Dar Williams

Dar Williams is a favorite among the adult-alternative set, and with good reason: She’s a winningly literate singer-songwriter with undeniable gifts as a storyteller. (In fact, she’s also a novelist, with two books under her belt including 2006’s Lights, Camera, Amalee.) She’s also gotten a bit livelier in her later years: Her 2005 album, My Better Self, got a little more bouncy, focusing as much on catchy melodies as clever narratives. Certainly deserving of a greatest hits compilation, Williams does one better on last year’s Many Great Companions by stuffing in a second disc filled with acoustic versions of 12 songs, aided by appearances from The Jayhawks’ Gary Louris and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Updated 04/19/2012