Album Review: Shalo Lee 'Hometown Girl'

Singer-songwriter Shalo Lee’s debut album, Hometown Girl, is an emotional collection of stories that seamlessly blends Americana, Folk, and Country. Throughout the album, Lee weaves honest stories of life on the road, chasing dreams and relationships (some forever gone and some that still have hope). Hometown Girl opens with “Gasoline,” a relatable roots based tale about outgrowing the town you love, feeling the need to follow your dreams and hopefully finding the one who will sit beside you. A theme that continues with the bluesy title track, where Lee returns home telling of where she’s been and the dream she’s been chasing.

There’s a melancholy resignation to the demise of a relationship on “While You Let Me Go” where Lee expresses “If it hurts at all to say goodbye, well you never show it…. I can’t stand to hold on while you let me go,” while there’s hope for a true love long abandoned on the mandolin-accented “Waiting On You Now” a sentiment that carries over in the twangy, “Feel The Same” about maintaining a love for someone who hurt her, wondering if they did it all again if they would still feel the same.

“Song For A Lost Soul,” with its lovely piano interlude, deals with breaking through emotionally to a loved one and encourages staying strong through difficult times, while happiness shines on “Coming Home to You.” The album is rounded out with “21st Century Life” which starts as a piano ballad before turning into a mid-tempo song about leaving “stuff” behind and slowing down from this plugged in life to a place where your “soul is in reach” and Lee’s tender ode to her grandmother on “Gram’s Song” before concluding with a rocking, Celtic flared rendition of the Steve Earle classic, “Copperhead Road.”

Lee’s Hometown Girl introduces us to a woman who, while chasing her dreams, has experienced the ups and downs of life and love. It’s honest and touching and leaves you looking forward to hearing more.

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