Sunny Sweeney keeps it country at all costs

By John Benson

entertainment@vindy.com

Sunny Sweeney may be relatively new on the country- music scene, but this Texas native is making the most of the opportunity. Not only did her new album “Concrete” reach No. 7 on the Billboard country chart, but so far her three singles have gone top 40, with “From A Table Away” making the top 10.

“I didn’t really go in to record the album with any preconceived notions except that I wanted to keep it country,” said Sweeney, calling from outside of Seattle. “My live show has definitely changed over the course of the last five years since I made my last record. My favorite song is my current single, ‘Drink Myself Single.’ It’s super country, and it’s got attitude. I always say I wear my sassy pants whenever I sing that song, so it’s just fun to sing, and the crowd loves it.

“And my album is just a perfect embodiment of what we do with my live shows, where it’s country but it’s still completely rocking. I just can’t believe this is my job.”

Sweeney brings her live show to Northeast Ohio for a Jan. 14 show at the Dusty Armadillo in Rootstown. It’s been quite a touring year for the Austin, Texas, resident who spent last summer opening for Brad Paisley’s H2O II: Wetter & Wilder World Tour, which included a show at Progressive Field.

So far, the critics are digging her sound, which has been compared to the likes of Terri Clark, Patty Loveless and Natalie Maines. In fact, last year she landed on multiple “Ones to Watch.”

As for why she stands out, Sweeney addresses the current Nashville landscape.

“There are a lot of my peers that aren’t as country as I am, and there’s a lot of my peers influenced by other kinds of music,” Sweeney said. “For me, I just grew up on country music, and that’s all I’m influenced by. I’ve been trying to listen to some other random stuff. Random that’s not Merle Haggard. It’s not anything in depth. It’s just a mixture of stuff.”

When it’s suggested she’s been listening to Lady Gaga, she laughed; however Ryan Adams’ name does come up when she lists artists she often covers in concert. For some folks, Adams, the former Whiskeytown singer, isn’t viewed as being a part of the country genre. Sweeney disagrees.

“Once you get past the rock stuff, his stuff is pretty country and Americana,” Sweeney said.

When it’s pointed out all of the Americana hipsters wouldn’t give Adams a Music City tag, she replies back, “They didn’t think Johnny Cash was country either, but you know. Some of Ryan Adams’ songs are country-er than anything out right now.”

Finally, something that earns Sweeney her country-music stripes are her numerous appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, where she’s played more than 20 times since her debut in 2007. So what’s that like for a country girl who grew up dreaming of taking that stage one day?

“That’s pretty much the pinnacle of everything as far as country artists go,” Sweeney said. “I get really nervous anytime I’m there, and I love it. It’s just the mother church of country music. Everybody that’s anybody has played there. It’s very, very awesome, and there’s nothing that really compares to it. It’s pretty intense.”