I walked into a coffeeshop today and "Get Right" by iTunes: Lucinda Williams was playing over the PA. She played this past weekend in the real O.C.

I had the good fortune of seeing Lucinda Williams play live at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival in 1988 or so. I had never heard of her, and was completely blown away. I'm a fan.

You don't need to be a country fan to like her. She's more rootsy rock, even though her music has been covered by country artists. Here are three to get started with:

iTunes: I Just Wanted to See you so Bad (1988)
iTunes: Passionate Kisses (1988)
iTunes: Metal Firecracker (1998)