Who Else Prays with Whiskey Still on Their Breath? Find Out on Shawna Thompson’s Second Solo Single, ‘Small Town Wreck’

NASHVILLE — The main character in Alabama-raised, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Shawna Thompson’s second solo single, “Small Town Wreck,” out now, is unapologetic but seeking salvation. Reeking of booze and still wearing the same dress from last night, she sits in church desperate and vulnerable to gossip. The co-founder of the chart-topping multi-platinum duo Thompson Square’s latest single seeds the path to her solo debut album, Lean on Neon, out September 13 on the legendary Sun Records. (Watch the “Small Town Wreck” video here.) 

In “Small Town Wreck,” the protagonist with her back against the wall turns to God in a small country church, knowing she may be judged by some of the congregation. Replete with sultry vocals, swampy guitars, and country fixins’ like fiddle, pedal steel, and soaring harmony vocals, “Small Town Wreck” is an old school outlaw country anthem glowering with Shawna’s authentic grit and a powerful feminine energy. The redemptive rebel’s tale was co-written by her husband and Thompson Square co-founder, Keifer Thompson, and legendary Nashville singer-songwriter Leslie Satcher (George Strait, Martina McBride). “Small Town Wreck” also features guest appearances from Leslie, and revered country and bluegrass singer-songwriter and Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist Rhonda Vincent.

“I have always been a big fan of Leslie’s work. I wanted to write with her for this album from day one. The night before we were supposed to write, however, a dear friend came to town, and we blew it out,” Shawna laughs. “I was so hungover that I couldn’t get out of bed. It inspired the lyric, ‘Who else prays with whiskey still on their breath?’ We created the story from that one line. It’s this desperate woman’s conversation with God, and how her problems are the talk of her small town.”

Shawna’s first ever solo album is co-produced by her husband, Keifer, and two-time GRAMMY® Award winner Chad Carlson (Taylor Swift, Trisha Yearwood). The 13-track album blends traditional country roots with deeply emotional storytelling. Lean On Neon is an homage to Shawna’s late father who raised her on real-deal country, Buck Owens, Charley Pride, John Anderson, and countless others. “I finally made a traditional honky-tonk album that would make my daddy proud,” she says.