“I’ve got Louisiana on my mind,” sings Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Alynda Lee Segarraon “Crash on the Highway” from her band’s ATO debut. There is no doubt that she means it. Throughout the album, she not only sings about her New Orleans home and the rocky plight of Americans pursuing their dreams in the South—possibly a microcosm of America as a whole—but also offers songs with an authority gained in the heat of the battle. Segarra’s stunningly commanding and arresting singing voice grabs your attention with maturity and intelligence that finds her coming into her own as a singer-songwriter. Her voice floats over magnificently stirring Americana and folk melodies. On the title track, she reminds us that fighting for the little man (or woman) still matters in 2014. The truth isn’t always pleasant but with Segarra leading, there’s a burning sense of hope, too.