Well, at this writing, I've just written my story on Iris DeMent, which will preview her upcoming show at The Ark. (Look for the story on AnnArbor.com on Saturday, or in the print edition on Sunday). So, of course, her sigh-inducing, "high-lonesome" warble and beautiful, simple melodies are still swimming around in my head.

This stirring song, "Let the Mystery Be," from her debut, "Infamous Angel," is a personal favorite. It's also the one that first knocked the country-folk cognoscenti on their butts when they first heard it — and launched the first avalanche of critical praise for DeMent. This performance is from '95, during the recording of the "Transatlantic Sessions" album, which brought together roots-music artists from the U.S., Ireland, Scotland, etc. Note the ace accompaniment by Jay Ungar on fiddle, Molly Mason on bass and Donal Lunny on bouzouki, among others. But, as always, DeMent's distinctive, heart-fluttering vocals cut through the arrangement and command full attention. In this song, DeMent, who grew up in a Pentecostal home, gets metaphysical on us as she ponders, sometimes comically, what awaits us on "the other side" after we die: "Some say that they're comin' back in a garden, bunch of carrots and little sweet peas. I think I'll just... let the mystery be."