Love And Theft photo courtesy of Carolwood Records.

The story of Love and Theft has been a steady stream of magic moments:

-- Developing a distinct sound with three equally and uniquely talented singers, where each member shares lead vocal duties and join together for harmonies that explode on the chorus;

-- Their three-song showcase for representatives of the performing rights organization ASCAP ended with many in the room pulling out cell phones to tell friends at record labels, "You've got to hear this band before someone signs them!";

-- After making the rounds with a few labels in Nashville, the band performed a 3-song showcase in the offices of Lyric Street/Carolwood Records for A&R chief Doug Howard who immediately declared, "You should have never made it to my office...you should have already been signed! Please don't play for anyone else," and the label quickly moved to sign the band;

-- After Taylor Swift heard the trio's music, she brought them on board as an opening act for her headlining concerts in '08;

-- Audiences at those and other shows have been swept away at first listen by the trio's soaring harmonies and on-stage charisma, standing in line for up to three hours after the show for a chance at an autograph and to meet the band.

The magic behind those episodes has been apparent since Stephen Barker Liles, Eric Gunderson and Brian Bandas first sang together. During an early rehearsal, they worked up the harmonies for "Drowning," a poignant song about loss and hope.

"When all three of our voices came in together on the chorus," says Stephen, "I got chills."

"There was obvious chemistry from the beginning," adds Brian, "personality-wise and musically. The harmonies blended effortlessly and immediately. That was when we were like, 'OK. We've got something here. We need to stick with this and make it a priority."

Others quickly came on board--seldom does a new act find people both inside and outside the industry signing on so quickly and eagerly as fans and supporters. The secret, if there was one, was the patience with which Stephen, Brian and Eric developed their sound.

"We rehearsed for six months before we ever felt like we wanted to take our music out in front of people," says Stephen.

"We wanted to spend time writing music," adds Eric, "and making sure we had the right songs to showcase our vocals and make our harmonies stand out."

That approach and their undeniable talent -- all three are also strong songwriters who wrote or co-wrote every song on their debut album --threw open doors that normally give way slowly in Nashville, launching the young trio toward the national spotlight.