She was told to smile and hide the chaos. Now Leah Blevins is singing her truth

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The opening acoustic guitar chords of Leah Blevins’ song “All Dressed Up” evoke a similar feeling to the beginning of Bobbie Gentry’s classic song “Ode to Billie Joe.” Gentry’s song built its mystery around an object thrown into a river, but the secrets in Blevins’ music are more internal and self-contained.

I’ve been completely captivated by Blevins’ new album. It’s produced by Dan Auerbach, and honestly, her voice is something special. It’s this incredibly pure, almost timeless soprano that reminds me of classic singers like Joan Gentry, Dusty Springfield, and Petula Clark, but also feels current, like Kacey Musgraves or Sierra Hull. You can really feel her Appalachian roots in her music – she grew up in Sandy Hook, Kentucky, with a dad who was a dentist and later a politician, and a mom who played piano in a gospel quartet. It all comes through in her sound.

Despite appearing happy, her parents faced hidden struggles: her father left the family, and her mother became addicted to substances. Encouraged by her grandmother to maintain a polished appearance – she was told to always wear lipstick – Blevins eventually moved in with her older sister and chose cheerleading instead of joining the school band.

Not that music was abandoned. Instead, she played in local bars.

I sang backup for my sister and her husband’s band. I’ve shared the stage with a lot of great artists like The Judds, who are from Kentucky, Bonnie Raitt, Patty Loveless, Martina McBride, and occasionally Sheryl Crow and Miranda Lambert. It was just fun to be up there singing with them.

While studying communications at Minnesota State Moorhead, Blevins decided to pursue music, joining Elliott Collette & the Articles and moving to Nashville. The band achieved some limited recognition, appearing on CMT and Great American Country, but couldn’t quite reach mainstream success. Eventually, Collette left the group and moved to California.

Blevins decided to remain in Nashville. A high school teacher had introduced her to the writings of C.S. Lewis, which led her to question the beliefs she’d grown up with. She realized that appearances could be deceiving, and that there was more to life than what she’d been led to believe. “Growing up, I felt pressure to fit a certain mold, but I eventually realized that much of what I’d been told wasn’t true.”

Blevins has a relaxed, effortlessly stylish look, often wearing clothes from thrift stores – like a flowing dress with a cardigan. When she shares her life story, her natural, almost makeup-free look and direct gaze create a genuine connection with anyone listening. She feels both worldly and comfortable, as if she truly belongs, even in a place like a Waffle House just off the highway in Nashville.

What struck me about “All Dressed Up” is its surprisingly comforting honesty. The artist really digs into some tough personal experiences – taking responsibility, facing pain, all of it. But it’s not a pity party. Instead, she’s genuinely trying to understand why she feels the way she does, and what makes her strong. It’s that mix of vulnerability and resilience that I think will really resonate with a lot of people, especially those of us who feel a bit lost but are still searching for something real.

From the heartbreaking title track about lost love to the defiant energy of “Below the Belt” and the classic country feel of “Lonely,” these songs are filled with vivid details and intensely honest emotions. “Tequila Mockingbird” offers a bittersweet escape from pain with its pure bluegrass sound, and “Leave It Up to Me” builds from a gentle invitation to a soaring retro-pop anthem, offering acceptance with the lines, “I would never judge, so put away your pride/A kiss won’t stop a war, but maybe it’s a start…”

Shelby Morrison, a curator at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, highlights that Jeannie Blevins isn’t afraid to be vulnerable in her music. Morrison, who oversaw the Hall’s exhibit on women in music, explains that Blevins’ songs tap into universal emotions, similar to those found in classics like Sammi Smith’s ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’ and Merrilee Rush’s ‘Angel of the Morning.’ She believes Blevins’ life experiences give her songs a genuine and earned quality.

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Before meeting Auerbach and developing a solid plan, Blevins was gaining life experience through a variety of jobs. She cleaned houses, worked at a candle shop, provided childcare, unloaded deliveries at a food terminal, and eventually worked in the kitchen of a local health food store called The Turnip Truck—and music was always playing while she worked.

You know, I’ve always admired how honest Tyler Blevins is. He says his biggest strength is that he really feels things and isn’t afraid to show it. He told me that after his grandmother passed away, he realized he’d been living in Nashville for just as long as he’d lived in Sandy Hook, and all that time, songwriting was his way of figuring out who he wanted to surround himself with and what kind of behavior he’d actually accept from people.

I recently turned 36 and have been thinking a lot about my childhood, especially growing up in a small town where everyone knew everything about everyone else. My parents always put on a happy face and tried to appear perfect, even though things at home were actually very chaotic. That pressure to always ‘smile and look presentable’ actually made me want to avoid attention.

Auerbach recognized her potency immediately.

“That voice,” he said. “And she doesn’t have to do all the tricks to make you feel it.”

The team found that Blevins’ ability to tap into raw emotion became the foundation for the song “All Dressed Up.” Auerbach explained that because she was so open and willing to share her feelings in her music, they could write very efficiently.

When Auerbach brought the songs to the studio, he gathered a remarkable group of musicians. In addition to steel guitarists Paul Franklin and Russ Pahl, and keyboardists Jim “Moose” Brown and Billy Swan (a frequent collaborator with Kris Kristofferson), he invited David Rawlings, Gillian Welch’s musical partner, to play guitar. They recorded everything live with Blevins singing, and the music was arranged to perfectly complement her voice.

We really connected as a group while working together on the floor,” Blevins explained. “But it was also an emotional experience. Seeing David Rawlings, who I’ve admired through his work with Gillian Welch, was a bit overwhelming. The same went for Paul Overstreet – I’ve been performing his song ‘When You Say Nothing at All’ since I was a teenager, partly because Keith Whitley, who wrote it, is from my hometown. Everything moved so quickly, and everyone was so kind, that I didn’t have time to worry or second-guess myself.”

The songs “Diamond in a Coal Mine” and “Hey God” reflect Leah’s personal journey and where she comes from, paying tribute to her great-grandfather, Cole Grove, through the image of a canary. Both songs are about finding inner strength and overcoming challenges. As Rock Hall’s Morrison points out, Leah has learned to trust her own instincts and pursue what she wants, maintaining a sense of hope despite difficult experiences. Ultimately, she embodies the idea that it’s better to act and learn from mistakes than to seek constant approval.

She’s currently performing in the Southern U.S. and will soon travel to the U.K. to perform as an opening act for the Black Crowes at Royal Albert Hall and the State Fayre in Chelmsford, alongside the Lumineers and Counting Crows.

She says she never imagined leaving Kentucky. She feels she’s already done a lot for the people back home, and now she’s excited about the opportunity to play with the Black Crowes – a legendary rock band from Georgia known for their unconventional lyrics. She admits it’s a strange situation, but she’s embracing the challenge.

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2026-04-16 13:32