Rachel Allyn delivers an honest album with Next Years Girl. It’s full of twang, rock n roll and truth. Some songs reflect her thoughts on current events affecting entertainers, females in general. It also talks about the pull of Nashville. Three of the songs on the album showcase this very well, the songs “Next Year’s Girl” “After All (The Bird Song)” and “No Second Chances (Tennessee).”
“After All (The Bird Song)” is a song about a bird who has lost it’s ability to sing, something Allyn can relate to as in 2013 she struggled with vocal problems. The song “Going Through the Motions” was written in response to Kacey Musgraves’ “It Is What It Is.” “No Second Chances (Tennessee)” is about how Nashville is a curse and a blessing.
Tennessee / Won’t you let me be / With your city of broken promises and unfulfilled dreams / Why should I come back now / After you tore me down / Don’t you think I learned my lesson the first time around / No second chances, Music City.
Allyn wrote 6 of the 7 songs on the album, with the 7th song “For What It’s Worth” is a cover of the song by Buffalo Springfield. Allyn who is a graduate of Belmont University in Nashville is based out of her home state of New Jersey. Her songwriting is strong and insightful, with a sound that’s unique for her generation.
There are also a few love songs on the album such as “Crash Hard” and “Perfect.” The album is a perfect mix of empowerment and romance. Allyn’s songs have a unique sound to them, they are a cross between country and the sound of decades gone by. The album is diverse, and stands on the line of vintage music, rock and country music.
“Next Year’s Girl” is the stand out song on the album; it is all about girl empowerment. It was written as a response to “This Year’s Girl” by Elvis Costello. The song talks about things that female performers face in today’s world. How they are forced into situations where they think they have to take their clothes off, or post certain pictures or put down other females.
It doesn’t have to be this way / We don’t have to cut each other down / We don’t have to take off our clothes / To be the talk of the town / We need to build each other up / There’s plenty of room for us at the top / But next year’s girl’s got a gun for hire / And this year’s girl’s in the line of fire.
Next Year’s Girl is available on most online retailers!
LISTEN TO RACHEL ALLYN’S NEXT YEAR’S GIRL