This native of a rural very Northern California town has a voice that gets right inside your emotional center and can bring them out to the light of day.  She is sure helped by her songs, she wrote all of them, and because they have such strong meaning to her and she has a personal connection with them, she puts all that emotion into the singing of them.  Whether the song is a love song “Something You Got,” or about a demolition derby from the point of view of a Rodeo Barrel Racer, “Crash and Burn,” or washing a sink full of dirty dishes, “Dishes” this woman sings like it is the ONE song that matters most to her.  There is an intensity and passion to her singing that grabs you from the start, she has a ferocity in her voice that that at times seems like it might snap at any moment and at others like she is the tiger you had better be very wary of despite its diminutive size.

For this disc she has gone back to Rich Brotherton, Robert Earl Keen’s guitar and mandolin player, to be the producer.  She also has backing her from REK’s Band; Glenn Fukunaga on upright bass, Tom Van Schalk on drums, Marty Muse on pedal steel and lap steel guitars as well as Mr. Brotherton on acoustic and electric guitars, harmony vocals, National guitar, bass, mandolin, lap steel, and mandola; from her band Sean Feder on Dobro, banjo and percussion and Andy Lentz on fiddle.  As to be expected from a Rich Brotherton produced disc the playing is tight and not only doesn’t step on the vocals but supports the vocals and the song.  Rita Hosking isn’t a household name yet and that in itself is a wonder, her voice has the richness and that delicate balance of strength and fragility that gives a song its true expression.  In all honesty “Burn” is a disc that should be heard by all and it will remedy that.