singles: Jukejoint Girl; Cowboy (Oil Rig, 1999)

Both tunes on The Carbines release - the lightly swinging "Jukejoint Girl" and the gorgeous, folky "Cowboy" - were written by the band's singer, Tift Merritt. The playing is ragged in an alt-country sort of way; the hook is the strength of Merritt's songs and the slightly-lispy, slightly-faraway sound of her voice. (P.O. Box 323, Bynum, NC 27238; E-Mail: tift@email.unc.edu)