Mary Gauthier Brings Dark Past to 'Mercy Now' Mary Gauthier, a Louisiana-bred singer with a hardscrabble past, has won critical acclaim for her haunting, sparse melodies. She talks with NPR's Sheilah Cast about her latest CD, Mercy Now.

Mary Gauthier Brings Dark Past to 'Mercy Now'

Mary Gauthier Brings Dark Past to 'Mercy Now'

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Songs from 'Mercy Now'

An old adage holds that a classic country music song must contain certain ingredients: a broken heart, a beat-up pickup truck, hard times and loss. Singer Mary Gauthier understands the formula well from her own hardscrabble life. A former restaurateur, Gauthier grew up in Louisiana where she dropped out of high school, spent her 18th birthday in prison and later battled alcohol and drugs.

Singer Mary Gauthier. hide caption

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Today, she is breaking through as an acclaimed singer-songwriter. On Mercy Now, her recently released fourth CD, Gauthier weaves her past into sparse and haunting melodies.

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