‘This is who I am:’ Country star Shawna Thompson returns to her Alabama roots

Shawna Thompson has described "Lean on Neon," her heartfelt callback to the classic country sounds that inspired her, as the album she wanted to make since she moved to Nashville at 18, and that says something powerful about how hard it can be even for an accomplished country star to circle back.

The music itself is a delight. Contemporary mainstream country artists love to namecheck their precursors, but it's usually within state-of-the-art exurban contemporary pop. Thompson doesn't just pay lip service: The arrangements and vocals on these songs clearly draw on sounds and sensibilities that defined country music from the late '60s through the '70s. There are vocals, notably on "Yes Ma'am" and "The Doctor's Always In," that cut through with a sass and force reminiscent of Loretta Lynn. There's a wealth of pedal steel. The title track gives you a kind of classic barroom country piano roll that you haven't heard in so long you might've forgotten about it. "Bama Clay" opens with a pristine harmony between Thompson, Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs.