Subtle Folk, Delicate Soul From Forceful Tara MacLean

There is an elegant emotionalism to the voice of Tara MacLean. Sometimes a folkie, at other times a fiery torch singer, the Canadian singer-songwriter always sings with a delicate soulfulness.

At the Mint on Thursday, MacLean was a forceful if often subtle presence as she performed her folk-based songs of prickly romance and spiritual questioning.

Her approach leans more toward the lilting Sarah McLachlan than the edgier Shelby Lynn, but MacLean’s voice was rich and forceful.

The overall effect at the Mint, where she was accompanied by a guitarist and a percussionist or sang a cappella, was even stronger than on her new “Passenger” album, which bathes her vocals beneath waves of instrumentation.

She was able to craft dynamic, full-bodied pop on “Jordan,” a song she said was inspired by her parents’ decision to drop everything to “preach the gospel” from the back of a van.

The song began slowly before exploding with an unexpected guitar wind-out at the close.

MacLean was a funny, pleasant host, chatting and laughing easily between songs, telling stories of the motivations behind her material.

She said the inspiration for her entire first album, the independently released “Silence,” came from an ex-boyfriend she now calls “disaster No. 2.”

“He was just a garden of pain,” MacLean said with a laugh.

She then picked up an acoustic guitar and performed “Child,” another measured ballad that allowed the natural passion of her voice to shine through.