In the early '90s, she drifted from Los Angeles to New York, filling hushed coffee houses with her high-energy, intensely personal folk ballads. Next, she relocated to Austin, TX, and sang gig after gig along the famed music Mecca of Sixth Street. In laid-back Austin, the East Coast-born and raised singer got in closer touch with her singer/songwriter self, enlisting the collaboration and support of numerous local musicians. Earning a solid reputation around the music-centered town for her blend of easygoing lyricism and rock & roll aggression, Crowley's star began to rise. In 1997, Atlantic released her first full-length album, Hand to Mouthville, on which Crowley's local Austin musician friends played. The album received a lukewarm critical reaction. ~ Betsy Boyd