Whether nailing an upbeat honky-tonk tune or a slow, sad story-song, Zoe Muth's music is so honest and familiar, you'll wonder why you haven't heard it yet. Her self-titled, self-released debut won attention not only from her hometown, it also earned praise from the worldwide press. On its follow-up, Starlight Hotel (produced by Muth and Martin Feveyear at Seattle's Jupiter Studios), you can almost feel the wheels turning under the pickup truck. Picture an old country road, flat land on either side and a whole lot of nothing out the window.

The mood of the music - and Muth's narrative lyrics - captures a stark honesty that recalls some of the finest country classics. In fact, there's so much spirit of Merle and Hank in these tunes (sung in an earnest tone reminiscent of Iris DeMent), it's easy to forget they were actually realized in the lush green of western Washington state.