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1998 was a terrific year for chicks with picks: Kacy Crowley, Billie Myers, Melanie Doane, Emm Gryner, Tara MacLean, Garrison Starr, and dozens of other female singer-songwriters got starring roles in Sarah McLachlan’s second Lilith Fair tour . . . and then they promptly fell off the face of the Earth. In the case of Starr, it was a combination of business turmoil — she went from being groomed for success by Geffen to a casualty of late-’90s record industry consolidation — and creative and personal upheaval. The Mississippi-born singer relocated from Memphis (where she’d honed her Nanci Griffith-meets-Sheryl Crow roots-pop) to Los Angeles and stepped away from her career, not following up 1998’s 24-7 until half a decade later. Now based in Nashville after seven years in L.A., Starr’s working her way back up the ladder, having recently released her sixth full-length, The Sound of You and Me. Musically warm and lyrically wistful, it’s quite similar to the latest album from Beth Orton — another Lilith ’98 vet who ended up faring a bit better. As you’ll see if you check out this show, Starr’s an admirable songwriter and an able performer, so it’s easy to root for her comeback.
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