Mindy Smith

Folk

It's one thing for an unknown to tackle Dolly Parton's classic don't-take-my-man ballad, "Jolene" -- like the then-nobody White Stripes did in 1999. It's quite another for Parton to duet on the number with singer/songwriter Mindy Smith on The Tonight Show. But Parton -- who's called Smith's version of "Jolene" her favorite -- is a big fan of the talented 31-year-old New York native, who moved to Nashville five years ago with just 300 bucks in her pocket and fierce determination in her soul. Smith, who's quick to not define herself as a country singer, worked a series of low-paying jobs while writing and performing on the side. After winning some Music City competitions -- and her crowd-pleasing turn at last year's SXSW in Austin -- Smith found herself being courted by several (mostly country) record labels. She bucked expectations, going with the smallish Vanguard, while citing her need to not be "someone or something I wouldn't want to be." With her debut album, One Moment More, just out and her first headlining tour under way, Smith's a busy, buzz-worthy singer/songwriter whose influences range from Sarah Vaughn to Alison Krauss. Whether belting out a self-penned blues-gospel number like "Come to Jesus" or "Raggedy Ann," an aching ballad about a troubled childhood, Smith says the record is "as naked as you're going to get."

Thu., Feb. 5, 8:30 p.m., $8, with Carter Wood, Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., 215-928-0770.

—Nicole Pensiero

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