Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer Returns with Her Country Flavored "The State I'm In"

Leigh Nash, best known as the lead singer of Sixpence None the Richer, has revealed details to her new album "The State I'm In."  The new album releases on September 18th and it features Nash co-writing all the 12 cuts.  It's her first album since 2011's "Hymns and Sacred Songs."  The songs have a country edge to them, many of them dealing with her divorce, her amicable break-up of the band, and a death in the family.

"I'm from South Texas in the hill country, south of Austin," she said, proudly touting her Lone Star roots. "The music I heard growing up has stayed with me in a way that no other music has. I hear less and less of some of the instrumentation and even melodically these days in country music. I just wanted to throw my hat in the ring and say 'Remember this?' That's what I tried to do."

Talking about some of her influences, Nash touched on iconic singers like Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline, but also admits to being influenced by a few artists who don't normally get mentioned as such. 

"I was obsessed with Jim Reeves," she said of the late singer who defined 'The Nashville Sound.' I also was a big fan of Dottie West and loved her. My father gave me a songbook when I was growing up with the chords and it was full of Marty Robbins songs. That's how I learned to play and sing at the same time. That definitely made a lasting impression. It stuck with me."

"I've done a lot of living between projects. So much has happened since then. I haven't led a completely peaceful life -- not many people do. But, I had a lot of ups and downs which made for good subject matter for the album. It really came in handy," she said with a laugh. "I've been wanting to make this record since I was 14, but I needed the life experience to do it."

 "There is a recurring theme on this album of being homesick," she said. "I'm always missing Texas and feeling torn between the home I came from and the one I've built in Tennessee. So in that way, 'The State I'm In' seemed like an appropriate title track. It covers a lot of ground. The song itself does as well -- there's a little Spanish in there and some awesome Mariachi horns that remind me of home." 

The State I'm In track listing:
 
Spider and the Moth
Cruel Heart
Chicago
Mountain
What's Behind Me
Somebody's Yesterday
The Promise Break
Dreaming Out Loud
The State I'm In
High is Better
Tell Me Now Tennessee
Doing it Wrong

 

Tags : leigh nash sixpence none the richer leigh nash new album leigh nash news leigh nash the state i'm in