Amy Rigby

Amy Rigby's 1996 solo debut, Diary of a Mod Housewife, was an acclaimed assimilation of pop, country and folk. Rigby's fifth and most recent effort, Little Fugitive, quickly recorded in two days in New York City, abandons the rural influence, concentrating instead on roughed-up, deliberate pop-rock. Whether it's a somber-yet-witty ode to a punk legend ("Dancing with Joey Ramone") or a delicate tune questioning why her new husband's ex-wife has become a friend ("The Trouble with Jeanie"), Rigby's songwriting is as sharp as ever. Rarely has the commonplace sounded so imperative. The music on Fugitive is looser and less polished than on previous efforts, but it reveals an eye for significant details better than any middle-aged mom I know.