Southern Belle Raisin' Hell

A scan of her lyrics might suggest otherwise, but Willow Avalon first found her love for music while performing at the local Baptist church in her small Georgia hometown—hardly a natural habitat for hell-raisers of any kind. Instead, you hear that church choir influence in her voice, which splits the difference between Lainey Wilson’s warbling twang and Lana Del Rey’s dusky croon. Flourishes of soulful Southern gospel find their way, often sneakily, into most tracks on this debut album from Avalon, like the Parton-checking “Hey There, Dolly” with its down-home harmonies, and the feisty, quick-fire verses of the vice-laden “Something We Regret.” Lyrically, religious imagery tends more toward fire and brimstone, like on “Damned,” where Avalon likens a situationship to purgatory. Avalon is as confident and capable a songwriter as she is a vocalist, and this first full-length project from the young country up-and-comer is unusually assured. The more she raises hell, it seems, the higher her star rises.

Country artist Willow Avalon's bluntness adds to her credibility. She's funny and entertaining, and her feistiness highlights her honesty.