Ruby Lovett is pure country. She is heir to a tradition of women with drawls and spunk, women who, truth be told, built and nurtured country music from its beginnings through early Reba. She is funny, unaffected, and unabashedly traditional in outlook, and the combination makes both her singing and her presence extraordinarily appealing. The fact that such appeal is tied to a beautifully one-of-a-kind voice is all the better.

Few women are more able to carry that mantle forward than Ruby Lov...