Amy Rigby was one of those performers whose name I regularly heard and read attached to eager praise of her songwriting, yet for ages, I never heard a not of her music. As the varied streaming options make mere memories of the time when the instant gratification of hearing new — or any — music wasn’t readily available to all, I have almost a fondness for the lost sense of mystery. With limited dollars, so many records to buy, and little other recourse for exploration, I missed out on Ribgy for a long, long time.

Once I had ready access to a radio station library again — beginning in 2001 — I still couldn’t be my hands on much of her music. In fact, I have no clear recollection of any of Rigby’s albums until the 2005 release Little Fugitive hit the station rotation. It was exactly what I’d hoped: crafty, witty, emotionally piercing, and performed with firm confidence. It was the sort of songwriting that could immediately send me into a swoon, wondering where it had been all my life. “I Don’t Wanna Talk About Love No More,” to use the most potent example, is the sort of track I would have circled back to over and over again back when mix tapes were my primary form of intimate communication with others.

Some music, blessedly, is worth the wait.

Listen or download –> Amy Rigby, “I Don’t Wanna Talk About Love No More”

(Disclaimer: I believe — though I’m not certain — that Little Fugitive is an album that can no longer be acquired from your favorite local, independently-owned record store in a manner that compensates both the proprietor of said store and the original artist. It can, however, be purchased from Rigby’s bandcamp page, and I encourage all reading to do just that. I shared this song in this space not as a replacement for commerce, but as an sample encouraging music fans to engage in it. I consider this fair use, but I do know the rules. I will gladly and promptly remove this file from my little corner of the digital world if asked to do so by any individual or entity with due authority to make such a request.)