By MIKEL TOOMBS

When Sahara Smith was introduced to me as a “222-year-old rising Texan artist,” I knew I had to check her out. Pretty impressive, I thought: Was the “rising” in question from an Austin graveyard?

OK, so it turns out, not surprisingly, that the lovely Ms. Smith is only 22. But that’s pretty impressive in itself, especially since the singer-songwriter, whose gentle, affecting vocals recall Alison Krauss and Margo Timmins (Cowboy Junkies), already has garnered years of raves.

Her debut, the T Bone Burnett-abetted “Myth of the Heart” (released two months ago on Playing in Traffic Records), has been praised by the likes of Glamour (“A must!”), Seventeen, which notes that the “striking, lanky redhead exudes confidence and grace before she even opens her mouth,” and Paste: “Her smoky voice, bluesy folk sound and lifetime love of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits have finally been captured on her debut album.”

Unfortunately, the striking, lanky redhead won’t be gracing the stage as scheduled Thursday (Nov. 4) at Seattle’s Moore Theatre, due to the illness of ill-fated headliner Marc Cohn, who had a hit with “Walking in Memphis” about, oh, 222 years ago.

Read Mikel Toombs recent review of Shakira’s new album here.