Souther Sound Series: Iris DeMent

Iris DeMent is considered by many in the music industry as a national treasure. NPR called her “one of the great voices in contemporary popular music.” DeMent’s Pentecostal upbringing seeps through in her piquant voice, with her music tapping into the rusty places of our hearts. DeMent’s 1992 debut, “Infamous Angel,” was noted as “an essential album of the 1990’s” by Rolling Stone. DeMent’s “My Life” was nominated for a Grammy award for best contemporary folk album, as was her collaboration with John Prine, “In Spite of Ourselves.” Her latest recording, released in 2015, “The Trackless Woods,” is a collection of poems by 20th-century Russian poet Anna Akhmatova adapted to music.