Photo by Alyssa Gafkjen
Leigh Nash is best known as the plaintive voice and big eyes behind her former band Sixpence None the Richer's 90s megahits "Kiss Me" and "There She Goes," but now, a decade or two down the line and well into a own solo career that has seen her experiment with everything from folk to electronica, Nash sounds like she's found her happy place. Her latest album, The State I'm In, sees her voice bubble up from a patchwork of heartsick alt-country, slinky pop, and bombastic Latin-American music.
Nash was born and raised in Texas, and she flaunts her country bonafides with steel magnolia charm; this album finds her breathy vocals backed by a band whose members include Emmylou Harris and Wanda Jackson's pianist, Jack White's ace fiddle player and angelic a cappella group Street Corner Symphony. She's perfectly self-aware, too, no more so than when she sings "I"ve got to learn how to live as somebody's yesterday." Novelty and nostalgia only go so far, but an album like The State I'm In shows that Nash means business.
She gave Noisey an exclusive glimpse inside one of her new songs, "Chicago," saying, "I visited my uncle in Texas a few summers ago. He was sitting on the porch, fly swatter at the ready…BB gun too (to scare off birds and squirrels). When it was just us, he relayed a dream to me that he'd had the night before. The beginning of the song is basically what he said to me. My uncle fought in the Vietnam War and was in the CIA as well; he'd been all over the world. I'm not sure why he dreamt of Chicago, or why everyone he saw there had my face but didn't know him, but I figured it warranted a song. This is one of the earliest written songs on the album and remains a favorite. I think it fits in nicely right after “Cruel Heart.” It's not a typical heartbreak song, but it is heartbreaking."
"Chicago" is an old-school countrypolitan ballad, all swelling strings atop a stately, saccharine pace. Nash gives off a serious Patsy Cline vibe here, too, her voice deep and dreamy as she tries to get Texas off her mind. Listen to a premiere below, and preorder the album for yourself right here.
Kim Kelly is listening to "Crazy" on Twitter - @grimkim