Mary Gauthier @ Cabaret Voltaire

Drawing on her many years of dependency and delinquency, Mary Gauthier serves up a stunning slice of country noir, with her unflinching tales of alcohol, cheap motels and death row murderers as bleak and powerful as anything dredged up by Tom Russell or Steve Earle. Many are based on her own experiences, some tell of characters on the fringes of society - the poor, the homeless, the destitute. But it's not all misery and pain, with even the most achingly realised lyrics wrapped in gorgeous melody and delivered in her warm Bayou drawl. And, not content with pouring her soul into her songs, as a performer she lives every one on stage, wincing at the painful memories and smiling at the shreds of hope that occasionally shine through. [Paul Greenwood]