The story of Dallas-born singer-songwriter Erin McCarley is largely that of her collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Jamie Kenney, whom she met after moving to San Diego. McCarley and Kenney then relocated to Nashville and set to work on the songs that would make up the 2009 debut album, LOVE, SAVE THE EMPTY. McCarley, who was previously the singer in a country cover band, falls somewhere between Fiona Apple and Bjork--though her lyrics, which deal with love, heartbreak, and self-reliance, are more conventional. Kenney, with a co-writing credit on all but one of the songs, steers the music capably in a detailed, frequently British-sounding direction.