Following your instincts is not as easy as Sunny Sweeney makes it look. A patron saint of broken hearts on the mend, Sweeney comforts the rest of us by being honest with herself-and everybody else. She is her generation's sly country conscience, warm but stubborn, sad but funny, rowdy but thoughtful.
For Sweeney, doing what she wants has meant crafting smart honky tonk for about two decades. "I really do love country music," she says. "For me, it's the stories and hooks." Her new album Rhinestone Requiem is a delectable testament to that love, brimming with achingly pretty melodies and grown-up storytelling. It's also an expertly assembled grab bag of the traditional song structures that have built country music, one three-quarter whirl at a time.