Amanda Shires

Texas-based singer/songwriter, Amanda Shires, writes songs that would be perfectly at home in some back-ally bar somewhere in the middle of America. Her simplistic folk songwriting doesn't contain introspective or complex lyrical themes, and it definitely doesn't include any virtuosic instrumental arrangements, but there is something comforting about her unique style of Americana that's hard to dislike. It could possibly be her honesty, because after hearing a few tracks by Shires, listeners can undoubtedly tell that this is a woman who's not trying to construct a contrived image of herself in order to sell records. Shires started releasing music in 2006 and even though she hasn't received a lot of attention for her musical endeavors, her moderate success implies that her fans are a dedicated group of people willing to give anything she releases an honest listen.