Born and raised in the city of Muscle Shoals Alabama, home to the recordings of Etta James, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin, country singer Rachel Wammack shares her experiences of heartbreak and self confidence in the release of her self titled, debut EP.
After being discovered by Sony Music at the young age of 17, Wammack decided to hold off on the dreams of being a Nashville superstar and decided instead to study professional writing at North Alabama College. Following graduation, Wammack moved to Nashville to become a songwriter while working shifts at the local Marriott Hotel. Though she admitted that she wasn’t the best bartender, talking to Bobby Bones last September, she revealed that it made her a great therapist and taught her ‘ the importance of listening to people and how some people just need to get stuff out’. Inspired after weeks of serving whiskey and emotional support to travellers near and far, Wammack penned the second track on her E.P entitled ‘Damaged’ with hit heavyweights Tom Douglas and David Hodges.
Produced by Dann Huff, who has had his name tied to the works of Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill and Lonestar, Damage is the one country song that tells a story from behind the bar top. With so many songs being set in bars, talking to bartenders or even comparing one’s self to a barstool, it’s refreshing to hear the story from the other side of the whiskey. With a spacious steel guitar intro and brushed drums, Wammack shows us how ‘love can do some damage’ whether it’s divorcing your first wife, losing your mother or losing a friend. Wammack’s vocals have a theatre like strength in this track which is influenced by the likes of Indina Menzel, who Wammack covered in 2011 to benefit Dinner with the Drumline.
From love doing some damage to being ‘Enough’ we come across Wammack’s current single and opening track ‘Enough’. Written with Laura Veltz and Hunter Hayes back-up man, Sam Ellis, the song is inspired by the singers recent engagement to Montana native Noah Purcell. Opening with spacious, atmospheric synths and still slide guitars, the song already paints the picture of ignoring everyone else in the room. With a dream-like state chorus with a heart beat kick drum and country-pop, Faith Hill, inspired sound, Wammack is content with ‘if I die tomorrow, at least I caught lightening in a bottle’. Belting lyrics such as ‘If I don’t catch that fallen star I see tonight’ like an Alabamian Adele, Wammack isn’t talking about giving up on her dreams to settle, but that perhaps her true dream is to settle down and count the bright stars ‘little left of Orion’ with the one she loves.
While creating music that moves, Wammack turns us to the next chapter in her story with ‘Hard To Believe’. While the one too many echoed ‘Hard to believe’s take away some of the punch from the song, the dancy chorus of a break up song makes up for it. With a sprinkle of early 2000s glitter effect and colourful banjo, it’s a surprisingly upbeat song for those trying to move on. However it’s the fourth track in which we see Wammack ‘reaching out’ and her vulnerable side make a feature.
Stripped down to just vocals and warm piano, we watch Wammack refuse closure and wonder ‘can a first love ever be over?’. With the strongest bridge out of the whole EP, it’s a song that makes you forget where you are, whether you’re listening on the commute train back home, or with a glass of break up wine in your bedroom; it takes you back to your own first love who’s chapter just still isn’t quite finished yet.
The closing track marks the road to self confident for Wammack, with the title ‘My Boyfriend Doesn’t Speak For Me Anymore’. From shaky hands to the fists of Loretta Lyn, My Boyfriend Doesn’t speak for me anymore is the rising girl power anthem to go alongside the likes of Lipstick by Junaway June and GIRL by Maren Morris; for those ‘who haven’t been much of a shouter’. This belting chorus will have you putting on your makeup like warpaint as Wammack’s vocals shine through and tie the end of this project perfectly .
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