Longtime fans of Lainey Wilson may have noticed that Whirlwind sounds different than her previous releases. Sure, she’s matured as an artist and the overall musical landscape has shifted since she recorded Bell Bottom Country but it’s more than that. The arrangements and instrumentation seem tighter and embody Wilson’s swagger a little better than before. That’s because the band she’s been touring with for years plays on the record.
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Aslan Freeman (lead guitar), Matt Nolan (drums), Kevin Nolan (guitar, keys, piano, etc.), and Tommy Scifres (bass) have been touring with Wilson for years. They work together like a well-oiled machine and it shows on Whirlwind. While members of her road band aren’t the only musicians on the new album, they make up the core of the sound.
Ahead of the release of Whirlwind, Wilson appeared on Audacy’s Coop’s Rockin’ Country Saturday Night to talk about the new album. While there, she talked about why she chose to have her band play on Whirlwind.
Lainey Wilson on Having Her Band Play on the New Album
As Coop pointed out, many listeners may not know that most artists don’t go into the studio with their touring band. So, he asked Lainey Wilson why she chose to have them play on Whirlwind. “My band is so talented. If they weren’t on the road with me, I truly think that they could all be studio musicians. They’re like prodigies,” she said.
“We have played hundreds of shows together. These are the guys that used to travel around with me in my flatbed truck and we’d strap our equipment down to the back. They’re the ones that ate dirt with me,” Wilson said of her bond with the guys in her band. “They’re the ones who were there in the beginning and believed in me then and sacrificed a lot to be out there now,” she added. “I believe in them just like they believe in me.”
“We did bring in double drums and one of the guys is a session player, Fred Eltringham (drums), and Rob McNelley (guitar) who is also a session player. But, for the most part, the bones of everything was my boys,” Wilson explained.
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