Known for emotionally intimate songs that explore the personal, the political, and the spiritual with compassion, insight, and wit, singer and songwriter Carrie Newcomer became a mainstay on the contemporary folk scene in the 1990s. With her warm yet assertive voice guiding her songs, her music has been rooted in acoustic folk from the beginning, while also embracing elements of folk-rock and adult alternative pop, as on 1994's An Angel at My Shoulder. Eager to enlighten as well as entertain, Newcomer's music is nearly always wed to a thoughtful message, though her work is strong enough to engage those not necessarily looking for altruism, typified by 2010's intelligent and well-crafted Before & After. 2021's Until Now focused on change and transformation in a difficult time, and 2023's A Great Wild Mercy explored similar themes of the search for unity and compassion in an era of conflict.