Kasey Chambers: 'Wayward Angel'

By Liane Hansen

Published January 15, 2005 at 11:00 PM CST

When Kasey Chambers was dubbed the "the freshest young voice in American roots music" by Rolling Stone magazine, it was quite an achievement -- especially considering that the singer-songwriter hails from the Australian outback. Her clear tone evokes a whole history of country, with shades of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and the Carter Family.

After a brief hiatus taking care of her 2-year-old son Talon, Chambers is back with a third solo CD, Wayward Angel. Last year, the CD debuted at number one on the Australian pop charts, and recently, it was released in America. Chambers and her band join NPR's Liane Hansen for a live performance in NPR's Studio 4A.

Liane Hansen

Liane Hansen has been the host of NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday for 20 years. She brings to her position an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host at both the local and national level. The program has covered such breaking news stories as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the deaths of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Columbia shuttle tragedy. In 2004, Liane was granted an exclusive interview with former weapons inspector David Kay prior to his report on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The show also won the James Beard award for best radio program on food for a report on SPAM.