Sultry songstress will perform in Zumbrota

Pieta Brown plays a concert in celebration of her new album “Mercury” Friday May 25 in Zumbrota.

Saturated in phrasing and mesmerizing melodies, this highly anticipated new release evokes the sounds of her native southland with raw folk and Americana songs that have strains of Gillian Welch and the Civil Wars with the radio-friendly allure of Feist and Ray Lamontagne.

Inspired by a dream she had, Brown made the album in the country west of Nashville. Recorded live in just three days with all the players in one room, it features a who’s who of great 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).

Knopfler also adds his touch to the blues stomp “So Many Miles.”

Brown met many of these players while touring with Knopfler and his band last year, during which time they developed a connection with her music. Fittingly, the album ends with “No Words Now,” a song she wrote back stage one night after hearing Knopfler and his band play live.

“All the songs came fast,” Brown said. “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, Brown proved that she is “one of the best modern songwriters,” according to Sonic Boomers.

At a glance…

Who: Pieta Brown

When: 8 p.m. Friday May 25

Where: Crossings at Carnegie, 320 East Ave., Zumbrota

Cost: $18 in advance, $20 at the door

More info: 507-732-7616 or www.crossingsatcarnegie.com

Tags: arts and entertainment, lifestyle, arts, entertainment, zumbrota