Step aside Taylor Swift, Lucy Hale—a southern girl born and raised—knows country. This fierce new talent is ready to shine bright among the other country stars. This Pretty Little Liar knocks her first album “Road Between” out of the park with hits–in–the–making like “You Sound Good To Me” and “Red Dress,” by keeping her tone fresh and her lyrics sweet and relatable. The album includes your typical boot-scootin’ songs as well as those slow ones you want to just listen to while curled up in front of a roaring fire. Lucy hits all the right notes with her sweet Tennessee twang, banjo backup, and lyrical harmonies, which appear in nearly every song. Never heard of her? Quite alright, because if you’re an avid country music admirer and totally dig the likes of Miranda Lambert and Faith Hill, you will soon. Lucy’s debut album proves to be a great success and shows off how hard she worked to stick true to her southern roots through her down–home lyrics. Give it a chance. Not everyone can belt out a solid tune anymore nowadays, but this one sure can.
Grade: A-
Download: “Road Between” or “You Sound Good To Me”
Sounds best when: sitting by a bonfire with friends and drinking Fireball out of plastic cups