Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins followed up her 2004 debut, THE SOUND OF WHITE, with ON A CLEAR NIGHT in 2007. Earnest, emotional, and intimate, Higgins's music is folky and poppy at once, with most of her songs centering on her acoustic guitar, winding melodies, and confessional lyrics. There's a little bit of Ani Difranco in Higgins's tough-girl verbal skill in the tune "100 Round the Bends," but the artist can also play the jazzy chanteuse on lovely, laid-back numbers such as "The Wrong Girl." The diverse palette works wonders paired with Higgins's top-notch tunesmithery.