I find this so refreshing to come from Aubrey Peeples. Her character on the show was more pop-oriented and therefore the songs on the album by her were mostly such as well. In fact, sometimes I felt like her voice didn't suit some of the songs she did on the show. This video shows a completely different side to her and, I believe, a right fit for her voice.
(I admit I started believing her character on the show to be somewhat what she really was.)
I think she had one of the most interesting story arcs on "Nashville". I think the series creator, Callie Khouri, used the character to illustrate some of the points she wanted to make about the business - emerging from a reality show, she was exploited by both Juliette Barnes and Jeff Fordham, set up for a publicity-based marriage with another singer, and later given several postponements by Rayna James, giving her the impression that her promised album release was a low priority. All of this has echoes in the real music scene.
I think the music director, Buddy Miller was building a transition for the singer from the pure Pop of her start, and her role as an opener for Juliet Barnes, into a more Roots based singer with club dates and an album pitched to a more independent audience - hence the expectations of selling in the thousands, and the label's rather on-off attitude to promotion. In the last episode, it's mentioned that the album seems to be a success - although the character already feels her life is ruined.
The character's personal life was built around three relationships, which all proved unsuitable, and ultimately disastrous, for various reasons. A side effect of this story-line was to make the character unpopular with many viewers, which probably accounts for it being dropped, when the story was transferred to a channel more likely to play to interest in the main characters. I think Callie Khouri (and the real Nashville Mayor, who invested to save the show) had to make sacrifices in the story arc to let it continue - though I would have liked to see this particular strand go on.
But, in any case, Aubrey Peeples herself strikes me as a strong talent. In this Opry performance she tackles "Lost Highway" - certainly one of the most (and arguably
the most), iconic song for traditional Country enthusiasts. Written in the 1940s by Leon Payne, a blind Texan singer, it became famous in a signature version by Hank Williams, which was influential on people like Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt (and ultimately, the Rolling Stones themselves). Again, it's quite a brave song for a young singer to tackle - and I like the way she blends a faithfulness to the lyrics, with updated touches in the vocal phrasing and music.
