1. Matt Skinner—After many years as an accomplished sideman for Dub Miller, Doug Moreland and others, the artist I used to enjoy at Riley’s Tavern on $1 Lonestar Wednesdays is stepping out on a solo venture with the lovely Amanda Brown and some other great musicians.

2. Drew Kennedy—Along with many other people, I’ve been preaching about the tremendous ability Kennedy possesses. His songwriting has a unique Virginia vibe and his deep voice presents them in a stark theatrical manner that makes his messages hard to ignore. He has a new album arriving in February and he should be the breakout artist in our scene this year.

3. Matt Martindale—Probably mistakenly better known as Cooder Graw, the lead singer of that trailblazing band will hit us with a solo effort. Martindale’s songs have always been rich with imagery and characters that would make Townes and REK blush; I expect nothing less on his new efforts.

4. Bonnie Bishop—Texas Music continues to be a scene dominated by men. Bonnie’s a talented veteran who’s been plugging away for a number of years, yet has finally assembled a top-notch band behind her. Kris Farrow, formerly of the Josh Grider Band, is joining her outfit and should add a spark to her live show. I look for big things from her in 2007.

5. Blake and Fallon—Much like the Josh Grider Band, Blake and Fallon have continually stretched the boundaries of music in our scene. Perhaps that has worked to their disadvantage, however, I'm hoping people take my advice in '07 and stretch their imagination of what good music can be. They have great pop sensibilities and a gift for songwriting. I look for them to finally capitalize on the waves they started to make a couple years back.