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Apologies to readers who followed my Music Monday posts with zeal when I was naming my holy trinity of dark-haired lyricists, but never completed the trio.

After naming Vanessa Carlton and Kate Nash as the first two inductees, a combination of occupationitis and proper timing prevented me from finishing the awards.

Proper timing happened last week.

Opening for the Goo Goo Dolls at a concert at the Raleigh Amphitheatre was some band named Parachute…but sandwiched between that band and the Goo was a starlet who I haven’t been able to listen to without thinking about Emerald Isle and Dairy Queen since 2004.

That was the summer I burned Michelle Branch’s CD for Stacy and we listened to it to and from the beach what seemed like every weekend…along with Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, but Blink 182 doesn’t qualify as a dark-haired lyricist.

Those songs transcend time for me…and apparently she just dropped a new album “Loud Music,” so when I walked into the amphitheatre and Michelle was singing from Hotel Paper it almost outshone Iris.

For the other members of the trio? See Kate Nash and Vanessa Carlton.