FOUR STARS!

The Americana music find of the year, young Ms. Young and her ardent backup band boast traditionalist cred aplenty, along with the best possible kind of commercial chops. Young matches Gillian Welch for rural authenticity with the title farming ditty and a bushel of smartly reimagined folk standards, while the Sadies produce rockin' country love songs and an anti-war anthem that don't insult your intelligence. Completing the package, Young's melodious, lusty voice sounds right at home in every subgenre she takes it to. - Bob Strauss