Nashville Canyon, Pt. 1

The inspiration for *Nashville Canyon, Pt. 1* struck the former Y2K-pop It Girl while celebrating her daughter Maxwell’s birthday in Music City: Instead of “Happy Birthday,” the 11-year-old requested that her mom sing Hank Williams’ “I Saw the Light,” and something clicked. The 44-year-old musician relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville shortly after, where she branched out from the label-driven pop formulas of her past hits. Instead, she embraced Americana for her first record of original material since 2008’s *Do You Know*. From the steamy roots rock of “Sunday Lover” to bluesy breakup anthem “Blame Me,” Simpson sounds grittier—and freer—than ever. You might consider the chorus of “Breadcrumbs” as something of a thesis statement: “Remember who you are/Forget who they told you to be.”