The last time I saw sometime Triangle resident Thad Cockrell play in Raleigh, he prefaced one song by saying it had been written as "a song every girl wishes someone would write about her." That was "Beauty Has a Name," which I still think could be a gigantic hit if it wound up playing over the end credits of the right movie. If you've never heard it, take a listen at Cockrell's Myspace.

Cockrell co-write "Beauty Has a Name" with singer/songwriter Matthew Ryan, who has recorded a markedly different version of the song. Where Cockrell's full-band take is lush pop that soars on waves of exuberance, Ryan's version is quiet and subdued. Guess you could say that Cockrell's "Beauty Has a Name"  evokes sunny mornings full of promise, while Ryan's version is steeped in late-night pensiveness. Check it out.

Ryan will be at Raleigh's Pour House on June 27. Cockrell's next show around these parts is Aug. 20 at American Tobacco in Durham.

Speaking of upcoming outdoor shows, Durham's American Tobacco Amphitheatre has put out a 10-show schedule for this year's Music on the Lawn series. Sponsored by WUNC-FM's Back Porch Music, the lineup draws from the roots and Americana end of the spectrum:

April 30 -- Chatham County Line

May 21 -- Mike Cross

June 4 -- Uncle Earl

June 18 -- Kickin' Grass

July 30 -- Laura Boosinger & Josh Goforth

Aug. 13 -- Stillhouse Bottom Band

Aug. 20 -- Thad Cockrell

Sept. 10 -- Gravy Boys

Sept. 17 -- Paul Brown and the Mostly Mountain Boys

Oct. 8 -- Music Maker Relief Foundation showcase with Cool John Ferguson, Captain Luke, John Dee Holeman, others

If you missed country-rock singer Thad Cockrell's show at Raleigh's Pour House over Thanksgiving weekend, it's going to be a while before he plays around these parts again. That's because Cockrell is moving back to Nashville, concluding an 18-month sojourn in the Triangle that began when he moved back here in the summer of 2008. Once here, he put the finishing touches on his latest album "To Be Loved" -- a truly fantastic record that melds Cockrell's skill at country, pop and spirituals into an idiosyncratic package.

Now that "To Be Loved" is out, most of Cockrell's upcoming projects are happening in Nashville. So it made sense for him to relocate back to the 615 area code, and he's leaving the first week of January. But I'm gonna miss that boy. Hope he comes back soon.

Economic calamaties aside, there's at least one area where Depression is on the decrease: Just five months after its final issue as a bi-monthly magazine, No Depression is back as a twice-yearly "bookazine," plus a revamped Web site. Read more about that here. Also, ND regulars Chatham County Line and Thad Cockrell play a show sponsored by No Depression Friday at Cat's Cradle.

So I was walking back from lunch a little while ago, passing by the cool java spot in downtown Raleigh, when I was flagged down by none other than country singer Thad Cockrell -- newly svelte, and relocated back to the Triangle after a several-year sojourn in Nashville. The move was so recent that Cockrell's MySpace still identifies Nashville as his hometown. But he says he's already planning to do some recording to turn his "To Be Loved" mini-album into a full-length, and his first performance since moving back will be an Aug. 16 all-ages show at the Pour House. Meantime, head on over to his aforementioned MySpace to hear some of the "To Be Loved" tracks.