Sunny Sweeney - Provoked
Aunt Daddy Records/Thirty Tigers
Sunny Sweeney’s third album shows her scaling new heights as a singer and songwriter. It is a piece of work of great maturity. It shows that Sunny has paid her dues—she’s done the grind—she’s done the work, and it’s just great. The title of this album is appropriately PROVOKED, and what we are treated to are frank literate songs of regret and personal revelation that are scored and sung with haute elegance. There is no denying that Sunny has a great voice, a photogenic image and a lovely personality. Unfortunately such assets do not always add up to radio play, which is something that has mostly eluded her so far. It was eight years ago that she released her widely acclaimed HEARTBREAKER’S HALL OF FAME. Four years later she dented the country top 10 with From A Table Away. Apart from that isolated slice of success, she’s beavered away on the fringes, something of an little-known cult singer-songwriter held in high regard by a small, but growing fan base and the more discerning music critics.
Excellent songwriting abounds ... each song is made with nuggets of intelligent original creativity, and the rootsy production perfectly captures the essence of the songs. It sounds like real, handmade country music, from some world-class makers. With hands on hips this strong woman offers frank home truths with the feisty You Don’t Know Your Husband in dynamic Loretta Lynn fashion. She adopts a similar pose for Bad Girl Phase, a rockin’ song that’s fun, sassy and relatable with witty lyrics to boot. The easy-rolling Second Guessing is a brutally honest reflective look-back at a relationship which despite all the obstacles of past mistakes just might work out. Sunny slows it down for Carolina On The Line, a long distance brush-off with bittersweet, personal lyrics that cut right through. Front Row Seats is a little singalong number with incisive lyrics that might seem at odds with the light-hearted arrangement yet really works rather well. She gets real down-home country with the superb Sunday Dress; her exquisite, pure, yearning honky-tonk voice floats above the music the way that few singers can do as she imparts this sad heartbreaker.
There’s always something real about Sunny’s highly individual voice; passionate, occasionally fragile but always undeniably honest. She has an intimate and engaging delivery that makes the most of the highly assured qualities of her singing voice. To find that combination in a singer-songwriter these days is a rare thing, so, to be honest, I think she’s a really special talent. If you like your music in the middle ground between rootsy country and Americana, you should definitely check this record out.
www.sunnysweeney.com
Sunny Sweeney’s third album shows her scaling new heights as a singer and songwriter. It is a piece of work of great maturity. It shows that Sunny has paid her dues—she’s done the grind—she’s done the work, and it’s just great. The title of this album is appropriately PROVOKED, and what we are treated to are frank literate songs of regret and personal revelation that are scored and sung with haute elegance. There is no denying that Sunny has a great voice, a photogenic image and a lovely personality. Unfortunately such assets do not always add up to radio play, which is something that has mostly eluded her so far. It was eight years ago that she released her widely acclaimed HEARTBREAKER’S HALL OF FAME. Four years later she dented the country top 10 with From A Table Away. Apart from that isolated slice of success, she’s beavered away on the fringes, something of an little-known cult singer-songwriter held in high regard by a small, but growing fan base and the more discerning music critics.Excellent songwriting abounds ... each song is made with nuggets of intelligent original creativity, and the rootsy production perfectly captures the essence of the songs. It sounds like real, handmade country music, from some world-class makers. With hands on hips this strong woman offers frank home truths with the feisty You Don’t Know Your Husband in dynamic Loretta Lynn fashion. She adopts a similar pose for Bad Girl Phase, a rockin’ song that’s fun, sassy and relatable with witty lyrics to boot. The easy-rolling Second Guessing is a brutally honest reflective look-back at a relationship which despite all the obstacles of past mistakes just might work out. Sunny slows it down for Carolina On The Line, a long distance brush-off with bittersweet, personal lyrics that cut right through. Front Row Seats is a little singalong number with incisive lyrics that might seem at odds with the light-hearted arrangement yet really works rather well. She gets real down-home country with the superb Sunday Dress; her exquisite, pure, yearning honky-tonk voice floats above the music the way that few singers can do as she imparts this sad heartbreaker.
There’s always something real about Sunny’s highly individual voice; passionate, occasionally fragile but always undeniably honest. She has an intimate and engaging delivery that makes the most of the highly assured qualities of her singing voice. To find that combination in a singer-songwriter these days is a rare thing, so, to be honest, I think she’s a really special talent. If you like your music in the middle ground between rootsy country and Americana, you should definitely check this record out.
www.sunnysweeney.com