Taylor Hunnicutt makes old-school southern music for the modern world. She's a proud daughter of Alabama, writing songs that nod to the state's tradition of country storytelling, rock 'n' roll rebellion, and guitar-driven grit. Sharpened by a touring schedule that's kept her on the road for roughly 200 days a year, she makes her full-length debut with Alabama Sound — an album that unfolds like a love letter to the American South, written by a road warrior who's spent most of the decade far away from home.

 

"It's a little country, a little singer/songwriter, and a little Americana," she says of the album, which she recorded with her touring band during short breaks from the road. "There's a whole lot of soul and southern rock, too. To me, that sound encompasses my home. It's not one genre — it's just Alabama."

 

Years before she shared shows with fellow genre-benders like Muscadine Bloodline and Red Clay Strays, Hunnicutt grew up in Marengo County. Her mother filled the family home with '90s country songs, and Hunnicutt discovered her own musical gifts at a young age. She sang in the school choir and strummed chords on an acoustic guitar gifted to her at 17 years old. After graduation, she moved north to Birmingham, where she briefly attended college on an opera scholarship.

 

"I didn't cut it in college," she admits. "There were too many rules." Instead, Hunnicutt headed to Birmingham and landed a gig waiting tables at a blues juke joint. It was there that Hunnicutt paid her dues, often sitting in with the bands who'd blow through town, developing the powerful, raspy-throated vocal chops that would transform her into one of the state's proudest exports. She expanded her musical tastes, too, falling deeper in love not only with songwriters like John Prine, but also with classic rock frontmen like Bad Company's Paul Rogers, The Faces' Rod Stewart, and Humble Pie's Steve Marriott.