Had the chance to hear and see Iris Dement last weekend in historic Lexington MA. Wow, she is a rare talent: amazing song writer, truly unique voice and she has the potential to cross-over to a much larger “Indie” audience, beyond country. I was a bit surprised by the older skewed audience of few hundred at the performance. Yes, it was in a church in a burb but still it was an accessible location and I would have thought a wider audience would have been drawn in.
Listen. She has a strong pull toward the melancholy but there are some very bright songs and singing.
http://www.irisdement.com/mp3s.html
I actually “discovered” her as a soundtrack element of that TV show Northern Exporsure back in the mid 90’s. They had used a bit of what was here first “big” song “Our Town”. One of the amazing things about that song is that she elevated beyond cliche down into a familiar place that really hits the heart…
PIPETOP 