[4] As a singer-songwriter, McCracken has penned and co-written songs for Caedmon's Call (on albums In the Company of Angels, Back Home, and Overdressed) as well as for Derek Webb's solo release, She Must and Shall Go Free, BiFrost Arts recordings, All Sons & Daughters, Audrey Assad and others.

In late 2003, McCracken recorded Best Laid Plans with engineer, Ray Kennedy (Twang Trust) and producer, Peter Collins.

Shell released the album in the UK, followed by two radio singles, "Last Goodbye" and "No More Tears", which received significant airplay and attention across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

[8] The same team that worked on Best Laid Plans came together again in February 2006 to record album number five, Gravity / Love which was released in September 2006.

[citation needed] In 2010, McCracken released In Feast or Fallow, another album of hymns, recorded at her home studio in East Nashville.

[9][10] In addition to her solo recordings, she co-founded the children's music collective, Rain for Roots, in 2012, with fellow singer-songwriters Ellie Holcomb, Katy Bowser, and Flo Paris.

This collective has released four albums, Big Stories for Little Ones—with lyrics written by British author Sally Lloyd-Jones—The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like This, Waiting Songs, and All Creatures.

[13] This critically acclaimed release marked a shift in McCracken's music as she began writing songs for people to sing together.

McCracken lists her musical influences as Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty[19] and Johnny Cash.