Alecia Nugent Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
There's something nicely defiant about the title to Alecia Nugent's third album, and her tone is a little bit sassier than usual as well. It opens with a saucily strutting blues number, which she just about pulls off -- but the bluegrassy arrangement never quite leaves the ground and she never settles fully into the groove. She follows it up powerfully, though, with a pitch-perfect country weeper called "Don't Tell Me," and then hits you again with the title track, which features banjo deity J.D. Crowe. From there on out things are pretty much top-notch: she absolutely owns the regretful barroom honky tonk of "Dyin' to Hold Her Again" and the equally emotion-laden "Last Greyhound," and if "Wishin' Hard" seems a bit unfocused, it's probably because of the song -- it's not because she doesn't pour herself into it. Nugent's crystal-clear voice and powerful delivery make her a joy to listen to, even when her material isn't quite up to the standard of her singing. And the lineup of supporting musicians she's gathered for this project is very impressive: apart from Crowe, you'll hear Bradley Walker, Andy Leftwich, Rob Ickes, and other A-list sessioneers. Hillbilly Goddess may not stand head and shoulders above her previous work, but it's a solidly respectable addition to her already impressive catalog. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
'A Little Girl...A Big Four-Lane'
Release Date 1/1/2006
Tracks 13
Label Rounder
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Bill Monroe's music has undergone a sea change since Alison Krauss first burst upon the scene in the 1980s. Krauss threw the door wide open for other female traditionalists, while adding a modern sheen to the most rustic of country music styles. Alecia Nugent, like Krauss or even Dolly Parton, combines country-flavored vocals with a contemporary bluegrass sound on her sophomore effort, A Little Girl...A Big Four-Lane. What immediately strikes one, whether listening to the upbeat opener, "Too Good to Be True," or the quieter "God Knows What," is Nugent's confidence. She holds forth in a full-throated style with a slight twang that reveals a singer who knows what she wants to accomplish and just how she's gonna do it. It doesn't hurt one's confidence to be backed by great players like Dobroist Rob Ickes, fiddler Jim Van Cleve, acoustic guitarist Andy Falco, and a number of other fine players. Interestingly, A Little Girl...A Big Four-Lane may be less pure than, say, a Stanley Brothers album from the 1950s, but Nugent does sound like real country, the kind like Loretta Lynn made during the 1960s. The key to the difference is that while a number of instruments -- banjo, mandolin, and fiddle -- are common to both country and bluegrass, bluegrass bands (even those who concoct a more contemporary sound) seldom use drums as Nugent does here (tastefully played by Tony Creasman). So A Little Girl...A Big Four-Lane is a solid follow-up for Nugent that should please both contemporary bluegrass fans and the folks who miss good old-fashioned country. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The marketing, the label, and the instrumentation all say "bluegrass," but everything else about this very impressive debut album says "straight-up country." It's actually a masterful marketing move -- bluegrass fans who sniff that country music has been too commercial since about 1950 can let themselves be lulled into complacency by the banjo and Dobro, at which point Alecia Nugent's sweet, powerful voice will do the rest. And most country fans like bluegrass anyway, so this will sound just like an exceptionally rootsy country album to them. The bluegrass snobs may find themselves startled by the Carl Jackson duet (a fine weeper called "For Love's Sake") or the vintage R&B cover tune (an even finer rendition of "But I Do"), but the sturdy mountain soul of "Think of What You've Done" and "Blame It on the Train" will ease their worried minds. If you love Alison Krauss' voice but think she's gone maybe a bit soft in recent years, or if you miss the rich, brassy sound of some of the great female country singers of the 1940s and 1950s, then Alecia Nugent may be just who you've been waiting for. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
