Alecia Nugent never planned on taking a lengthy hiatus from music. After releasing three albums on Rounder Records, with her last, Hillbilly Goddess, released in 2009, the Louisiana native took some time away to be with her daughters in the midst of a divorce, planning to return within a few years. But when he father was diagnosed with lung cancer, Alecia knew she needed to stay and be with him. His legacy ultimately inspired “They Don’t Make ‘em Like My Daddy Anymore,” one of the stand-out tracks on her new record, The Old Side of Town.
“I first started off basically with knowing that I needed to do a tribute to my dad,” Alecia told Everything Nash. “So that was the first song that came into place for the album. That was Carl Jackson who produced my first three records. We wrote the song together. I actually didn’t know at that time who was going to be producing my album. Soon after that, I decided to call Keith Stegall, to see if he would be interested, and he was.”
“They Don’t Make ’em Like My Daddy Anymore” is very personal about Alecia’s own father, which she admits still makes it a challenge to perform live. The video also honors her late father, as a lasting tribute to the man who influenced so much of her life, and her love of music.
‘It still gets to me,” Alecia acknowledged “It took a couple of takes when we were doing the video,” Alecia recalled. “Sometimes we become a little complacent in singing and delivering a song, that sometimes we forget what we’re singing. It is hard at times, but it’s also some sweet memories, so it’s happy times. It feels good at the same time.”
When Alecia’s father passed away in 2013, she admits she wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to sing again.
“He was my biggest mentor,” Alecia shared. “For awhile I said I’d probably never sing again. I just didn’t feel like I could do it without him. He’s been by my side for so many years growing up, either at church or at the bluegrass festivals with him. I always felt like I got my love of music from him, so losing him made me lose the desire to sing.”
Alecia decided to return to Nashville, and to music, in 2017, personally finding or writing all the songs on The Old Side of Town. The record marks her first return to music in more than a decade, and a shift from bluegrass music to a more country sound.
“I’d say I’m both excited and nervous.,” Alecia said of releasing The Old Side of Town. “I’m excited because I haven’t had music out in so long, and it feels so good to be able to put out something new again, but I’m also nervous because it’s a decade later. The music industry has changed so much, and the way people receive their music has changed so much … I’m nervous too, that people won’t receive me the way that they used to, especially doing a country record.
“When my fan base has been bluegrass for so long, the bluegrass fan base doesn’t like crossing genres usually,” she added. “I’m hoping that the fans that have followed me because my music has always had a country flavor, I’m just hoping that they will continue to support me. I’m hoping that we can just get back out there and start playing some shows.”
Purchase The Old Side of Town at AleciaNugent.com.