Legendary singer-songwriter Sam Beam, of folk outfit Iron & Wine, has announced a collaborative album with fellow singer-songwriter Jessica Hoop to be released April 15. The artists have titled their forthcoming album “Love Letter for Fire.”

This project marks a new direction in Beam’s career, as he has not previously worked with another songwriter. It is exciting to see such a prolific artist continue to innovate in his career and reach for new artistic peaks.

According to Beam’s record label, Sub Pop, this new project was inspired by classic duets such as those that the artist grew up listening to. The album itself was recorded in Portland, Oregon, under producer Tucker Martine.

Sam Beam has written many popular songs under the name Iron & Wine, including “Flightless Bird American Mouth” and “Boy With a Coin.” The bearded folk singer’s tender lyricism captures the most dreamy and intimate moments in soft lullaby-esque acoustic recordings.

Jessica Hoop’s experimental folk brings a whole new element to Beam’s music. Beam and Hoop harmonize beautifully, creating deeply soothing tracks.

So far, two singles have been released off of “Love Letter for Fire.”

“Every Songbird Says” demonstrates the near perfect compatibility between the two artists. The song narrates an intimate love story told by boy and girl, supported by a wide variety of instruments. This track is beyond impressive vocally, and strongly represents what is the core goal of the collaborative project.

“Valley Clouds” is another soft, melodic song. The song is delightfully warm, thanks to lovely harmony once again. The song’s lyrics are very “lovey-dovey” in nature as some may say.

Judging by these two singles, “Love Letter for Fire” should be a successful album. It seems as though this project was slaved over, and this love and dedication can be felt through the music. Sam Beam continues to prove himself a folk love song powerhouse as he advances his career.