ROBERT EARL KEEN, TODD SNIDER, and BRUCE ROBISON

Singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen never found quite the level of fame achieved by his Texas A&M buddy Lyle Lovett, but his own considerable grassroots following both within and beyond the borders of the Lone Star State is no fluke. Though he is best known for his beer-friendly live shows and sing-along anthems, closer attention reveals a writer with a novelist's eye for character and narrative detail. He's got an equally sharp ear for catchy melodies and first-class backing musicians, strengths that more than offset his limited vocal range. LISTEN

With his brand-new release, Country Sunshine, Austin-based Bruce Robison has taken a bold, confident step away from a major label contract in a move designed to afford him more direct control over his material and artistic direction. But if his own Boar's Nest tag and the more traditional country sound bring a fresh, new look and feel to the Bandera, Texas native's work, the quality of his esteemed songwriting continues to etch a steady, upward arc. LISTEN

Todd Snider is a vociferous musician whose fans know him to be quite the workhorse. His acclaimed 2006 release, The Devil You Know found the barefoot troubadour performing live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with David Letterman and the CD appeared on numerous year-end Top 10 lists including Spin, Blender and Rolling Stone. More recently, last year’s Peace Queer EP--a concept record featuring all the peace, love and anarchy Snider is known for--inspired Blender to say he “morphed from a wisecracking country-ish journeyman to the sharpest and funniest protest singer working today." LISTEN