Valerie June - Pushin' Against a Stone

Hailing from rural Tennessee, it’s no surprise that this model-gorgeous hipster has one foot squarely stuck in acoustic country-gospel and the other firmly planted in electric indie-blues. The banjo-picking and guitar-playing singer grew up with her four siblings in a cinder-block garage “on a dirt-road between Jackson and Humboldt,” where she was exposed to gospel music at the local church and to soul and r&b through her father. “My heart is fully immersed in studying roots music and southern culture,” explains Valerie, “but I’m a songwriter first and foremost and can write a song in almost any genre.” That versatility shines through on her debut album, Pushin’ Against a Stone, a cool collection of songs full of twang yet entirely contemporary. Produced by Dan Auerbach, of Black Keys fame, and Kevin Augunas, best known for his work with Sinéad O’Connor, it features everything from old-school hymns to stomping blues-rockers. Valerie calls her sound “organic moonshine roots music” and it sure is an intoxicating brew.