SoundBytes: Nancy Wenstrom Waxes Poetic and Nostalgic on “Alabama Song”
The mark of being a real music fan is often being able to appreciate music for what it is, even if the style and genre aren’t exactly your favorite. Making music takes skill. It takes time. It takes precision and craftsmanship. Sure, not all music is “good”… but all “good music” has something to be appreciated, even if the style isn’t typically something you find yourself gravitating towards. For me, a lot of the music that can be described as “country” or “Americana” falls outside my normal musical purview. However, good artists and good songs within these genres and styles can still impress me a good deal. Nancy Wenstrom’s “Alabama Song” is exactly this.
Nancy’s sound is clearly extremely well developed and her guitar work is impressive. With a flavor not too dissimilar from Bonnie Raitt or Linda Ronstadt, there’s a truly earnest quality to her music, her words, and her vocals that you can feel shining through. One need not be a fan of this style to understand that Nancy means every word she sings and feels every note she plays in every bone of her body.
As she sings about a place she misses and remembers fondly, it’s easy to find yourself waxing nostalgic on places you miss and places you built great memories yourself. One could describe her songs as transportive, whisking the listener to a simpler time and place where you can find peace. For Nancy, much of that peace resides not only in Alabama, but in God. Her faith shines through her song in a very real way that isn’t preachy or hokey, but rather real. She clearly believes and loves and believes in sharing her feelings with anyone willing to listen. Whether or not you feel as she does, you can feel the authenticity and know that you can find that peace in whatever you feel that same realness towards.
Check out the lyric video for “Alabama Song” below and check out more from Nancy at nancywenstrom.com:
