Nashville-based Americana artist Rooster Blackspur drops Nashville (The Cinderella Sessions)

 

ABOUT Rooster Blackspur
Rooster Blackspur, an award-winning singer-songwriter known for her raw, evocative voice and powerful storytelling, has never been one to follow the conventional path.
Having made a name for herself in New Mexico, Rooster has now embraced a bold new chapter in Nashville, Tennessee, with her new album The Cinderella Sessions.
This 7-song collection captures the essence of her musical evolution while introducing a fresh, Nashville-inspired sound.

Recorded at the legendary Cinderella Sound Studio, The Cinderella Sessions marks Rooster's first full-length project in Music City - a place she believes offers her the best chance at fully expressing her songs.

Reflecting on the album’s title, Rooster says, “This record is a moment in time and that moment was captured at one of Nashville's oldest working recording studios called Cinderella Sound Studio.

I wanted to pay tribute to my time inside those iconic walls, as well as acknowledge my first time ever making a record in Nashville." The album’s title, The Cinderella Sessions, feels fitting not only as a nod to the historic studio but also as a symbol of her transformative journey from the expansive, rugged terrain of New Mexico to the heart of Nashville’s vibrant music scene.
 
This transition didn’t happen by chance. According to Rooster, "Looking back it was fate. Someone came up to me and said 'I think you need to go to Nashville,' and the long and short of it is they paid for my studio time, and all I had to do was make my way to Nashville. Everyone says 'I have a friend with a studio' but this person happened to be friends with the owners of Cinderella Sound Studio. It was a life-changing experience.” Rooster’s arrival in Nashville set the stage for what would become a monumental step in her musical career.
 
When it comes to the songwriting process, Rooster embraces authenticity and raw emotion, and her lyrics consistently reflect this commitment to living from the heart. As she explains, “My songwriting has always reflected what it feels like to be a person who lives from the heart. These songs belong together for many reasons as they speak to beginnings and to endings. If the listener will let it, this album will speak to the journey of life, and how our heart is our one true companion when everything and everyone else has fallen away.”
Rooster’s collaboration with Nashville’s finest musicians was integral to the album’s sound. The record features an exceptional group of musicians, including Charlie McCoy, a Country Music Hall of Fame member and Nashville legend on harmonica, bass, and vibraphone, Bill Cooley, a renowned guitar virtuoso who has toured with legends like Reba McEntire and Merle Haggard, and Steve Hinson, whose pedal steel work has graced recordings from George Jones to Dolly Parton.

But perhaps the most significant contribution came from Sammy Mann, Rooster’s longtime drummer. "Sammy Mann has been my drummer for almost two years, and the two of us together create the core sound of Rooster Blackspur," Rooster says. "To call Sammy a drummer doesn't feel like enough of a description as he is an amalgamation of a gamut of unconventional musical influences, a lifelong dedication to his craft, and an intuitive sense that weaves as much as it leads the other band members around the emotion of the music. You can hear some of his craft on this album, and you will see he is not just 'keeping time,’ but keeping the spirit of the song expressed."
 
Rooster Blackspur - Nashville (The Cinderella Sessions) 7 songs, 26:58
Released originally digitally on 20 Aug 2024 APPLE MUSIC
 

Top Tracks: The Way, Hard Road, Big Dipper
1. Kicking Up Dust 2:56  written by Naomi R Hooley

2. Hard Road 3:39 written by Naomi R Hooley
3. The Way 4:23  written by Naomi R Hooley
4. Lonely Angels 3:47  written by Naomi R Hooley
5. Leaving New Mexico written by Naomi R Hooley
6. I Saw You 4:28  written by Naomi R Hooley
7. Big Dipper 4:04  written by Naomi R Hooley (originally released Jan 2021)
 
****   USE the Playlist play control 2nd left from top of the screen to see the playlisted..tracks and select one to play from the drop down menu  ***  👇

 
The Cinderella Sessions is more than just a collection of songs, it's a statement of who Rooster Blackspur is as an artist and a person. “New Mexico will always have a piece of my heart, it shaped me in ways I could have never imagined,” she says. “But it’s time to find band members who want to
support this music and see it reach higher, and it’s time to have a chapter of life in the land of songwriters."
With her new album, Rooster invites listeners to join her on this next leg of the journey, and she hopes the record will resonate with anyone who has ever made a leap into the unknown: "I hope this record can be an introduction to who I am as a songwriter and performer as I head off to Nashville. I also hope it resounds in the lives of my fans and people following my music."
In The Cinderella Sessions, Rooster Blackspur shares not just her music, but adeeply personal chapter in her life: a record that captures the heart of a woman unafraid to take risks and follow her heart, wherever it may lead.
 
Blackspur has taken a chance on heading away from New Mexico and hitting the tough streets of Nashville, but she’s brought in some top-notch players (Charlie McCoy, Steve Hinson) to add to her trusted sidekick Sammy Mann to bring these recordings to fruition – the release is very much an introduction to her songs and style and as such, it does and excellent job – worth checking out if Lucinda Williams and the like are your cup of tea. - The Rocking Magpie (Positive Review)
 
CONNECT with Rooster Blackspur: