Dela
Brennen Leigh
Brennen Leigh is an American songwriter, guitar player, mandolin player. Her songs have been recorded by Lee Ann Womack, Rodney Crowell, Sunny Sweeney, Charley Crockett, and many others. As renowned for her musicianship as for her writing, it’s easy to see how Leigh caught the ear of greats like Guy Clark, who colorfully endorsed her flatpicking: “Brennen Leigh plays guitar like a motherfucker,” and David Olney, who described her writing as “tender, violent, sentimental, foolish and wise, she is always Brennen. Confident and at ease with herself, without being a jerk about it.” Following her album “Prairie Love Letter, Leigh has continued to leave an imprint on Western music with “Obsessed With The West” featuring The Kings of Western Swing, Asleep At The Wheel and the highly-acclaimed “Ain’t Through Honky Tonkin’ Yet.”
Awash in full-throttle fiddle, weeping steel guitar, a sprinkling of heavenly backing vocals, and anchored by her warm, expressive vocals, Brennen Leigh’s latest album is an emotion-packed revelation. Rooted in vintage country, Ain’t Through Honky Tonkin’ Yet is an unapologetically beer- and tear-soaked homage to an era when hard-country weepers burst forth from AM transistor radios.
“I’m in love with this idea of the real Nashville, " says Leigh. “The idyllic golden age, which, to me, is around 1967, 1968, because of the alchemy, the explosion that occurred, with the best country music songwriters ever, the best singers in country music.” The album’s country roots run deep, with guests like Marty Stuart and Rodney Crowell and a lineup of top-flight musicians, yet each track soars with abandon. With thoughtful, incisive lyrics and vibrant melodies at the forefront, Leigh has successfully created a modern gem, while honoring country music’s enduring golden era.
Joshua Hedley
Joshua Hedley is “a singing professor of country & western,” he declares on his raucous and
witty new album, Neon Blue. It might sound like a punchline, but it’s not. An ace fiddle player, a
sharp guitarist, and a singer with a granite twang, he’s devoted his entire life to the study of this
genre. Ask him about it and he’ll explain: “When all my friends went off to college, I went to Nashville. I was 19 years old playing honkytonks and getting an education.” His 2018 debut, Mr.
Jukebox, showcased his deep knowledge of country’s history, in particular the beery ballads of
the 1950s and ‘60s. His mentors were George Jones, Ray Price, and Glen Campbell, but his most remarkable accomplishment was putting his own spin on their style.
Hedley has been a presence in Nashville for nearly twenty years, although you have to know
where to find him. You have to brave the tourists on Broadway, bypass the three-story bars blasting Journey, and make your way to Robert’s Western World, a time-capsule honkytonk from
a different era, an oasis in a town where twang is constantly being run down by pedal pubs.That
place informed the sound and style of Mr. Jukebox, which introduced him to a wider audience
beyond the city limits and established him as one of Nashville’s most knowledgeable and exciting artists.
After making Mr. Jukebox with a loose group of hell-raising friends, Hedley decided to record his
follow-up with professional session players—a Nashville tradition. Producers Skylar Wilson
(Justin Townes Earle, Lindi Ortega) and Jordan Lehning (Rodney Crowell) corralled an all-star
crew featuring some of the city’s best players, who made Hedley step up his game. During the
process of co-writing and recording Neon Blue, the singing professor became the student,
learning lessons he’ll apply to everything he does next.
