Kim Richey - Kim Richey (1995)

Kim Richey had managed some success on the Nashville songwriting scene by the time she released her eponymous debut in 1995. With it, Richey proved that she had the goods as a performer and musician, as well. Featuring some of Nashville's best studio musicians and most talented pop misfits, Kim Richey is a sterling delight. It would be easy to compare her to fellow folk-tinged artists like Shawn Colvin, but there's also more than a dose of Springsteen and Hiatt on here, too. Lyrically, Richey knows her way around a clever turn of phrase, as she explores the more unpleasant results of relationships. But she is no woman broken: Just check out the resilience on the gorgeous "You'll Never Know" or the unbridled optimism of new-found love on "Good." She also possesses a deliriously angelic voice, which is given plenty of room to roam on the hushed ballad "Let the Sun Fall Down." A stunning debut by a gifted artist.