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\n\tWith Tift Merritt<\/a> revealing that she has an album of new material on the way after nine years without one, fans may have an instinctual reaction to the fact that it\u2019s titled \u201cSugar,\u201d as if to say, of course<\/em> \u2014 because they\u2019ve had a sweet tooth for what she has to offer that has gone unsatisfied for a bit. <\/p>\n \n\tThere is piquant quality to what this North Carolina native has to bring to music that could not arrive at a more necessary time, and the new album, due June 26 via One Riot Records, is every bit as tender and tough-minded as what you would expect from the woman who brought you classic records like \u201cTambourine,\u201d and possibly even more joyful. She rediscovered her own full-blown love of making music while working with producer Lawrence Rothman on the project, and that refreshment, combined with an acknowledgement of not-so-sweet times for many of us, makes for a record that is both bracingly real and ebullient.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThis record is very personal and also really powerful,\u201d Merritt says, further explaining: \u201cYou know, it\u2019s not like it\u2019s personal in a way that I\u2019m just sitting in the corner thinking and I\u2019m a violet falling apart. It\u2019s super fun and energetic and has the spark of life that inner life really does have.\u201d The first single, \u201cFinest Feelings,\u201d is out now (see the video, with behind-the-scenes footage, below), and the full album can be pre-ordered here<\/a>.<\/p>\n