puma Road.

“I love the vulnerability of the stripped-down sound of a keyboard,” Sej Miles says.

It’s the mantra of a musician devoted to down-home folk, reminiscent of the stuff prominent in the 1960s. The minimalist strategy works. Her smoky voice is crystal clear, almost conversational, making the lyrics to her originals easy to decipher. It feels as though she’s speaking one-on-one to the listener with lines like, “Morning’s in sight if I hold through the night,” from her song “Don’t Come Easy”.

It’s like receiving encouragement from a wise confidante.

Socially aware, Miles shuns politics. Instead, acceptance is an overarching theme of hers. “People are stuck in boxes and that’s why they’re sad. If things are bleak, people can feel less alone by saying it,” she explains.

The musical influences she draws from – gospel, blues, folk – have historically called for perseverance and solidarity during strife. One of her standout originals is about our nation’s divisiveness. “War Clothes Down” is a retort, a call to realize we have the power to change things now, not by opposing an enemy but answering with love. In it she asks “Our strength is in love if we choose it. When will all the people realize?”

Her songs integrate seamlessly with her covers of ’60s and ’70s tunes (think Ray Charles and Etta James). She feeds off the crowd’s engagement. “We’re having an experience together. I love connecting with people,” she says.

Miles moved to Salinas from Texas last spring and joined music-related groups such as the West Coast Songwriters Association and Tribe in the Sky, which streamlined her progress.

SEJ MILES WITH MAX & BRONWYN 5pm Monday, Dec. 9. Puma Road Tasting Room, 281 Alvarado St., Monterey, No cover. 747-1911, pumaroad.com