Amy McCarley. Promoter in Scotland: Brookfield Knights music agency and representation, UK

Occasionally something comes along that sweeps the feet from under you.

It happened when we first heard Amy McCarley.

They are straight-talking folks in Alabama and consequently don't take kindly to exaggeration or hype.

. . .And, when reviewers began to write complimentary things about this bright talent even the toughest of the hard-nosed sceptics were forced to accept she was a real 24-carat discovery.

Those who took the time to check this music out found something refreshingly real that would become utterly cherished.

McCarley is a single-minded character with a fiercely independent spirit. Believing she had something worthwhile to contribute, she wrote and recorded songs for twelve years, working with the finest musicians in the city of Huntsville, all of whom at some point naturally gravitated in her direction.

Then she branched out on her own in a dramatic DIY-style that should be hugely inspirational to others, to deliver a solo debut that is exactly that.

On this latest project, she was a sister doing it for herself, not only on the writing and singing front, but also accompanying herself on guitars, keyboards, harmonica and drums - a remarkable achievement - and boy, did she pull it off with panache.

The songs are thoughtfully performed with little or no embellishment and a straight-down-the-middle presentation that is branded with the word HONESTY.

The radio presenters with good grey matter between their ears all got it straight away and, thank God, began to spread the word. Amy cites Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, Aimee Mann and The Velvet Underground among her many influences. On hearing her latest songs, Mark Mason of BMI Nashville said they were "raw and transcendent," adding that she was: "a real live southern song-writer with a unique sound and gorgeous voice in every sense of the word".

Others have described her as "unmistakeably genuine" and "a Huntsville treasure".

Right now, they are beginning to talk about this rising new talent far beyond the Alabama state line.and that buzz is finally reaching Europe too.