From the opening track of Mercury it"s apparent why Pieta Brown is the personification of indie-Americana cool. With her mesmerizing melodies and seductive voice she delivers a powerful album of raw folk and Americana songs with strains of Gillian Welch and The Civil Wars. Inspired by a dream, Mercury was recorded in the country west of Nashville in a one room studio with a who"s who of session players including Grammy-winning producer/player Richard Bennett (Mark Knopfler, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris), bassist Glenn Worf (Mark Knopfler, Aaron Neville, Tammy Wynette), drummer Chad Cromwell (Neil Young, Mark Knopfler), multi-instrumentalist David Mansfield (Bob Dylan, T-Bone Burnett, Johnny Cash) and her frequent collaborator Bo Ramsey (Lucinda Williams, Greg Brown). Mark Knopfler also adds his inimitable touch to the blues stomp "So Many Miles." "All the songs came fast," Pieta says. "Words and melodies arrived intertwined..some like visions, some as simple memories, some like urgent messages." Piecing together torn scraps of love and loss, coming and going, addiction and sobriety, nature and destruction, Pieta proves that she is "one of the best modern songwriters" (Sonic Boomers) and a true poet, speaking to life in these uncertain times--from the sparkling title track "Mercury" to the gospel-tinged "Glory to Glory." Sometimes contemplative and other times brimming with energy, the album is infectious with country-esque numbers like "Be With You" and "I"m Gone," evoking the spirit of Lucinda Williams" classic album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Making the record of her young career, Pieta shows her star isn"t just on the rise; it"s already here, shining bright for us all.