Emily Herring

This born and bred Texan songstress stays true to the authentic musical heart of the Lone Star state with this fine album. In fact, she kicks it off with a musical love letter to her favourite metropolis with "Austin (Ain't Got No) City Limits," complete with name checks of Lyle Lovett, Toni Price and Ray Wylie Hubbard. Herring has a bold, brassy voice a bit reminiscent of early k.d. lang or Kelly Willis, while her spirited guitar playing brings to mind Bonnie Raitt and Rosie Flores. There's the occasional blues and western swing influence, but plenty of dobro and lap steel keep this generally anchored in the honkytonk realm. Herring is no slouch as a writer either, coming up with all the material; she gets a little political, to good effect, on "Wanna Holler" ("it's a rich man's world we're livin' in"). The album finishes with a flourish, with Herring letting rip on slide guitar on "One Steals The Load." There are no mistakes here.