The term "criminally overlooked" has negative connotations, but nowadays more than ever a singer/songwriter or band or any musical entity can "make it" on their own terms and find their own success without going near the troubled waters of the mainstream. So don't cry for Michelle Malone, the Southern-born-and-bred Roots Rock/Blues cult favorite who's built a legion of dedicated fans in her 20-plus year career.  

The first time I put on 'Got to Tell the World,' the new album by local Pop/Rock foursome Screaming Mimes, and cued up the first track, "You're the Kind of Girl," I listened for about a minute then had to run outside to pay my parking meter. Walking back to the office, I found myself already singing the chorus hook in my head.