Mary Gauthier: Rifles & Rosary Beads

MARY GAUTHIER'S reputation as one of today's greatest songwriters, admired by peers such as Tom Waits and Bob Dylan, is rooted in her relentless commitment to honesty and accuracy – most notably in the autobiographical song-cycle The Foundling, which dealt with her abandonment as a baby, becoming a teenage runaway, and drug and alcohol addiction. Her work may not always be easy listening, but the bell-like ring of truth resonates throughout.