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Tift Merritt

For Women Musicians, Maybelle Carter Set The Standard And Broke The Mold

Maybelle Carter, playing her autoharp, performs with her daughter, Helen. Robert Alexander/Getty Images hide caption

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Robert Alexander/Getty Images

Turning The Tables

For Women Musicians, Maybelle Carter Set The Standard And Broke The Mold

One of the most indispensable guitarists of all time, Carter was a quiet revolutionary. Though she didn't concern herself with celebrity or need to be the star, she deserves our deepest admiration.

For Women Musicians, Maybelle Carter Set The Standard And Broke The Mold

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Tift Merritt On Mountain Stage

Tift Merritt on Mountain Stage Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage hide caption

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Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage

Mountain Stage

Tift Merritt On Mountain Stage

Listen to the Grammy-nominated folk artist perform songs from her album Stitch of the World, co-produced by Sam Beam of Iron & Wine, in her sixth appearance on the show.

Tift Merritt On Mountain Stage

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Tift Merritt On World Cafe

Tift Merritt performs in the World Cafe studio. Galea McGregor/WXPN hide caption

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Galea McGregor/WXPN

World Cafe

Tift Merritt On World Cafe

XPN

The North Carolina songwriter says she was "very anxious and careful" about how being a new mom would affect her work — but Stitch Of The World may be her best album yet.

Tift Merritt On World Cafe

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Sense Of Place North Carolina: Hiss Golden Messenger With Tift Merritt

Hiss Golden Messenger with Tift Merritt and Eric Heywood. John Vettese/WXPN hide caption

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John Vettese/WXPN

World Cafe

Sense Of Place North Carolina: Hiss Golden Messenger With Tift Merritt

XPN

Hear M.C. Taylor's roots-rock band perform with collaborator Tift Merritt in a session recorded for World Cafe's North Carolina trip.

Sense Of Place North Carolina: Hiss Golden Messenger With Tift Merritt

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Merritt And Dinnerstein: Bridging Their Worlds

Classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein (left) and singer-songwriter Tift Merrit collaborate on the new album Night. Lisa Marie Mazzucco/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Lisa Marie Mazzucco/Courtesy of the artist

Deceptive Cadence

Merritt And Dinnerstein: Bridging Their Worlds

Singer-songwriter Tift Merritt and classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein say the challenge of their new collaborative album, Night, was creating a language they could both speak. They discuss the project and perform live.

Merritt And Dinnerstein: Bridging Their Worlds

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First Listen: Simone Dinnerstein & Tift Merritt, 'Night'

Simone Dinnerstein (left) and Tift Merritt's new album, Night, comes out March 19. Lisa-Marie Mazzucco/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Lisa-Marie Mazzucco/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Simone Dinnerstein & Tift Merritt, 'Night'

Opposites attract in Night, a genre-blurring album that pairs alt-country singer-songwriter Tift Merritt with classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein. There's a solemn intimacy to these songs, and how they're delivered, that speaks one-on-one.

Simone Dinnerstein & Tift Merritt, 'Night'

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In January's Drought, Three Albums Worth Waiting For

Classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein and singer-songwriter Tift Merritt have an album coming out in March. Sony Classical hide caption

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Sony Classical

Review

Deceptive Cadence

In January's Drought, Three Albums Worth Waiting For

January is a slow month for new albums. To tide curious listeners over, we offer an exclusive sampler of musical treats soon to come — ranging from opera star Jonas Kaufmann in Wagner to the unlikely pairing of a Bach pianist and a rising singer-songwriter.

Tift Merritt: A Singer With An Outsider's Heart

Tift Merritt's latest album is called Traveling Alone. Parker Fitzgerald/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Parker Fitzgerald/Courtesy of the artist

Music Interviews

Tift Merritt: A Singer With An Outsider's Heart

The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter titled her latest album Traveling Alone — a reference, she says, to the value of being self-sustaining.

Tift Merritt: A Singer With An Outsider's Heart

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Guest DJ: Simone Dinnerstein

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein has a passion for rhythmically free musical lines. Lisa Marie Mazzucco/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Lisa Marie Mazzucco/Courtesy of the artist

Deceptive Cadence

Guest DJ: Simone Dinnerstein

The mild-mannered pianist is fiercely devoted to expressing rhythmical freedom in the musical line. Hear her pick favorite recordings by artists who share her aesthetic.

Guest DJ: Simone Dinnerstein

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Tift Merritt On World Cafe

Tift Merritt appears on World Cafe in support of her fourth full-length album, See You on the Moon. Frank Rothenberg hide caption

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Frank Rothenberg

World Cafe

Tift Merritt On World Cafe

XPN

The gifted singer-songwriter performs tunes from her fourth full-length, See You on the Moon, and unpacks the personal ties to her highly narrative songs.

Web Extra: 'Engine To Turn'

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Music Interviews

Tift Merritt Will 'See You On The Moon'

Tift Merritt was expected to be the next great country music superstar. Instead, she subtly produced five introspective and soul-filled albums that stayed true to her mission as an artist. Eight years into her career she's releasing her sixth album, See You On The Moon.

Tift Merritt Will 'See You On The Moon'

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Tift Merritt: A Song For Every 'Mixtape'

In "Mixtape," Tift Merritt captures the nostalgia attached to the plastic representation of young and uncertain love. Jason Frank Rothenberg hide caption

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Jason Frank Rothenberg

Review

Song Of The Day

Tift Merritt: A Song For Every 'Mixtape'

Mixing soft roots-rock with a touch of '70s glam, "Mixtape" faithfully captures the nostalgia attached to the mostly bygone plastic representation of young and uncertain love.

'Mixtape' by Tift Merritt

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Mountain Stage

Tift Merritt On Mountain Stage

After her second album, the singer-songwriter left for Paris, where she knew few people and spoke none of the language. She returned to the U.S. with the songs that would form her third album, Another Country. Hear Merritt perform live.

Listen Now: Tift Merritt in Concert

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World Cafe

Tift Merritt Finds 'Another Country'

XPN

Merritt's voice is an incredible instrument in itself, but she also has the guitar skills and songwriting chops of a seasoned professional. In support of her third release, Another Country, Merritt speaks with host David Dye about its primary inspiration: France.

Tift Merritt Finds 'Another Country'

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Studio Sessions

Tift Merritt Performs in NPR's Studio 4A

Country singer-songwriter Tift Merritt has just returned from Paris where — while taking a break from a grueling tour schedule — she wrote the songs for her latest album, Another Country. Merritt and her longtime band play songs and take questions about the new album.

Listen to this 'Talk of the Nation' topic

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