Another Look: Alicia Blue, ‘Country Desire’

For rising Nashville country singer-songwriter Alicia Blue, the path to achieving "country desires" isn't a straight line — it’s a winding highway connecting the California coast, the Texas borderlands and the neon of Nashville. On her brilliant, Shooter Jennings-produced debut album Country Desire, Blue is determined to map out a sonic landscape entirely her own, proving her mastery of fundamental country traditions while confidently striking out into the dustier territories of outlaw country, mariachi and rancheras. 

Lyrically, the dozen tracks on Country Desire treat their characters' needs as a force of nature that propels them toward prosperity or punishment. In the album’s press materials, Blue writes that she drew on a “lifetime of parts of myself that came to the surface, that needed airtime, the spotlight, so they could stop sitting in the driver’s seat.” Her voice exudes determination, wit and mystery as she sings about time-tested subjects like longing, consequence and control. 

One song the late, great Dolly Parton would likely have loved is “Please Don’t Call,” a track Blue described as “a throw-your-phone-in-the-river and don’t look back kind of thing” — an antidote to a world dominated by screen time and social media feeds. I was instantly hooked by Blue's authenticity the first time I heard her music, and it was only reinforced when I saw her live. Per the notes accompanying the record, Jennings had a similar revelation on hearing her early demos, quickly agreeing to make the record without a label or budget. He even duets with her on the track “Draggin’ a Broken Heart.” 

At Hollywood’s Sunset Sound, they were joined by an all-star backing band featuring Jay Bellerose, Brian Whelan, Ted Russell Kamp and Greg Leisz, alongside Blue’s guitarist Alex Labrie. The ensemble is perfectly suited to Blue's dynamic and charismatic voice. This versatility especially shines on "Waitress Blues," in which she lets loose a healthy yodel, and the catchy anti-hero ballad “Rose of Tennessee.”

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