There's Country Pop, Country Rock, Countrypolitan, Pure Country, Hillbilly and a few other common sub genres of country music. Each variation seems to have its special time and place. The new album by Alecia Nugent happens to be a wholesome, especially traditional country and western record sung from a seasoned adult woman's perspective.
The Old Side of Town is an album full of hearty nostalgia and songs mostly regarding people and social situations as opposed to issues, questions, or campy ideas. The record hosts only the necessary amount of personnel in each selection with segments of backing vocals used conservatively. When backing vocalists are present, they are kept somewhat low in the mix. The album has several contributing professional musicians, but only the necessary arrangement of them exist in each track. Nugent pens on this record with some noteworthy songwriters who were enlisted to add a special expertise which includes Roger Murrah, Carl Jackson, and Larry Cordle.
The focus on this effort is clearly the principal artist and vocalist, Alecia Nugent. The general outline seems to have been injecting a little less rousing 'twang' with more thoughtful reflection concerning subjects like loved family members, heart aches and social struggles. This aspect is not only expressed in a musical sense but just as well by Nugent's splendid delivery.
The production style set by Producer Keith Stegall (Billy Ray Cyrus, Zac Brown Band) is smooth as glass. Recording and Mixing Engineer, John Kelton's worked with Stegall in creating a modest, particularly silky sound. For example, 'Tell Fort Worth I Said Hello' presents a piano that sounds as if was captured as keyboardist Gary Prim played effortlessly from a cloud. It is obvious that plenty of ribbon and tube microphones came into play during the making of this aurally rounded ten-song thirty-eight-minute set. The two most recurring instruments are the fiddle (Stuart Duncan) and steel guitars (Paul Franklin and Dan Dugmore). These two pieces show up regularly and are well executed.
A handful of songs on this album tell of those individuals who are especially admired by the singer/songwriter. There are however a few peppery exceptions to this consoling style of country that speak of those in strife. 'Too Bad Your No good' carries a rocking verve which includes the album's most fiery wordage “I got a .38 special on a .45 frame." The line comes across humorous and chestnut, making it worth all time invested.
'I Thought He'd Never Leave' is another up-tempo selection. The tune is a catchy sing-along country rock style number filled with wonderful fiddle, suited electric guitar work and southern pedal steel. It dances, it prances, and inspires the gals to holler out their notion and celebrate a loser man's exit.
'Way Too Young for Wings' is a southern ballad that lyrically speaks of a boy who perished due to an unfortunate accident. Plucking acoustic guitar sprinkles and lovely keys add a special elegance amid Nugent's hymns in this touching God conscious memorial.
It seems every country girl not only loves her daddy but as well idolizes him, Alecia is no exception. 'They Don't Make em' Like My Daddy Anymore' is a tribute to her father. A softened bass drumbeat (Tommy Harden) seems to be the only percussion utilized on this track. The song is tender, but not understated. As with several of the numbers onboard fiddle, piano, straightforward acoustic guitar, and pedal steel support but never overshadow the singer or narrative.
The most intriguing song is 'The Other Woman'. Lyrically this one serves as a twist and the philosophy at hand is the most uniquely themed. The song speaks to man's mistress in the understanding that while the gentleman in question will never be her own, just the same the man in question is clearly unable to change. The song presents a sort of unorthodox depression and eventually poses the question of which of the two women will truly be in the worse situation over the long haul.
It is difficult to overstate the emotional ingredient and pure talent Nugent shows in each song on this work. She is vocally gifted and well coached (perhaps more thanks to Producer, Keith Stegall). The singer performs flawlessly and conveys a trueness to the emotion required for each song. Alecia Nugent's voice is as silken as an angel's frock yet there is an underlying sorrowfulness in this record that is as evident as that of which showing in the artist's eyes on the cover. This album's origin did not stem from full social completeness and this aspect cannot be overlooked.
The clichéd subjects that many male country artists enjoy singing about are not present here. Songs about tractor trailers, booze, and runaway hussies are absent from this set. If this is the type of gist that suits your normal preference you won't find it here. Instead this record bodes especially well to the sentimental individual, even more so to the country-side female with certain ideals and history. The collection is for the southerly woman that has her values instilled from back home-life, one who carries a true affection for her Daddy … and all things on the old side of town.
*Alecia Nugent's new album, The Old Side of Town is set for release Friday, September 18, 2020.
- Ian Billen