Striking Matches

With their T Bone Burnett-produced debut album, guitar-wielding duo Striking Matches creates an unexpected and unique sound that defies easy categorization. The music of Striking Matches—Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis–occupies that sweet spot at the intersection of country, rock and blues, where all of the elements blend to form an authentically raw and rootsy sound that has a timeless and international appeal.

Indeed, their songs including "When the Right One Comes Along" and "Hanging on a Lie" have been featured on ABC's hit drama series Nashville and recorded by the show's stars Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen, and attracted an international fan base. Their first performances in London produced sold-out shows and audiences with a deep knowledge of their lyrics, even before the release of their first full album. Their debut self-titled EP was named among iTunes "Best of 2012″ and received national attention from outlets such as NPR, the BBC and The Wall Street Journal.

The Secret Sisters initiate many new traditions on their second full-length album, Put Your Needle Down, produced by the legendary T Bone Burnett. The duo of Laura and Lydia Rogers has certainly come a long way from their critically acclaimed 2010 self-titled debut and an even longer way from their childhood in Florence, Alabama—just outside of the legendary music mecca Muscle Shoals. Embracing a myriad of styles and focusing on songwriting this time around, their growth becomes evinced within both the music and the title.

In order to fully realize their identity, the girls immersed themselves in songwriting almost as soon as their first offering hit the shelves four years ago. Their inaugural effort, though lauded unanimously, only included two originals, and Laura and Lydia wanted to reveal a different side of themselves. In between tours with everybody from She & Him and Paul Simon to Ray Lamontagne, filming their own PBS special with Elvis Costello and Jakob Dylan, and recording music for the platinum-selling soundtrack to The Hunger Games, they bounced back and forth from album writing sessions in Nashville, Seattle, and Los Angeles. By the time they entered an L.A. studio with Burnett in early 2013, they had penned an overwhelming catalog of new music.

The Secret Sisters' own history comes to life vividly within Put Your Needle Down. They're writing their legacy now. "We grew up," Lydia leaves off. "We didn't have a clue on the first album. We never had been in a plane or hailed a taxicab. We were handed this amazing gift to become artists. We treasure it, and we're running with it now."