Adrienne Young & Little Sadie

'The Art of Virtue'

(Addiebelle)

If bluegrass and old-time are your preferred flavors of country music, you might as well give this young lady a look-listen. She's more unrehearsed and unpolished than the McCourys and a hair more traditional than Allison Kraus and her band — points in her favor. On the other hand, she's not as unleashed or piney as, say, Old Crow Medicine Show or our Wilders — traits she could use more of.

"Virtue" was inspired by Ben Franklin's "The Virtue of Man," so Young delivers a few secular sermons on morality and humble living. Her message is clear but not forceful, so it doesn't get in the way of the music, which fits snugly inside its box with little room to spare.

Young's voice is pretty and soulful but never in extremes either way. On cuts like "Ella, Arkansas," she sounds like Shelby Lynne taking a measured swing at alt-country. In the end, she and her band make a sound that feels like a visit from good company: It wipes its feet, cleans its plate and clears the table, tells a few good stories and knows when to say good night. — Timothy Finn/The Star