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JOSH RITTER

Who He Is This year alone, the witty folkster, 30, has warmed the stage for one of his idols (Bob Dylan) and shared the stage with another (Bruce Springsteen). Now, with the backing of Sony BMG/Victor, he's poised to build on three albums' worth of buzz with his acclaimed fourth, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter.

Why He's Exciting Ritter is a rare example of a musician who dignifies the legacy of those he emulates. For Conquests, that meant looking to Dylan and Johnny Cash. ''When I first heard them sing, it was like listening to punk rock. Everything was played really sloppily — they were having fun, and that's all that mattered.'' As for the secret to Conquests' rustic feel? ''I've always recorded in barns,'' says the small-town Idaho native, who made the LP in an 18th-century Maine farmhouse. ''They make me feel at home.'' — Shirley Halperin

EW.com Exclusive ''To the Dogs or Whoever'' (to hear it, use the player below)