More than two decades into her acclaimed career, Leigh Nash shines a light on her Texas roots with The State I’m In. Produced by Brendan Benson, the new solo record finds Nash putting a modern spin on the sounds she heard as a young girl in the Texas Hill Country, mixing together the classic country of Willie Nelson, the sweeping pop of Roy Orbison and the mariachi influences of nearby Mexico. From breakup ballads and drinking songs to lushly orchestrated Americana tunes, The State I’m In casts a wide net. “What’s Behind Me” even tips its hat to the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows.” However, this isn’t the first time Nash has reached across different genres with her music. As the lead vocalist of Sixpence None the Richer, she rolled pop, folk and gospel influences into hit songs…
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…like “Kiss Me” and “There She Goes.” Her solo career, which kicked off in 2006, has been similarly diverse, taking listeners on a journey through classic hymns and electronica.
With The State I’m In, Nash rolls a recent brush with bad luck – including the amicable hiatus of her longtime band, a death in her family and a divorce – into songs that find the beauty in heartbreak. Recorded in Nash’s adopted hometown of Nashville, where she has lived since 1996, it also features some of the city’s most notable up-and-comers, including fiddle player Lillie Mae Rische (Jack White), pianist Micah Hulscher (Emmylou Harris), harmony group Street Corner Symphony and solo artist Rayland Baxter. Singer Emily West makes an appearance as a co-writer, and John Mark Painter (of the duo Fleming and John) lends his talents on trumpet.