Here are seven MVP frontrunners for this year's Roots N Blues

Anticipation crescendoes as the 2022 Roots N Blues festival draws closer. Festivalgoers are mentally circling acts on this year's schedule, ready to catch a favorite or buzzed-about artist.

Each year, ahead of Roots N Blues, we predict the lineup's most valuable players, or MVPs. These are the musicians we expect crowds to be talking about at festival's end — or enjoying with bright eyes mid-set. An MVP doesn't have to be a headliner or household name; often, they are standout instrumentalists or dynamic up-and-comers.

With the festival set to open Oct. 7, here are seven MVP candidates with serious potential.

Jack Antonoff

The Bleachers bandleader and Fun. multi-instrumentalist is a live wire, a Springsteen disciple, a heart-on-his-sleeve performer who still believes in the saving graces of rock 'n' roll. Antonoff will reach beyond the stage to touch the hearts of fellow true believers.

J. ARTiz

Sometimes, at fests like Roots N Blues, the headliners overshadow local talent. But nobody puts J. ARTiz in a corner. Born Josh Runnels, the singer, poet and visual artist both reaches back and forward, celebrating the seemingly boundless spectrum of soul music. Runnels helped birth Soul Sessions, a regular musical showcase, and at Roots N Blues will lead its house band — the MO' Soul Collective. His charisma and passion for the music always translate.

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Kassi Ashton

The California, Missouri, native has at least two forces on her side: local appeal and a growing catalog of charismatic country songs that bend but never break. Whether heartbroken or kicking open a door, Ashton's striking voice expresses an unwillingness to quit growing, reaching and hoping.

Jon Batiste

Batiste wowed Grammy voters — and a televised audience — earlier this year, winning three trophies and conveying an authentic presence on stage. A genuine charisma like Batiste's doesn't come along very often, and as he applies it in an uplifting blend of pop, jazz and soul, audiences are bound to be drawn to his light.

More:What to know as Roots N Blues returns to Stephens Lake Park Oct. 7-9

Nels Cline

If all Cline ever did for Wilco was record the solo on "Impossible Germany," he'd have left the band better than he found it. But the jazz- and avant-garde-informed guitarist has been shaping and reshaping Wilco tunes since joining the fold in 2004. Roots N Blues-goers looking for a true guitar hero will find one in Cline.

Brittney Spencer

Based on the strength of her appearance at last year's Roots N Blues, Spencer promises another uplifting, wide-ranging set. The Baltimore native calls herself a country singer, and musically that's true. But Spencer's live show transcends genre, taking the stage and spreading light to every corner of the audience. A generous presence and killer voice make her a must-see.

More:Columbia artists lead the Roots N Blues lineup into a Show Me State sound

Jaime Wyatt

Roots N Blues boasts a long, distinguished line of badass women in country, from Amanda Shires and Margo Price to Nikki Lane and 2022 headliner Tanya Tucker. Wyatt should claim her place in that heritage: With her first two records, 2017's "Felony Blues" and 2020's "Neon Cross," the California-state native has created a catalog that is resilient and vulnerable, scuffed-up and broken-hearted.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. Find him on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Jack Antonoff, Jon Batiste among 2022 Roots N Blues MVP candidates