Album Review: Alecia Nugent - "The Old Side Of Town"

One of country music's best vocalists returns with one of 2020's best albums. See why we think that here.

In a year where it seems so much has changed and turned us inward, one of 2020’s most delightful treats is The Old Side Of Town, Alecia Nugent’s brand new country record. Working with Keith Stegall and A-list studio players, Alecia showcases her powerful country voice throughout the nine songs here (“They Don’t Make ‘Em Like Daddy Anymore” is featured as a bonus Bluegrass edition on the CD release of this record).

Working in the 80s/90s style of country music that I personally grew up listening to, Alecia’s “Tell Fort Worth I Said Hello” is a two-stepping slice of country music perfection with brilliant fiddle, steel guitar and tickling ivory piano fills backing up a classic country storyline. The Erin Enderlin and Larry Cordle-penned “Might Have One Too” tells a relatable story of a philandering husband confessing his sins and the narrator saying she might have a reason (after his confession) to move on to someone new, too.

“Way Too Young For Wings” (listen here) is the anchor track on the album and will certainly hit home for anyone who has lost someone in their life way too early. We don’t always know the hows and the whys but we can grieve and mourn in our own ways, like we can through this beautiful, touching song. Brandy Clark’s “The Other Woman” (written with Mark Stephen Jones) serves as a perfect showcase for Alecia’s powerful country vocal with a lyric where a woman discusses a man’s relationship with “The Other Woman” with stories about promises broken.

There’s a classic, warm feeling to The Old Side Of Town and it only serves to remind me that country music, for as versatile as the genre is, works best when performed in the style of classic country style showcased throughout this brilliantly-crafted album. If you’re looking for the real deal, check out The Old Side of Town, one of 2020’s best albums.

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