Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood

One of the hardest working singer-songwriters in the game -  Katie Crutchfeld - was born in Alabama and grew up near Waxahatchee Creek. She skipped town and struck out on her own as Waxahatchee. That was over a decade ago. Crutchfeld says she never knew the road would lead her here, but after six critically acclaimed albums, she's never felt more confdent in herself as an artist. While her sound has evolved from lo-fi folk to lush alt-tinged country, her voice has always remained the same. Honest and close, poetic with Southern lilting.

Much like Carson McCullers's Mick Kelly, determined in her desires and convictions, ready to tell whoever will listen. And after years of being sober and stable in Kansas City-after years of sacrificing herself to her work and the road, Crutchfeld has arrived at her most potent songwriting yet. On her new album, Tigers Blood, Crutchfeld emerges as a powerhouse-an ethnologist of the self-forever dedicated to revisiting her wins and losses. But now she's arriving at revelations and she ain't holding them back.