Shivaree

When your parents name you Ambrosia Parsley, you're bound to have a unique take on the world. Ms. Parsley is the vocalist for Shivaree, joined by guitarist Duke McVinnie, Tom Waits's touring keyboardist Danny McGough and a drum machine. On this debut album Parsley comes across like Sheryl Crow's quirkier, funky little sister hanging out with Lisa Germano and Giant Sand. Shivaree's carnival-esque desert torch-pop relies on humid atmospherics to get its point across - the highly underrated Joe Henry is one of the album's producers - and occasionally they stumble upon a great song ("Pimp," "Goodnight Moon") that tallies all the band's talents. As far as major label sweepstakes go, Shivaree are a strong early contender for 2000's best new artist.