Ali Sperry

Ali Sperry, when faced with a year of trauma, racial reckoning, and downright worldwide existential crisis, did what she has always done — turned inward and wrote songs that channeled, mirrored and ultimately DISTILLED those cultural currents — distilled is the operative word, here, as she and her producer, Jamie Dick, wisely avoid long-form folk indulgence for streamlined contours and razor hooks that feel more rock/pop than folk, and are fairly begging for a decent car stereo and an open road.

Ali, in her singing and writing, is the people’s champ of the “less is more" ethos. There is a slight echo of Laurel Canyon in the sonics of the record, and, always, the confident under-singing of a woman who knows her words and melodies will happily do the heavy lifting.

She and Jamie have brought in an absolute murderers' row of beloved Nashville players, including Jen Gunderman, Audley Freed, Sadler Vaden, Joe Pisapia, Owen Biddle, Kai Welch, Kristin Weber, Rich Hinman, and a slew of other bright lights. It's a testament to both their instincts and their respect for Sperry’s presence and voice, that it never feels like a cavalcade of assembled star-turns, but a real love-in of massively talented musical souls.

Jamie Dick’s production artfully maintains the connective tissue from song to song, and always gives pride of place to Sperry’s voice and truth telling. Sperry is such a beloved presence around Nashville -co-writing, teaching yoga or lending a listening ear to friends in high-end coffee shops or low-end dives … who knows how much the world will be able to get her away for extended touring…..we can hope. Nevertheless, this is a record that should quietly find its way into a lot of needy hearts.

“One young Nashville singer is taking a big step toward distinguishing herself in the enormous pool of talent living and making music there. Ali Sperry, a modest young singer/songwriter with a personality that comes over with sweet earnestness in such a competitive world, has an ambition. That goal is to reach listeners by creating lyrics and melodies, with effective production values, that will resonate with listeners in powerful but varied ways. She succeeds in her newly released second album, “Crooked Feelings.” ”--Ron Wray, No Depression

"As the presence of 70s jangle amongst the would-be modern singer-songwriter grows more and more prevalent, Nashville’s Ali Sperry has chosen to go the way of the Collins, Guthrie, and Denny. Rather than join the jangle-fray, Sperry chose instead to revisit that lost age of genre-medling magnificence on her upcoming LP Crooked Feelings. Its airy and open, but not so nebulous that Sperry’s musical and lyrical intentions become indeterminate and lazily referred to as “singer-songwriter” fodder."--Sean McHugh, Lockeland Springsteen

"Ms. Sperry's vocals take the center stage throughout, with a warm Karen Carpenter-esquepurity. Its familiar and inviting."--Beverly Napalm, The Noise