Dear, lovely Lucy Hale. Ever since she hit the big time in her role as wild child Aria Montgomery on hit ABC show Pretty Little Liars, we’ve grown to enjoy seeing her face and following her artsy antics each week on our screens. However, we shouldn’t forget that Lucy got her big break as a winner of reality TV show American Juniors, the younger skewing love-child of American Idol which aired in 2003, produced by the formidable Simon Fuller. 13 year old Lucy wowed audiences with her impressive set of pipes, soulful style and adorable down home accent (Lucy hails from Memphis, TN).
Eleven years later, with guest roles on Drake and Josh, The O.C. and HIMYM, not to mention four seasons of Pretty Little Liars under her belt, we’d almost forgotton all about her southern roots. That was until in January Lucy proved that her heart was still well into the country scene with her debut single You Sound Good To Me. Remeniscent of Faith Hill with a sprinkling of some Dixie Chicks style guitar slides, Lucy left us in no doubt that she may be gone from the South, but she certainly hasn’t forgotten it! Her debut album, Road Between, is due out tomorrow and from the songs that we’ve already heard, she’s found a magical formula and has put together an eminently listenable piece of work. Featuring the effervescent Kiss Me, and the contemplative, down tempo medidation on womanhood Nervous Girls to euphonic ballad The Road Between, it’s feel-good, easy breezy listening and Young Adult Mag is very excited to hear the rest of her album. It’s her 25th birthday next week, and we’d say she’s pretty much assured a high spot on the Billboard 200 album chart as her gift. Thank you, Lucy, and you’re welcome!