Angela Easterling

So the old story goes, a small-town girl with ambition puts her all into her music, moves to the big city, meets the right people, and finds success. But with Angela Easterling, it was the opposite. She went back to her small town, and what she found in her native Greenville, SC had Roger McGuinn, founder of legendary folk rock group The Byrds, calling her "a bright shining star on the horizon," going on to say "Her gift is so special….brought me back to the time the Byrds recorded Sweetheart of the Rodeo - tradition meets youthful exuberance."

The result is Beguiler, her most focused and expansive album yet. It's also the first album featuring her new band The Beguilers - guitarist Brandon Turner and drummer Jeff Hook, both of whom Angela met in Spartanburg, SC. To "beguile," means to charm or enchant, sometimes in a deceptive way. Apropos to the title, Beguiler comes replete with gorgeous, bucolic, Southern-imbued folk that draws you in with gentle, crafty songs that address political and social issues head on.

As with 2009's BlackTop Road, Beguiler was produced by lauded singer-songwriter Will Kimbrough, currently serving as Emmylou Harris' lead guitarist and known for his work with folks like Rodney Crowell, Todd Snider and Jimmy Buffett. Also helping out in the studio are bassist Byron House, from Robert Plant's Band of Joy and noted multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin; while two South Carolina songbirds, Fayssoux Starling McLean, a longtime harmony singer for Emmylou Harris and folk-pop artist Hannah Miller add their voices to the album’s finale, “Anchored in Love”.

Easterling’s songwriting has made her a two-time Kerrville New Folk Finalist and a 2011 Telluride Troubadour Finalist, and has roped in critical lauding from Oxford American, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Boston Herald, a prolific interview with NPR's Bob Edwards, heavy airplay on Sirius XM's Outlaw Country and a band appearance on public radio program Michael Feldman’s Whad’Ya Know. These accolades, however, are second to the riveting storytelling, deft Americana songwriting, and accessible persona of Angela Easterling. Angela plans to hit the road for most of the year, charming new audiences with her mix of past and present, personal and political, disarming and provocative music and lyrics. When she heads back home, it's guaranteed that Angela Easterling will have bigger surprises in store. She's one to watch.