When your second cousins are Loretta Lynn and Patty Loveless, it’s instinctual for music to flow through your veins. Just ask Liz Sharpe. The Pikeville, Kentucky native knew at a young age that music was “the way,” announcing at the age of three that “Mama I am Music.” Sharpe continued to follow her birthright by participating in her church choir and through college where she studied classical piano and composition for film before coming full circle to Music City. Now, along with husband Aaron Spraggs (drums), Shannon Campbell (guitar, mandolin, banjo and harmony) who happens to be the son of country music icon Glen Campbell, Dylan Rowe (bass player), Sam Brooker (rhythm guitar and harmony) and Pat Boyer (guitar and slide), Sharpe has formed the amazingly talented group Little Feather, who dropped their self-titled debut album on Friday, September 29.
The 11-track album – which ranges from country to Appalachian to more modern songs – kicks off with Little Feather’s debut single “Hillbilly Love Song.” The “hey ya’lls” and chorus quickly gets stuck in your head, making it impossible to not sing and tap along to the infectious beat. The autobiographical song tells Sharpe’s story of how she lost herself in the city life, and needs to get back to her roots:
(Hey Ya’ll, Hey Ya’ll)
I look in the mirror
And I don’t like what I see
I don’t like what this city’s doin’ to me
I was born a miner’s daughter
Somehow I lost the girl I used to be
(Hey Ya’ll, Hey Ya’ll)
Outside my window
I hear the cold wind blow
Whisprin’ my name and callin’ me back home
I can’t tap my feet
To the music in the streets down below
(Hey Ya’ll, Hey Ya’ll)
An impressive and versatile singer, Sharpe can stack right up with some of the best in country music today. The eerie sounding “Don’t Go Diggin'” hints a bit at Carrie Underwood (“Two Black Cadillacs”) and The Band Perry (“Better Dig Two”) not only in Sharpe’s vocals, but also in the ambiance of the song:
Don’t go diggin’
You’re gonna’ find dirt
All is forgiven
Under God’s green earth
You got a shovel in your hand
And a fool hearted plan
And somebody’s gonna’ get hurt
Don’t go diggin’
You’re gonna’ find dirt
“Get Out Of My Sunshine” has some vintage Taylor Swift characteristics, while the harmonies of the band in “Roll River Roll” are reminiscent to one of country’s biggest vocal acts, Little Big Town. But perhaps the most impressive vocals from Sharpe are in “Waiting On Love” with its traditional country feel that could easily be found in the wheelhouse of someone like Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, old school k.d. lang, the list goes on. Sharpe’s playful vocals maneuver flawlessly from highs and lows, but it’s when she yodels that you realize how strong her range is:
Closing out the album is the beautiful “Love Travels.” Written by Sharpe, Matraca Berg and 2017 ACM Songwriter of the Year Lori McKenna, it’s a poetic ballad about the power of love knowing no bounds on Earth or beyond:
Love travels
Breaking all the laws of gravity
Time and space be damned
Love travels
It ain’t up to you or up to me
Before the cradle beyond the grave
One thing eternally remains
Love travels
In addition to the fantastic songwriting and vocals, the musicianship throughout the album is brilliant. While Campbell has the ability to make the mandolin and banjo sing and Boyer’s slide guitar weeps, every member of the band is an important piece to this wonderful patchwork of music.
With songs that touch on everything from country to mountain music to ballads, Little Feather’s eclectic style has something for everyone on this amazing debut album.
For more information on Little Feather and to purchase the album, visit their website at: www.littlefeathermusic.com.
Little Feather Track Listing:
Hillbilly Love Song (Hey ya’ll) – Liz Sharpe, Aaron Spraggs, Luc Nyhus, Will Rambeaux, Dylan Rowe, Sam Brooker
Try Me – Liz Sharpe, Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux
Get Out of My Sunshine – Liz Sharpe, Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux
Don’t Go Diggin’ – Liz Sharpe, Aaron Spraggs, Will Rambeaux, Luc Nyhus
Breathin’ Air – Liz Sharpe, Sam Brooker, Will Rambeaux
Touch the Moon – Liz Sharpe, Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux
Roll River Roll – Liz Sharpe, Aaron Spraggs, Will Rambeaux, Luc Nyhus
Bend With The Wind – Liz Sharpe, Aaron Spraggs, Dylan Rowe, Will Rambeaux, Seth Costner
ASAP – Liz Sharpe, Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux, Aaron Spraggs
Waitin’ on Love – Liz Sharpe, Will Rambeaux
Love Travels – Liz Sharpe, Matraca Berg, Lori McKenna