The new CD from Alecia Nugent, Hillbilly Goddess, officially hit yesterday (5/12) on Rounder Records.

To mark its release, they have put together a contest with prizes that echo the theme of the title track, with the winner receiving logo merchandise (hats, t-shirts, key chains, glassware) from Rounder, John Deer, Smith & Wesson and Alecia herself.

The song is a clever, witty number written by Nugent along with Sonya Kelly and project producer Carl Jackson – a tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecating look at what it means to earn the HG honorific.

Hillbilly Goddess  -  Listen now:   

It’s a fun romp (with JD Crowe on banjo) which seems destined to be a radio favorite. Let’s hope Rounder has a music video planned for this track.

To enter the contest, just listen to the whole track on Alecia’s site and let them know why your significant other is the ultimate Hillbilly Goddess.

There is a great deal to admire about this album. It is a great example of how much can go right with a new recording when a group of extremely talented people are involved at multiple levels. Jackson has produced two previous albums for Nugent, both stellar works, and this one is no different. The audio fidelity is brilliant and the backing musicians superb.

Every song is a gem and Alecia sings with authority, passion and grace. The production and arrangements (as per other Carl Jackson-related releases) owe much to the way modern country music is recorded. For instance, there are two acoustic guitar tracks on almost every song (Tim Stafford and Andy Falco) and subtle percussion is also found throughout. (more…)

Alecia Nugent’s next CD, Hillbilly Goddess, isn’t due for release until May 12, but it has already generated something of a buzz in the music world. Early reviews and response from radio have been solidly positive, and both Rounder Records and producer Carl Jackson have high expectations for this project.

I’ve listened to the CD a number of times, enjoying it tremendously, and agree that Hillbilly Goddess – both the song and the album – could be a breakout for Alecia after two previous popular releases on Rounder.

With the street date looming, a video preview has been created, featuring snippets from interviews with both Nugent and Jackson, a live radio show with Dave Higgs, and plenty of samples of music from the CD.

On January 2 we advised you of a delay to the release of Hillbilly Goddess, the forthcoming CD from stunning vocalist Alecia Nugent.

Recently we have learned that the release has now been postponed until May 12.

To further whet the appetite, Rounder records, Nugent’s label, has provided some additional information about the album.

Hillbilly Goddess includes a classic-sounding heartbreaker entitled The Writing’s All Over The Wall, and, as before, Nugent proves she can rip through an up-tempo bluegrass romp with ease ‚Äì the feisty-female Wrecking The Train and the tongue-in-cheek Cryin’ All the Way To The Bank being two prime examples. However, Hillbilly Goddess does plow some new ground as well, with songs that have lyrics with more poetry, complexity and depth than ever before, particularly in the ballads Wishin’ Hard, Already Home and the delicately lovely Don’t Tell Me. Ms Nugent also emerges as a songwriter on this album. In addition to her autobiographical Nugent Family Band, co-written with Dixie and Tom T. Hall, she was inspired to write the wry Hillbilly Goddess title tune with Carl Jackson and Sonya Kelly.

The first single from the album, Cryin’ All the Way To The Bank, is currently holding down the #3 most played position on Sirius XM’s Bluegrass Junction channel for January.

On October 31 of last year, we mentioned that the forthcoming Alecia Nugent album, Hillbilly Goddess, on Rounder Records, was to be released on January 13, 2009.

Rounder has pushed that release date back to March 24, 2009, and chosen revised artwork for the cover.

The full track listing is now available:

1. Wreckin’ The Train
2. Don’t Tell Me
3. Hillbilly Goddess
4. Just Another Alice
5. The Last Greyhound
6. Cryin’ All The Way To The Bank
7. Dyin’ To Hold Her Again
8. Nugent Family Band
9. Wishin’ Hard
10. The Writing’s All Over The Wall (with Bradley Walker)
11. Already Home

Our earlier post included an interview with Alecia, where she discussed the origins of several songs from the new CD. You can read it here on The Bluegrass Blog.