If you had been paying attention to the lineup of The Highwomen when they burst onto the scene in 2019, you might just have caught an ear for the name of Natalie Hemby, who was one of the four members of the so-called supergroup; that was not because she wasn’t up to the standard of the other members, co-creators Amanda Shires and Brandi Carlile, and country superstar Maren Morris. No, it was probably because Hemby was not used to the high profile that the others were used to, had never really projected herself as an upfront singer, and she appeared to be a little more reserved onstage than the other three.
And you very well be familiar with The Highwomen album, especially as Hemby is the more prominent of the artists on the front cover, and she co-wrote four of the best songs on the album, notably two of them, Crowded Table and My Only Child (about her experience of having only one child, Sammie Jo). And herein lies the mystery of why Natalie Hemby is not a superstar like the others. She has hidden her light under a bushel by being behind all the great country and americana singers of the last twenty or so years, partly as a harmony or background vocalist on any number of songs, but more importantly as a songwriter, probably the equal of either Brandy Clark or Lori McKenna, providing songs which have won awards on occasions, most notably for I’ll Never Love Again for the A Star Is Born soundtrack.
Her songwriting success was born out of living in Nashville since a very early age (though she was born in Bloomington, Illinois), and her mother’s immersion in the music business as long-time assistant to Amy Grant (now married to country royalty Vince Gill). Her songwriting skills were noticed very early in her teens, and she had a songwriting contract at the age of nineteen, and although she wanted a recording contract, label shake-ups and companies folding denied her that opportunity. In all the years of songwriting, Hemby has never been afraid to share the credits; the vast majority of her songs are co-writes, often when she has provided the idea or inspiration behind them.
She spent summers in Puxico, Missouri, at the home of her grandfather, and this provided the inspiration for her debut album Puxico (2017), inspired by the annual homecoming event that took place in the town; the album tracked a documentary that was made about the event. So, contrary to the albums that erstwhile songwriters debuted with great fanfare (Chris Stapleton’s was a good example), Hemby’s was a low-key affair, without artifice, modestly profiled on release, and was surely not an album to trouble the statisticians with huge sales. It was nevertheless a very, very good, somewhat traditional country album, clearly a labour of love for Hemby, and those that reviewed it praised it highly, comparing it favourably with albums by McKenna, Margo Price and Kacey Musgraves (for whom Hemby has written a number of songs, including three on the wondrous Golden Hour).
Cairo, ILis a lovely song about a dying town, while Worn is an encouragement to value old things even if they are not perfect. The whole album is a delight, with husband Mike Wrucke producing and supplying the arrangements and most of the instrumentation; in demand Fred Eltringham is on drums and superstar musician Greg Leisz overlays pedal steel throughout.
The success of The Highwomen led Hemby on to her sophomore album, Pins and Needles in 2021, an album that she probably wanted to make when she started out but, due to the ups and downs and unpredictability of the Nashvile music industry, was sidelined and left her as an in-demand songwriter instead; this was a career direction that proved to be successful, not only for her as the writer but for the artists she wrote songs for, specifically Miranda Lambert, who must surely credit Hemby for so much of her success, and including Musgaraves (as noted) Little Big Town, Justin Moore, Kelly Clarkson and Sheryl Crow.
The album is very different from Puxico, lyrics masterfully written as you would expect, with some outstanding tracks that repay repeated listens, as, due to Hemby’s lower-key approach they may be underappreciated at first. The album is more polished than Puxico, with a tendency towards the more country-pop of Musgraves; produced by husband Wrucke, it has star guest turns from Leisz and keyboardist Chuck Leavell. The highlights are the title track, New Madrid, and the Daniel Tashian co-write, Radio Silence.
If you think Hemby is just one-fourth of The Highwomen (or one fifth if you include the almost ever-present Yola), take a listen to her two albums and hope for more. Or seek out the writer credits on any number of albums and enjoy her wonderful lyricism.
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