Abigail Washburn plays music you'd expect to hear in the mountains of Western North Carolina -- except, of course, for the lyrics. She often sings in Chinese, and the combination is as lovely as it is odd. An Illinois native, she has some mixed feelings about about China, a massive and beautiful place that also has a repressive and totalitarian government. Ask her what she thinks about China, and she's liable to wax cosmic.

"It's all part of the big picture," Washburn said in a recent interview. "There are so many different situations in China, it's hard to make a sweeping statement about how I feel about all of it. Generally speaking, I have a long-term commitment to pursuing a career in China, and also America -- and also globally, I hope. I want to be part of a committed group of people who believe globalization is a good thing that beautiful things can come from. It's a big vision that everything fits into. Nothing is wasted, time or energy. It's an experiment in steady living. I can't complain."

Washburn performs Thursday in Chapel Hill. For details on that and further chit-chat, see the interview in Friday's paper.

ADDENDUM (9/6/08): Whattaya know, Washburn is also on the cover of the first No Depression bookazine (which is out next month).