I know a little about Abby Hamilton. She hails from Nicholasville, Kentucky, and was introduced to music at an early age through family gatherings and the church, at first learning to play the piano and violin before taking up voice lessons. Hamilton then went on to study music at college. About this time she became aware of the songwriters behind some of her favourite tracks and made the decision to begin composing her own country songs. Hamilton picked up the guitar and set out on the road to becoming a country singer. There’s a nod to John Prine and Van Zandt in a couple of her songs. Brother Zac’s instrument of choice meant he is now lead guitarist in Abby’s band.
Hamilton’s first EP, the 6-track ‘Broke Girl’ was released in 2017. It is an interesting moment in the young lady’s songwriting journey and the search for that elusive sound. The tracks are point country. Hamilton’s voice is not exceptional but her songwriting already is, noticeable on stand-outs ‘When Your Love Hits Me’ and ‘Flowers’. Talk flippantly about young love if you dare.
“In a box under my bed is a book full of flowers pressed/With a daisy for the summer, a rose for the fall/One meant I love you/ One meant… nothing at all”.
In the Autumn of 2020 I found on YouTube the video for ‘Afraid of the Dark‘, the title track of her 4-track EP, just released. The track is achingly beautiful and, for those whose lives have collided with any kind of drug misuse, almost unbearably poignant – “Cause I’ve had dreams about you dying/ And it kills me/But you’ll shoot up/ And I’ll feel it/I’ll cry you’ll say/ You don’t need it”. The song and video somehow captured the fragility of youth in America at the time. Youth anywhere.
The EP starts bleakly, introspectively even, but then closes with wit and warmth. On ‘Big Time’ Hamilton reflects on her own songwriting credentials: “You can’t make a living off of royalty checks/ If nobody’s cutting your songs”. You can’t help but smile at the lines “I told Ms Patty that I’ve made it big time/ Got signed to a label in LA/ Told her stories of having a drink with George Jones/ She believed me ‘til she found where he laid”. ‘Change Things’ signposts the direction of the album to come, but on this road trip, the car speakers must be playing a track from the man up in New Jersey – “We spent our honeymoon night in a cheap motel down south 23/ And the only reason we got it was cuz daddy had an old fishing buddy/ We talk about bible names and how fast you could change a tyre/ How we both thought the phrase ‘good things come to those who wait’ should be retired”.
There then followed some extensive touring, Hamilton and her band building up a reputation for being consistently good live. She can be vouched for by (and has supported) some respected names: Deer Tick, Blackberry Smoke, Arlo McKinley and Tyler Childers, soon to be supporting American Aquarium. Hamilton managed to release an ‘Afraid of the Dark (Live Sessions)’ EP in June 2022. It included a country song (she can do sassy) called ‘Trailer Park Queen’. Another video posted last year showcases Hamilton’s talent, performing at the EKY Flood Benefit Relief Show. A beautiful track called ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’. Here’s a lady singing Country her way, free from old-time prejudices, the patriarchy and record company restraints.
In October last year Hamilton released her first album called ‘#1 Zookeeper (of the San Diego Zoo)’. It took a while to get accustomed to the overall production but it’s an album I keep returning to nine months later. It is much more polished, some might say overproduced. The music seems to the fore but there’s less of a band feel… if that makes sense. Watch a few videos of the band playing together and you might agree, even though her live band form the core of the studio musicians on the album.
Hamilton’s voice can sometimes feel close to blowing out when she sings, especially when she gets louder but it is more than adequate to project her damn good songwriting. The fragility is still there. Older and wiser, but grown-up relationships can still be fraught, love can still hurt and you don’t stop dreaming. Luckily, Hamilton has words for that and this time round, a pop panacea. The accompanying videos definitely enhance ‘#1 Zookeeper’ and ‘Whatever Helps You Sleep’. The songwriting on ‘Lucky’ and ‘Soccer Field’ want for nothing, The album’s tracks could easily be stripped back and played on the family porch and still sound good. Better even. A personal favourite, is the pared-back ‘Fine’ with those memorable lines: “And it aint bad luck/Its just poor stewardship of some damn good love”.
Credit should also go to a great band playing well, road tested and showing great tolerance towards each other. The engine room of Zach Martin and Carson Childers (no relation I think: but respect for the big fella to be seen wearing an Idles t-shirt): the pair perhaps having additional duties chaperoning the beautiful, young siblings? Brother Zac sure knows his way around a beautiful old Telecaster. Catching this band live must be memorable.
There are some incredibly fine young songwriters out there. If Abby Hamilton is not a name you recognise I hope you will find something of interest here. I hope she does something great soon with her could-be-tricky sophomore album. I hope somebody cuts her songs and she makes the Big Time. I’m sure she’s already made her hometown proud. I feel lucky to have come across her songwriting.
