Sam Rae’s voice rings with the expansiveness of the Iowa prairie and the frankness of an old, trusted friend. Having studied classical cello in college, and subsequently veering toward a more free, improvisational approach, Rae spent time on the road as part of Brandi Carlile’s touring band. It was on the road that she began to find a songwriting style that she says felt like a “landing point,” in which she can really say something and mean it each time. - CQ Jessye DeSilva