Kelly Hogan: Plan To Cry

For the past 11 years, Atlanta native Kelly Hogan has been working as a backup singer, and in lending her exceptional voice to other acts has picked up devoted admirers of her own. For her first solo album since 2001, I Like To Keep Myself In Pain (released June 5), Hogan solicited some notable friends, including Stephin Merritt, Robyn Hitchcock and Andrew Bird to write songs for her. Each of these compositions is meticulously rendered in a vital combination of pop, country, and soul by Hogan’s effortlessly thrilling vocals. Hogan will be at the Mercury Lounge on Dec. 5 and World Café Live on Dec. 6.