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"You can't get something out of your art if it don't sting a little bit..."

Laura Blackley's philosophy on music might sound a little painful, but it epitomizes what she's all about—country heartbreak, Southern Comfort-soaked blues, and backwater gospel soul.

Blackley's latest recording, "Liquid Courage," is like a rock tumbled by a cool Appalachian stream, honed smooth, but with enough rough edges to give it character.

From "Helen's Bridge," a ghost tune based on a legend passed around Asheville, North Carolina, Blackley's home, to "Deep River," a testimonial to the plight of small farms, to the title track that turns a bad attitude into a righteous personal anthem, "Liquid Courage" is like opening Blackley's scrapbook and delving into her personal experiences and stories.

"This record is based on the songs, stories, and way of life of the people I grew up with in the rural Northern Neck Peninsula of Eastern Virginia—with a few sketches of folks I've met since I left home," Blackley claims. Citing influences ranging from Johnny Cash to Patty Griffin to the storytelling women in her family to Hank Williams to Bessie Smith, "Liquid Courage," as well as Blackley herself, promise to be a foray into the grittier side of American Roots music.

Favorite things: Live music, playing live music, Muscle cars (especially '65 Mustangs), Appalachian Mountains, Southern Accents, Southern Writers (especially Barbara Kingsolver and Toni Morrisson), and ghost stories.

Website: http://laurablackley.com/home.html