Barricades and Brickwalls

The name Kasey Chambers may not be familiar to country fans outside Australia, but her sound will catch the ear of anyone who loves Lucinda Williams or Emmylou Harris, two artists with whom she's toured. Barricades lucidly documents some of life's lowest points, and the way she yodels the first syllable in "lonesome" suggests that she's studied experts like Hank Williams. But even when the lyrics describe pain, the clear, lively arrangements offer release. Revenge tune "Crossfire" rocks—and rightfully so.