Lisa Hannigan, Joe Henry

Lisa Hannigan: Irish singer/songwriter Lisa Hannigan first made a name for herself as the vocal partner of fellow countryman Damien Rice (formerly of the hard-hitting indie rock outfit Juniper). Hannigan's sultry voice can be heard on the majority of Rice's 2001 debut, O, as well as a handful of tracks on 2005's 9. Hannigan also toured with Rice, often lending her talents on guitar, keyboards, and drums as well, and occasionally performing her own songs, traditional tunes, and the occasional cover. On March 26, 2007, Rice informed Hannigan that his professional relationship with her was over, citing his opinion that the partnership "has run its creative course." Undaunted, Hannigan began preparing songs for the studio, releasing demos on her MySpace page as they trickled out. In 2008 she hit the road as the opener for Jason Mraz's U.S. and Canadian tour, with plans to release her debut album the following year.

Joe Henry: Civilians is Joe Henry's tenth album to date and his second for Anti Records. It's a wry, reflective, and sometimes devastating collection of stories. "The songs have the right amount of smoke, the right number of mirrors and the right kind of clarity," Henry says. "And I'm not sure that, with all of the records that I've made, I've ever felt that way before now." In addition to winning a Grammy for producing Solomon Burke's "Don't Give Up On Me," Henry has produced acclaimed efforts for Ani DiFranco, Aimee Mann, Bettye LaVette, Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, and the upcoming Mary Gauthier album. He also worked with longtime hero Loudon Wainwright III on the soundtrack to this summer's smash hit Knocked Up.

[wonderballroom.com]