They say the stage lights in the Grand Ole Opry never go out and that’s why country music attracts so many aspiring artists. The more cynical amongst you might even say that moths are forever drawn to the flames of fame anyway and Sasha McVeigh’s emigration from dear old Blighty to Nashville was therefore nothing less than inevitable.
Certainly her album “I Stand Alone” is all that a modern country music album should be. It’s slickly produced, politely performed and full of the kind of songs that will sound as good in a pickup truck as they would in a Cadillac SUV. Purists will also note that, as with so many country albums these days, the standard sonic accoutrements of good ole boy music are relegated to a seasoning role rather than being the key ingredients with “I Stand Alone” featuring, of all things, a guitar solo!
However, there is no doubt that Sasha McVeigh is a surefooted performer as comfortable with a ballad like “You Only Live Once” as she is with a girls night out anthem like the roughed up rock of “Hot Mess” or, indeed, the sultry frankness of “No Strings Attached Romance” and although “Time Of My Life” is the most traditional, to the point of being genteel, sounding song here, it can be considered something of an anomaly in the musical journey of this modern girl.
She’s polished up and her course is set for Nashville. She’s Sasha McVeigh.