Nicolette Hayford arrived in Nashville as a Southern-bred soul-blues belter. As she immersed herself in the songwriting community, she combined those sensibilities with narrative detail that suited rising country and roots-rock storytellers like Steve Moakler; Bishop Gunn; Robert Counts, with whom she collaborated on a tune snatched up by neotraditionalist William Michael Morgan; and Ashley McBryde, who’s built a rapt audience with their co-written small-town dramas.