Anything by Throwing Muses, or ex-Throwing Muse Kristen Hirsh. I wasn't a big fan of her stepsister-bandmate Tanya Donnely's first post-Muses work, either solo or w/ Belly, but Tanya's new one is fascinating and beguiling. If your friend doesn't have an aversion to twang, Iris DeMent's vocals are strikingly distinctive and her first two albums, Infamous Angel and My Life, are wonderful. Her third, The Way I Should, is rather tiresome, she tries to get all topical and anthemic. Parry