Taylor Hunnicutt , Ethan Mills and The Low Downs

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, a little Americana, and a lot of soulful southern rock," says Hunnicutt, an opera-trained vocalist who began writing songs after dropping out of music school, landing a waitressing job at a blues juke joint, and sitting in with the bands that came through town. She's no longer the guest artist, though — she's the main act, and Alabama Sound showcases her high-energy, hellraising brand of southern stomp, country-rock twang, and amplified attitude.