In the case of Mary Gauthier, four words are worth a thousand pictures.

"Between Daylight and Dark," her new Lost Highway album, finds her aiming her compass at the sky and searching for home. It is from this longing for home that this group of songs has emerged, and they fill Gauthier’s new album with both hope and anguish, with faith as well as fear.

Mary Gauthier knows these places well, having traveled through a night that had stretched into years, from a turbulent Louisiana childhood through odd juxtapositions of accomplishment and devastation. The result is reflected in the music, starting as a trickle of songs almost from the moment of her sobriety and swelling into the stream that fed her first two self-released albums ("Dixie Kitchen," "Drag Queens in Limousines"), an indie-label release ("Filth and Fire") and her stunning Lost Highway debut ("Mercy Now").

Acclaim has followed Gauthier. "Mercy Now" was continuously “discovered” and lauded in the two years following its release, earning mentions on a score of year end “best of” lists in ’05, including the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and No Depression. The album even received a benediction from Bob Dylan, who included one of its songs on a play list for his XM Satellite Radio program.

On Sat., Jan. 26, the widely acclaimed Nashville-based songwriter is lending her considerable talent to give back to the community by helping to raise money for OutCentral – the new GLBTQIF Cultural Center located on Church Street next to Café OutLoud!

Along with Gauthier several other Nashville music personalities who support the community are expected to make an appearance at Café OutLoud! Gauthier is keeping the exact line-up a closely guarded secret, so there is no telling who might drop in to play a few numbers. In the past Gauthier has shared the stage with such Nashville luminaries as Emmylou Harris and Nancy Griffith among others.

Admission to this one-of-a-kind event is $15 and is expected to sell out early as seating is limited. Advance tickets may be purchased at Café OutLoud, 1707 Church Street, starting Jan. 7.  A silent auction will precede the show at 7:00 p.m. All proceeds from the auction and the show will go to benefit OutCentral.