Album Review: Rainey Qualley 'Turn Down The Lights'

Courtesy Splash PR

North Carolina’s Rainey Qualley moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting, but quickly embraced her desire to entertain. Recently, Qualley was named the flagship artist for new label, Cingle Records and the young singer-songwriter is preparing to release her debut project, Turn Down The Lights on June 2nd.

The title of the record aptly reflects its themes: love, romance and relationships. Turn Down The Lights contains seven songs including the twangy “Turn Me On Like The Radio,” which was added as a "Highway Find” on SiriusXM’s The Highway and rose to #17 on their countdown. With its undeniably catchy chorus, "Me and Johnny Cash,” [which will be her debut single], is a sing along ready, country rocker about forgetting the old flame who scorned her. “Burning up some old love letters tonight/Goodbye lies, goodbye blue, life’s too short to be missing you…..Gettin’ rid of you one batch at a time/Me and Johnny Cash and a bottle of wine.”

“Watered Down” balances a soaring chorus with the urgency of the banjo--perfectly complimenting the sentiments of the lyrics and Qualley’s delivery of them. She’s ready for love, but a handful….and she’s not going to change. “Take me strong/Don’t take me watered down/So much of me you’re gonna wanna drown….You better run if you have any doubts.” Things slow down on the romantic mid-tempo “Cool Wild Whatever” and on the fiddle infused “Dead and Gone,” dealing with growing up and the choices one has to make. The album concludes with the beautiful ballad, “Never Mine,” with Qualley’s vocals conveying that ache of wanting to tell someone how you feel, but knowing you would never be more than friends.

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