Stacey Earle

The younger sister of Country Rock bad boy Steve Earle, Stacey Earle writes simple, austere songs about love and loss with all the stunning clarity of a photograph. Her crystal-clear soprano voice has a slight twang to it that's superficially reminiscent of Nanci Griffith, and her songs are framed by gentle, mostly acoustic playing displaying the kind of casual virtuosity that never draws attention to itself. It shouldn't take long for her to emerge from her more famous sibling's long shadow.