Eliza Gilkyson’s unadorned vocals and folk guitar stylings are the main menu items at many a coffeehouse, but the veteran Texas singer-songwriter rises well above the crowd at open mike night. Her voice is a dusky jewel, those guitar chords often ride a Texas backbeat, and her songs are tightly constructed vignettes that can evoke wonder, despair, and amusement, and even deliver sociopolitical commentary, without the side dish of smugness or sappiness that often accompanies such fare.
Have something to say? Send a letter to editor@utne.com. This article first appeared in the September-October 2011 issue of Utne Reader.
