I'd never heard of her before. It's an odd song for a singer who clearly plays to the NPR-demographic, yet the right sort of song that ought to be sung for them.
Taking a shot in the dark, I'd say the Washington Post reviewer missed the point.
She waxes theological at several points, refreshingly asserting, to the gorgeous strings of "Laughing With," that God has a sense of humor. Several lines later she wryly dismisses portrayals of the divine as Santa Claus.