Of the three New York Times music critics, Lindsay Zoladz’s list definitely appeals to me the most. In addition to the inclusion of Haim, Fiona Apple, Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers, she gave her #3 slot to an artist I’m thrilled to have discovered, Waxahatchee.

Waxahatchee is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, a native of Alabama who named her one-woman band after Waxahatchee Creek in her hometown. She released her fifth album, Saint Cloud, in March.

This soul-soothing collection of country rock reminded me instantly of early Lucinda Williams. And sure enough, some internet research revealed that Crutchfield published an essay about Williams’ Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, which she called her all-time favorite album, for that great record’s 20th anniversary. She also interviewed Williams earlier this year.

Suffice it say she’s a fan, and that influence shows in her work in the best way.

Crutchfield’s Alabama twang adds a gritty authenticity to these songs, which were mostly written after (and in some cases, about) her alcoholism and struggle to get sober.

Don’t let the serious subject matter fool you, though. This is not a tough listen at all. On the contrary, it’s a comforting one.