Iris DeMent

THE VOICE of Iris DeMent is a remarkable instrument. There's a sob in it, a roll of the tongue, a fluting quality that speaks of dust and dryness and the heartbroken slam of porch doors. There is also, every now and then, the hint of a yodel. Backwoods to the roots but nobody's redneck, it's owner is a rare free spirit amid the Stepford Wife legions of air-brushed new country divas.