If there's any justice in the music business, we're going to be hearing a lot from Megan Munroe. At age 25, she sings like a seasoned road warrior. It's hard to believe that One More Broken String is her first nationally-distributed CD (she had a self-released album in 2006); this woman comes across like a veteran who, after a lifetime, is still in it for the music.

Munroe, a former Hollywood actor and model from Washington State, moved to Nashville in 2007 to concentrate on music, and the move paid off with this CD, which is, in a word, excellent.

Munroe can do it all. Her writing is sharp and precise, she knows how to write a lyric and how to dress it up in a melody. Her songs contain touches that are sophisticated and dazzling. "Angel on My Shoulder (Devil on My Back)" morphs easily into the old spiritual "When We All Get to Heaven," then glides back to her original lyrics; it's a startling moment that shows how her up-to-the-moment, current music carries an old-time traditional kick to it. On "Nothing is Easy Anymore" and "Pennies in the Ocean," she shows she can write timeless ballads that touch the heart.

She sings as well as she writes. Her singing on the uptempo numbers has fire and drive, while her ballad approach is hypnotic. On "Angel on Fire," she pulls off a bluegrass number with a flair that calls to mind Dolly Parton in her prime. Munroe sings with strength and power and has a voice strong enough to cut through the dark of the night and the artistry to use that voice right.

One More Broken String brings a major artist onto the scene. She should be around for a long time.