Review Summary: A fantastic debut set from a forgotten country star who deserved so much more.
When I first started actively seeking out country music, and music in general, as a young lad in the late aughts, a significant chunk of my weeknights and weekends outside of school consisted of me pining in front of one of two devices: either the Aiwa stereo perched on my dad's bedroom dresser, oscillating between the two local country stations, or the basement TV, tuned into CMT and all of its music-related content, namely its
Top Twenty Countdown hosted by Lance Smith, a weekly program which was tabulated by online viewer voting on CMT's website, much like VH1's
Top 20 Video Countdown and MTV's
Total Request Live. All three channels were owned by Paramount, so occasionally programming would be shared and broadcast simultaneously on each network (e.g. Bon Jovi's 2007
Unplugged performance, which promoted their country-oriented album
Lost Highway). The objective was, as y'all know, to catch a glimpse of Rascal Flatts, and all of that interim exposed me to a slew of artists, many of whom were just getting their careers off the ground. CMT was still a premier vehicle at this time, before streaming or social media had really started to take foot in our culture. So suffice to say, I watched a
lot of music videos from budding young artists, like the one we're going to talk about today. Friends, I'd like you to meet Ashton Shepherd.
Ashton Shepherd was born in Coffeeville, Alabama, a Clarke County town with a population in the lower triple digits. She expressed an interest in singing from early childhood, and by her teenage years was winning talent competitions all across the state. In the spring of 2007, she was discovered by a representative of MCA Nashville, a subsidiary of Universal, and was signed to a record deal. With industry backing suddenly behind her, she released her debut single "Takin' Off This Pain" in September. The song's music video got a lot of play on CMT at the time, so I got quite familiar with it. In a time when women had been ruthlessly displaced from the format post-Toby Keith/Dixie Chicks beef, it was refreshing to even have a female voice playing big league ball, much less one as capable as Shepherd's was despite her age. At just 21 years old, she could sing the absolute fire out of anything with a wisdom and poise well beyond her years. Backed by swelling fiddle arrangements, "Takin' Off This Pain" is a subtle subversion of the classic breakup anthem, in that she doesn't simply distance herself from the sh*tbag who fumbled her (and how could he because what an absolute knockout she is), but also taking stock of her own self worth, knowing "I'm the only one who can set myself free." With a voice that boasts of both an endearing drawl and a clear, pretty tone, Shepherd seemed destined to be a breakout star, resting squarely in an archetype of female country vocalist best personified by Miranda Lambert, Gretchen Wilson and Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles. The top 20
Billboard country hit served as the lead single to her 2008 debut set
Sounds So Good, which lives up to its title in abundance.
As far as mid-to-late-aughts country debuts go,
Sounds So Good has to be among the most interesting. It marries her unabashedly traditional predisposition with a sturdy, contemporary polish. This pairing works like chocolate and peanut butter most notably on the title track, which we gently crash into early on. Perfect for a summer night rotation, the earworm chorus paints a picture of Southern imagery that feels authentic and lived-in, which can't be said for 99.9% of mainstream fodder that gets churned out today. Prominent steel guitars co-exist with drum fills that increase in intensity towards the end, but the pay off feels earned and adds to the upbeat nature of the track. "Not Right Now" sees Shepherd staring down the barrel of the expectations society typically embellishes onto women, and promptly thumbing its eye in with a Cheshire grin. "So what if I like the bar and dancing? Well what do you care, if you don't mind me asking," she playfully taunts.
Elsewhere, we enjoy a laundry list of songs that could have been hits in another life, and it can really only be chalked up to the backdrop of the era the album was released in as the reason why this didn't take off as it should have. I could give just about each track a paragraph's worth of praise. There's "The Pickin' Shed", with its down home country stylings and Shepherd's unique phrasing. There's "How Big Are Angel Wings," which has sometimes drawn criticism for supposedly playing to the conventions of the modern country format, but undoubtedly posits a heartfelt lyric and earnest vocal to match, making a legitimately tear-jerking ballad. "Whiskey Won The Battle" closes the album with bar none its loudest composition and one that likely runs the biggest risk of alienating a lot of the cynics and purists who can often pollute the country discourse. But with an undeniable vocal turn from Shepherd that perfectly distills the disorientation the protagonist in the lyrics must be feeling, it once again works.
There really isn't much not to like here.
Sounds So Good is as effective an amalgam of contemporary and old-school country vibes as you can possibly find. The fact it came from such a young artist only reinforces what a bolt of lightning in a bottle it is. When you combine traditional country leanings, a boundlessly likable talent, and songs that routinely punch well above their weight class when they don't have to, you get one of the best country debuts of this century. Beyond this, Ashton Shepherd would enjoy one more trip to the top 20 at country radio, with 2011's "Look It Up," which just barely managed to crack the Hot 100 as well. Shortly after, MCA dropped her and she was back home in Alabama, playing local shows and building a family. I've gotten to enjoy a few quaint interactions with her on her Facebook page over the years. It's a damn shame she didn't amass the career she should have, because she was an exceptional vocalist. At least we got some good music in a brief window of time. The fiddles and steel guitars shimmer, the vocals burn and the stories make you forget about the bustling world for a fleeting moment. It
sounds so good. It's a
superb debut from a forgotten star who deserved so much more.
