I'm unemployed (I mean, "between jobs"), so I haven't been treating myself to a lot of music. But I had to buy the new "Hilary Scott":http://www.myspace.com/hilaryscottmusic album, and it arrived yesterday (yay!). I've been following Hilary's career for a few years (this is her fifth album). She started as an acoustic folk-confessional singer-songwriter, but as she's toured she's aquired a band and a stronger twang. She's opened for Beth Orton and Tanya Tucker, and both combinations seem totally appropriate, which might help explain why I can't pin down her genre. It's a bit too early to review the whole album, but my favorite thing so far is her cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Everyone and their dog has covered that song, it has its own wikipedia entry, but I just never get tired of it. I've been rotating Hilary's cover with the kd lang, Allison Crowe and Damien Rice versions, and it's standing up quite well. (I also love the Rufus Wainwright version, but I haven't got it). It's an old question, but whose Hallelujah cover do you think is the best?