Unflinching honesty, directness, and compassion are trademarks of the gritty, country-tinged folk of singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier ("Go-shay"), who sings the stories of addicts, broken-hearted lovers and forgotten souls with sharply observed, haunting detail and a smoky, beautifully weathered voice. Born in Thibodaux, Louisiana, Mary ran away from home at age 15; her subsequent travels took her from a Kansas City jail cell to the Louisiana State University philosophy department to the successful Boston restaurant she owned, and all of these experiences color her sparse, bittersweet songs about the downside of American life. The 1999 release of Mary's widely acclaimed second album, Drag Queens in Limousines (In The Black), gained her national recognition that had her touring coast to coast and performing at festivals from Strawberry to Newport. This year, she followed it with a third album, Filth & Fire (Signature Sounds), which explores further the themes of love and lovelessness, community and loneliness, despair and faith.