There have been a couple of appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman in America, with her band and on back-up vocals for one of her heroes, Emmylou Harris.

This weekend she is at Glastonbury.

And on Wednesday her tour with a band comes to the Memorial Hall in Sheffield, the scene of a couple of previous triumphs.

She is an accomplished solo performer, but the addition of a band adds colour and breadth to her songs, which veer convincingly between country, folk, rock and soul.

Her debut album, Bramble Rose, in 2002 was greeted by widespread acclaim and was chosen by Time magazine as one of the top10 CDs of the year.

Follow-up Tambourine had a heavier and more soulful direction, while the latest album, Another Country, is another striking example of the songwriter's craft.

Born in Houston, Texas, but moving to North Carolina at a young age, Tift Merritt may appear to be the archetypal American singer songwriter.
Yet her restlessness sees her pushing back the musical frontiers, and recently she spent a few months living in Paris to give herself new challenges.

This is an American with a spirit of adventure.