Faulkner County

It may seem like country’s tradition of plaintive storytelling trailed off well before the 21st century, only occasionally resurfacing since. But Erin Enderlin is one singer-songwriter who’s quietly carved out a career during this era with her steady devotion to the form. The 14 songs on Faulkner County, a concept album of sorts initially divvied up in a series of EPs, are knowing barroom vignettes of disappointment, settling, and self-destruction. Enderlin’s subdued bent notes convey melancholy awareness of private pain, and the understated finesse of her accompaniment—produced by traditionally inclined old hands Jamey Johnson and Jim “Moose” Brown and featuring lyrical steel guitar lines and close, downy harmonies from some of Nashville's finest—suits the sentiments.