Sheila Swift

Sheila Swift is a singer-songwriter from Texas. There's plenty of those around, for certain, but what there aren't plenty of are strong voices that sing optimistically. This is partly due to her religious background I am sure, but also because she lives with a benign brain tumor that has allowed her to focus on the good things in life, like love, family and simply being alive.

On her new album "The Shape of Things" I found many songs that were well written and even better sung. She has a very strong voice, as those Texan ladies seem to so often, and I definitely think she's worth checking out.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear one of her songs (specifically her opening track "Feel Like I Do" on an episode of Grey's Anatomy or the Gilmore Girls or whatever your favorite drama is these days. It has a sense of familiarity to it, like you hear it for the first time and already feel like you can sing along and that it's an old favorite.

• There's Still Love