Austin has a wide vocal range, and has opened for Los Lobos, Tower of Power, Delbert McClinton, Blues Traveler, Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Keb Mo and more.
[4] Austin was also part of a group of women who performed in Morgan Freeman's PBS Blues Divas, as well as singing for a live WWE season premier, whose television audience was six million.
Her singing voice has been compared by critics to those of Mavis Staples, Tina Turner, Gladys Knight, Anita Baker, Regina Belle, and also as a female version of Michael McDonald.
[5] The Philadelphia Inquirer commented that she "embraces a deliciously wide range of roots styles: She swings nimbly on R&B, and fires off some rousing gospel.
"[6] It was announced in 2005, that her career was finished as following thyroid surgery, she was left with a paralyzed vocal nerve that made speaking and further singing impossible.
This early success led to Austin being offered opening slots at concerts by Los Lobos, Robert Cray, and Delbert McClinton in Minneapolis.
Austin then appeared in the PBS television production, Blues Divas, in 2005,[11] in a line-up that included one of her influences Mavis Staples, plus Ann Peebles, Denise LaSalle, Odetta, and Irma Thomas.
[6] In addition, by then Austin had performed on various festival and concert bills alongside Keb' Mo', Jonny Lang, Blues Traveler and Big Head Todd and the Monsters.
[14] She was the executive producer along with David Grissom, who also played guitar on four songs recorded in Austin, Texas; plus piano/B3 from Joel Guzman, bass from Yoggie Musgrove and Brannen Temple (drums).