Ever wondered what Jennifer Nettles would sound like if she performed traditional country? Or Gretchen Wilson with more emotive, expressive vocals? Ladies and gentlemen, meet Ashton Shepherd. She’s got a cold beer in her left hand, and in her right, her wedding band. She’s sick of doing laundry and being ignored by her man, even when she’s looking sexy. And she’s smart enough to know that “I’m the only one that can set myself free.” I’m used to being disappointed by new female artists, but I’m going to get my hopes up anyway. This is just the kind of fresh blood country music needs.
Grade: A
Listen: Takin’ Off This Pain
your review is perfect. the first line sounds exactly like gretchen wilson as do the lyrics to some extent, although the rest of the song has the kind of twang that jennifer nettles has to her voice. great song!
awesome review kevin, your description of her vocal was spot on!
She is awesome! Her voice is amazing!
It goes, “I’ve got a cold beer in my right hand, in my left I got my wedding band…” etc. Quite a proclamation for quite the debut.
Solid Country tone in her voice. I love it. I can’t wait to hear more!!!!!!!
When you see Ashton perform live you’ll see that her “twang” is as real as it comes across. She lives it, loves it, sings EVERYTHING from the heart, and it is a heart of gold!
I LOVE THIS SONG!!! I first heard it on Sirius Satelite radio and have been trying to find it ever since!!!! Keep playin it! Can’t wait to hear more from her!!!!!
i,d like to say she sounds as great as..but she sounds as great as she does!!!!!
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES … finally!!!…. attitude, looks, talent… sounds great
I know ashton personally and i love her voice everytime i go to her “pickin shed” i have to ask her to sing for me, she has a great personality and she loves music. i love her to death.
I too personally know Ashton and have been listening to her sing since she was 4 years old…she has a excellent voice…and Can write songs like a pro…check out her myspace at http://www.myspace.com/ashtonshepherd
WOW! how can she sound even better at the Opry? what more is coming with her album release? Thank god for pure roots and real country. She,s so real
Ashton blew everyone away at the Opry!!! She is so talented and AMAZING!! I will be first in line to buy her album in February!
Mike Anderson in Maine, I,ve sang and played country and rock old and new. Hank WillIAMS TO ZZ TOP.. i like the old country the best. Somehow Ashton has put the heart of the old and the new and blended everything with her heart to put out a sound that is the type of stuff that gives you shivers!!! IT IS A STYLE … A DISTINCTIVE STYLE!!!!!! AMAZING STUFF!!!
you are great. we love ur music.. cant wait 2 c u again!!
Saw Ashton at the Opry the night they asked josh turner to be a member……and she absolutely blew me–and the entire building away. The review got it exactly right. You HOPE a new artist will be worth the wait and HOPE that a new artist will enjoy the success they deserve. I eagerly await the release of the album. She is something else…..WOW!!
For me, that lady’s voice puts the awe into awesome! She is the Real Thing, and that song is a strong piece of writing too.
(My only worry is that she’s signed a contract with a major recording company – great for her if that’s what she wants, of course – but I can’t help wondering if she might have done better with an Independent label. I hope they leave her a free hand with style and repertoire and don’t try to steer her towards more mainstream radio material)
love ashton to death …roland is a lucky man to be so fortunate to have such a great wife and mother to his son. i have been to the pickin’ shed before and heard her sing live..hell ive played with her. she is as real and as down home as you can imagine. can not wait for the album to come out so i can finally have all the songs on one cd. adam if you are reading this your a homo and i will see you and murray sometime soon at the pickin shed. good luck ashton and can’t wait to play with you again
If this song doesn’t become a hit and Ashton a bright new star, something is wrong. I saw her live recently, and her voice and presence were absolutely top-shelf. And translated well to record, I might add.
Unlike most artists that do it for the money and the fame; Ashton does it because she loves it. I told her about a year ago when we were talking about everything that was going on that people would be saying “Gretchen who?” I don’t think that she believed me, but I think it is going to happen. I talked to her husband Roland today, and they are the exact same people as they were before the record deal. The only thing that is changed is now when you wanna go to the “pickin’ shed” to have a beer with them you have to check and make sure they aren’t in Nashville. The coolest thing that most of her fans will never see is her son James sitting on the pool table in the “pickin’ shed” and how he suddenly starts dancing as soon as his mom starts singing. Ashton, Roland, your the best, and I will see you in a week or so. Good luck and keep it up.
Great voice! Love the song! I heard it for the first time last week on Sirius Satelite Radio. I’ve since been listening out on local stations (Macon, GA) with no luck. Wish we could hear more of her and her music. Would love to see her play live somewhere close. Keep it up!
Ashton will explode very quickly ! Shes is true talent, real and will take the world by surprise!! comments on many blogs say another Gretchen, but i don,t hear that. everyone thinks she sounds like Gretchen, but shes more than that. Gretchen like or not ,shes impressive to anyone i expose her songs too! incredible.
I think the lyrics are pretty good and I enjoy listening to the song, but she’s a little pitchy in some notes. Even though the song is enjoyable, I doubt it will go very far because now-a-days it seems very hard for a female artist too break through onto the country music scene like Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood did.
I have to disagree with Jerry. I think Ashton is a breath of fresh air for country music. She doesn’t fit into the mold of “pop” country like Carrie and Taylor do. She sets herself very much apart from them. Her songwriting style and voice reminds me more of “traditional” country music and I think people will positively be drawn to that. She isn’t your pop country of today, she takes it back to the roots of what country used to be and I think people will really dig her album because of this difference. I know I personally can’t wait to buy it! I think Ashton has a very bright future ahead of her!
great they need to play it on the radio more
Ashton is getting much more airplay since she broke threw the charts and on to mainstream radio in New England. the timing by her label is amazing ,and the explosion will be in sinc with her album release!!! what a story, what a talent !!
I really love this song and am excited for the album. I listened to the songs on her myspace page and like them, but I especially love “I Ain’t Dead Yet”….long live real country!
Pretty good hooks in the songs I’ve heard. Some cliché’s but they fit the tunes. You know her lyrical style is rather reminiscent of early Loretta Lynn. Pretty fresh. And for the cat that downed her because of being “pitchy”; Jagger, Dylan, Willy, Cash, (especially when singing with June) and to some degree Tyler made several million seller records that had “pitchy” vocals and guitars. Kind of refreshing compared to most of the sanitized, pitch corrected, over compressed masters that get released out of Nashville.
http://www.umgnashville.com/artist/default.aspx?aid=207
you can listen to her others songs on this website.
I have been listening to her Album for the past few days and it is incredible. I am very impressed with it! I really love Whiskey Won the Battle. Ashton is so Talented.
I really like this song a lot!
I think this song is amazin
This girl rocks! I saw her live in Virginia last weekend and she was incredible. I will be buying her Album for sure.
I havnt seen her live like all yall but i loe her on the radio, and she sounds and looks like a star. May god bless her on her road to fame.
i mean love my bad.
oh and jerry i bet she sings a heck of alot better than you so dont be so critical.
I’ll probably get bashed for this but you must realize that’s what opinions are for, to express the,, I let everyone else have theirs so let me voice my own & if you don’t like it I’m sorry, I’m not trying to change your mind so don’t try to change mine.
The song is good, she has a good voice but I think she over does it in the twang department. I think the song would great if she didn’t over emphasize the twang and kept it more tasteful but it’s almost too much to where it gets annoying.
I Love This Girl!!!! She is so real and her voice is awesome!!! I had a chance to listen to the whole album and I have to say, it’s the best country album I have heard in a very long time. Keep it real Ashton! You rock girl.
I just picked up her CD today – it’s quite decent. She has an authentically country voice, second only to Amber Digby among the younger crop of singers, and some of the songs are quite good. I didn’t care for the uptempo songs (too much drums, not enough steel guitar) but, like George Jones, on the slow to medium tempo songs she is quite excellent . I’d give this CD 4 or 4.5 stars
your song is exactly what i am going thru right now
Sounds good darlin!! Keep it up!
this sondg rocks and i love it it rocks
Well ,remember i said Ashton will explode with the release of her album? i love saying i told you so! i think touring with Sugarland and aKelly pickler is somewhere near sucessful. Shes awsome and she will be inducted to Grande ole opry. Watch her and listen closely. There is a superstar out and about! told you so! lol!Ash stay safe! see you on facebook!!!??