Kelly Hogan is fantastic singer who sounds equally at home singing lead or providing sublime harmonies with Mavis Staples, Neko Case, the Decemberists and her fellow members of the Flat Five. She delivered a torchy jazz-twang-rock hybrid with the Jody Grind, her early ’90s band from Atlanta’s Cabbagetown neighborhood, before moving to Chicago and proving in many contexts that she can sing anything. Chatting in person with her cuddly dogs Eddie and Ernie at her side, Hogan tells stories of tragedy and comedy, the futility of trying to abandon music in Chicago and the joy of discovering the perfect harmony partner. Everyone loves working with Hogan, and when you hear her sing—or talk—you understand why.