Gretchen Peters is no stranger to hit songs. She wrote “Independence Day,” which Martina McBride released as a Top 20 single and which earned Peters song of the year honors from the Country Music Association.

Peters has written songs for Neil Diamond, Etta James, Bryan Adams and many others, but what often goes unsaid is how compelling her own voice is. To hear her sing songs as exquisitely crafted as those on her new album, Blackbirds, well, you wouldn’t want anyone else to sing them. This work of art belongs to her.

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