New Album Review: Hailey Whitters- Raised

Hailey Whitters- Raised

Label: Big Loud

Producers: Hailey Whitters and Jake Gear

Long-time Nashville singer-songwriter Hailey Whitters raised her profile considerably with her 2020 sophomore album, Living the Dream, which helped further spread the word about what a sparkling gem her personality and talent have made her within the Music City music community for sometime. With her reputation as a spunky and literate lyricist in the vein of other acclaimed ladies like Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, and Brandy Clark, Whitters launches her third album and immediately asserts that even those welcomed comparisons cannot box in her stylistic identity. Observe the fact that this album is bookended with gorgeous, cinematic excerpts from the opera with “Ad Astra Per Alas Porci”for no further proof of that fact. But sandwiched in between those moments is another delightful collection of observations on small town America and everyday romance (“Everything She Ain’t”, “Raised”, “The Neon”, “Our Grass Is Legal”, “Middle of America”, and “Big Family” to name a lot), all uniquely colored by Whitters’ fresh point-of-view, razor-sharp wit and cunning attention to intimate details. All of the tracks are tastefully produced and presented, with clean and crisp country arrangements that recall Nashville’s 90s golden age, and such settings only shine a brighter light on what a charming breath of fresh air Whitters truly is. This is a bright and consistent set of songs that is difficult to pinpoint specific highlights from; every moment elicits a warm jolt of joyful resonance and appreciation for everyday life.

Track Listing:

1. “Ad Astra Per Alas Porci” (Jordan Lehning, Pedro Palomino)
2. “Raised” (Hailey Whitters, Nicolle Galyon, Forest Glen Whitehead)
3. “Everything She Ain’t” (Whitters, Ryan Tyndell, Bryan Simpson)
4. “Big Family” (Whitters, Galyon, Cameron Bedell)
5. “Middle of America” featuring American Aquarium (Whitters, Bobby Pinson, Jake Gear)
6. “Plain Jane” (Whitters, Hillary Lindsey, Cary Barlowe)
7. “College Town” (Whitters, Galyon, Shane McAnally, Ashley Gorley, Luke Laird, and Jimmy Robbins)
8. “Interlude” (Whitters, Palomino)
9. “Boys Back Home” (Whitters, Brandy Clark, Jessie Jo Dillon)
10. “Everybody Oughta” (Craig Wiseman, Matt Roy)
11. “Pretty Boy” (Whitters, Tom Douglas, Scooter Carusoe)
12. “The Neon” (Whitters, Lori McKenna, Rodney Clawson)
13. “The Grassman” (Whitters, Aaron Raitiere)
14. “Our Grass Is Legal” (Whitters)
15. “Beer Tastes Better” (Whitters, McKenna)
16. “In A Field Somewhere” (Whitters, Simpson, Jeff Hyde)
17. “Ad Astra Per Alas Porci (Reprise)” (Lehning, Palomino)