Miranda Lambert Songwriter Natalie Hemby Readies Debut Album

For over a decade, songwriter Natalie Hemby has been an omnipresent force behind some of Nashville’s most treasured tunes: she’s the motor in Little Big Town’s “Pontoon,” the conveyer belt driving Miranda Lambert’s “Baggage Claim,” the bartender behind Toby Keith’s “Drinks After Work.” Now she’s set to finally debut her own solo LP with Puxico, a collection of nine sonic stories inspired by the minuscule Missouri town her grandfather calls home. Due January 13th, Hemby will release Puxico through GetWrucke Productions, a joint venture with her husband and producer Mike Wrucke.

Centered around vivid narrative songwriting and a lush, acoustic backbone, Puxico is an emotive ode to hometowns and homecomings; an exploration of roots through, appropriately, a roots-music palette. Hemby co-wrote all of the songs at the same time she produced a feature documentary also named Puxico. The film is devoted to her grandfather, George Hemby, and the place that helped to breed her love for music and the stories that emanate from the world’s most seemingly ordinary, unassuming corridors.

Puxico is the latest in a string of releases from Nashville’s songwriting community that have helped to take Chris Stapleton, Brandy Clark and Lori McKenna from the writing room to center stage. Though Hemby arrived on Music Row to pursue a career as a solo artist, this is her first venture under her own name – while other performers like Lambert have taken six of her songs to the top of the charts and numerous others as singles and album cuts.

Puxico might be her spiritual hometown, but Puxico the album was recorded in Hemby’s real hometown of Nashville, and will be released January 13th, 2017.