Erin Enderlin
\u201cOne of the best things about country music was that it was adult music,\u201d Erin Enderlin says. \u201cIt was real music that dealt with hard issues in life so that people going through those things don\u2019t feel so alone.\u201d The observation is signature Enderlin: She has a way of turning a song or even just a thought into an outstretched hand to the lonely or ashamed. While she first turned heads as a godsend to those aching for an artist with some golden-era country backbone, she has since emerged as a literary songwriter and superb vocal stylist with a knack for sharply drawn\u2013\u2013and often sad\u2013\u2013characters. Backsliders, avengers, lovers, and victims\u2013\u2013they\u2019re all in her acclaimed albums, such as 2019\u2019s Faulkner County and 2017\u2019s Whiskeytown Crier. Enderlin remains a go-to writer for stars and legends as well. Her catalog includes Alan Jackson\u2019s \u201cMonday Morning Church,\u201d Lee Ann Womack\u2019s \u201cLast Call,\u201d Luke Bryan\u2019s \u201cYou Don\u2019t Know Jack,\u201d and a host of other songs for Randy Travis, Joey+Rory, Reba, Terri Clark, Whisperin\u2019 Bill Anderson, and more.