Artist Tift Merritt

Tift Merritt got her start in the stable of Lost Highway Records, the label at the forefront of the ongoing fight between gaudy pop-country and roots music with even a hint of traditionalist grounding. Merritt cites Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Bonnie Raitt as influences, and while the combination doesn’t lead to anything too exciting, she hits her marks with breezy assuredness. Her 2002 debut, Bramble Rose, fed on a steady diet of country, but subsequent albums put some blues and soul on her plate. For the new See You On The Moon, her second on Fantasy Records, Merritt recruited producer Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens) to help create some of her most intimate material yet.

Updated 07/21/2010