Ashton Shepherd comes out of the gate tackling hard country with the ache and abandon of someone who’s lived the music for several lifetimes. The 21-year-old Alabamian's twang-heavy vocals carry the bite of a young Patty Loveless, with a dash of Loretta Lynn’s full-bodied angst thrown in. There’s no wild-girl affectation here, just real-life domestic dysfunction and booze-soaked regret. Whether she’s dressing down a cold-hearted male (“Takin’ Off This Pain”), carrying a torch for a lost love (“Old Memory”) or missing her single years (“I Ain’t Dead Yet”), she never fails to convince. Her party anthem “Not Right Now” gives Gretchen Wilson a run for her money, and “Whisky Won the Battle” is harrowing enough to skirt Lynyrd Skynyrd territory. Tracks like “Regular Joe” and the title tune display a sensual passion that’s all too rare in country these days. Producer Buddy Killen deserves praise for taking a sparse, tradition-rooted approach on these tracks, and Shepherd's performances are little short of heavenly.
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