The Muse: Lindi Ortega, “Cigarettes and Truckstops”

Influenced by Dolly Parton’s twang and Mazzy Star’s woozy sway, Lindi Ortega turns this alt-country ballad – the title track from her sophomore album – into a heartbreaking tribute to a lover she met on the road. “We were traveling like gypsies,” she coos, “singing to each other in the night, from highway to hotel room and every place we stopped at in between.” Later, when she mentions something about a Dolly Parton song on the radio, you wonder if she’s hearing her own echo instead.