Lainey Wilson this week released her second EP ‘Redneck Hollywood.’ We review the EP and reveal just why we think this elevates Lainey to the next stage of her career.
Lainey Wilson stormed into the UK country consciousness just under a year ago with her performances at Bush Hall and at The Borderline (RIP) as part of Country Music Week. With her first EP under her belt at these shows, she earned a legion of fans to her cause, flipping her off to the tune of her lovably rogue single ‘Middle Finger.’ Since then, she has been busy; touring with Morgan Wallen and as part of CMT Next Women of Country and returning to the UK twice as part of C2C 2019, in support of Josh Turner at Union Chapel and most recently as part of the epic Long Road festival. At this last, she announced the release of her forthcoming single ‘LA’ and promised new music – this Friday she did just that with the release of four songs as part of her ‘Redneck Hollywood’ EP.
The EP goes deeper both into the breadth of Lainey’s musicality and vision as an artist, but entrenches her musical expression to her roots. As if her first EP did not prove the wit and intelligence of her storytelling and songwriting, this EP hammers that home. From start to finish her prolific songwriting abilities reveal deeper layers of Lainey Wilson. It is clear to anyone who has witnessed a ‘Lainey Wilson’ concert that she has paid her dues in the industry, garnering her success through sheer talent, grit and hard work and this EP is the culmination of those years of graft.
The EP opens with ‘Straight Up Sideways,’ setting the tone from the off with a fun-loving tune about enjoying the party side of life and letting it loose. ‘A-tip ’em back ’til you can’t walk.’ As with ‘High on Something,’ Lainey manages to somehow walk that tightrope and make songs about vices (that so overused trope of songwriting) appear fresh and funky.
‘Dirty Looks,’ up next, is a master class in clever song-writing, showing the attraction of hard work and true grit – a theme surprisingly under-explored of late in country music. Bringing back this traditional theme and pairing it with her modern ‘bellbottom country’ sound, allows Lainey to provide an astonishingly catchy number that is bound to be a hit on the live scene.
Potentially the rawest and bravest track on the EP though is ‘Things A Man Oughta Know’ – a session in how to maintain high standards without jeopardising empathy. Perhaps our favourite from the project, this is the definition of ‘three chords and the truth,’ an incredibly relatable track that is magically classy and grittily real in the same breath.
The production, as to be expected from Joyce, is world-class. Nowhere is his touch more astoundingly astute than in Lainey’s autobiographical track “L.A.” bringing in a harmonica that is a surprising but perfect choice. “L.A” truly gives a look into Lainey’s story and her path to the human she is today. “Growing up in northeast Louisiana, the word ‘redneck’ was a way of life. It’s a word outsiders would use to describe us and a word we’d proudly call ourselves,” said Lainey Wilson. “I’m a proud Louisianan, and always will be, but from a very early age I’ve had stars in my eyes for the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and I’d like to think that little twinkle helped propel me toward following my dreams and continues to keep me reaching further.” This track is potentially the bravest but also the catchiest choice from the EP and will be Lainey’s first track taken to country radio – embarking on a US radio tour in the coming weeks.
The EP is raw and real, pushing the country music genre wider than ever and bringing it back to the traditional while still reinventing it to its modern surroundings, in an age where criticism abounds for many women erring more to the side of pop-country. The EP showcases the sound that Lainey has created ‘Bellbottom Country,’ but more than anything shows that Lainey isn’t scared to show her vulnerable and party side in the same project. ‘Redneck Hollywood’ is as brave as the woman who penned these songs, and we can’t wait to see what Lainey does next.
ABOUT LAINEY WILSON:
Hailing from the small farming community of Baskin, La., country music newcomer Lainey Wilson has as much grit in her as she does soul. She moved to Nashville in a bumper-pull camper trailer to pursue a career in music and has been carving her own unique place in the country music landscape ever since, already garnering early praise as “a cautious optimist with just enough scars and pragmatism to write great, universal country songs” (Taste of Country) and “one of those voices who will grab your attention and keep it” (Whiskey Riff). A natural-born storyteller, Wilson has quickly established herself as an in-demand songwriter on Music Row as part of powerhouse publisher Sony/ATV. Following the independent release of her self-titled EP in April 2018, Wilson was named one of CMT’s Next Women of Country for 2019, landed a record deal with BBR Music Group/BMG, spent the first part of the year opening for chart-topping Country artist Morgan Wallen during his 2019 If I Know Me tour, and had “Workin’ Overtime,” the first single off her previous EP, placed in the second season of Paramount Network’s hit series Yellowstone.
Hailing from the small farming community of Baskin, La., country music newcomer Lainey Wilson has as much grit in her as she does soul. She moved to Nashville in a bumper-pull camper trailer to pursue a career in music and has been carving her own unique place in the country music landscape ever since, already garnering early praise as “a cautious optimist with just enough scars and pragmatism to write great, universal country songs” (Taste of Country) and “one of those voices who will grab your attention and keep it” (Whiskey Riff). A natural-born storyteller, Wilson has quickly established herself as an in-demand songwriter on Music Row as part of powerhouse publisher Sony/ATV. Following the independent release of her self-titled EP in April 2018, Wilson was named one of CMT’s Next Women of Country for 2019, landed a record deal with BBR Music Group/BMG, spent the first part of the year opening for chart-topping Country artist Morgan Wallen during his 2019 If I Know Me tour, and had “Workin’ Overtime,” the first single off her previous EP, placed in the second season of Paramount Network’s hit series Yellowstone.
Listen here to the EP. For more information and upcoming tour dates, visit her website and follow along on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
