by Charlotte Dillon

Boston-native Lori McKenna grew up in a household filled with the rhythm and pleasure of good music, some of it happily supplied by her brothers. Music was almost always a part of family get-togethers. With such a background, it''s little wonder that when McKenna grew up, she chose to become a professional singer and songwriter. In 1998, McKenna finished up work on a debut offering, an album titled Paper Wings and Halo. It was an impressive first release, filled with folk-flavored numbers like "What''s One More Time," "Would You Love Me Then," "Paying the Price," and "Hardly Speaking a Word." The album won McKenna numerous rave reviews from critics and was picked as one of the Top Ten albums of the year by the Boston Globe. She has also been named as New Artists of the Year and Outstanding New Contemporary Folk Act. For 2000, McKenna began recording a sophomore album, Pieces of Me, released in early 2001. "Fireflies," "Never Die Young," and "Pieces of Me" are three of the tunes that fans will find on this offering. She had a few talented guests help out on some of the songs, including artists Kris Delmhorst, Richard Shindell, Mike Rivard, Ellis Paul, Billy Baird, David Goodrich, and Jennifer Kimball. The Kitchen Tapes appeared in 2003 from Gyrex, followed a year later by Bittertown on Signature Records. Unglamorous was released by Warner Brothers in 2007.