Texas songwriter Vincent Neil Emerson graduated from playing on the streets and in the bars of Fort Worth to tours with Colter Wall and American Aquarium and then a well-received debut album (2019’s Fried Chicken And Evil Women). That inspired none other than Rodney Crowell and Shooter Jennings in turn to take an interest in producing the young country troubadour, resulting in a self-titled release in 2021 and the more recent The Golden Crystal Kingdom of 2023. They heard what I hear - an artist processing his past and making his struggles universal, a singer with an honest voice and a distinct point of view. He paused during his ongoing touring to sit down with WMOT after a show at Skinny Dennis.

Atlanta native Kristina Murray moved to Nashville in 2014 with a fresh and original debut album and steely determination. The country singer and songwriter carved out a respected space at honky tonks like Santa’s Pub and the American Legion. When hard work and critical acclaim for her two releases didn’t launch her career to a new orbit, it felt like defeat. That, plus the pandemic, fueled some challenging times and emotions that inspired her new one, Little Blue, a lovely, lament-filled album on New West’s Normaltown imprint. Murray is due for new waves of attention, and we talk about how hard that is to manifest in this edition of The String.

I’m With Her, the sublime and award-winning trinity of Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins is back with their second album, after an eight year interim since their debut See You Around came out to great acclaim. The new Wild And Clear And Blue, written over several years and produced by multi-instrumentalist indie folk guru Josh Kaufman, arrived last Friday, and it’s sure to be one of the most celebrated recordings of 2025. Craig reviews the album and speaks with Sara Watkins about this special relationship, plus her ever-evolving work with Nickel Creek and the Los Angeles Watkins Family Hour collective.