Shawna Thompson has been working in Nashville for nearly three decades. Today, most know her as one half of the husband and wife duo, Thompson Square. However, he musical journey started long before she moved to Music City. She was playing honky tonks across South Alabama with her dad and their band before chasing her dream to Tennessee. Last September, she introduced herself to the world as a solo act with Lean on Neon.
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With Lean on Neon, Shawna stepped away from the radio-ready sound of Thompson Square and dove headfirst into traditional honky tonk. Channeling some of her earliest influences, including her father, she takes listeners on a trip into a smoky bar from days gone by in one of the most under-appreciated country releases of the last few years.
Recently, Thompson sat down with American Songwriter to discuss her solo debut, the artists who influenced her, and more.
Shawna Thompson Introduces Herself with Leon on Neon
Thompson Square has seen some success over the years. They’ve notched some hits and won awards. However, Shawna Thompson stepped away from that tried-and-true sound to do something that resonated with her on Lean on Neon. However, the desire to do a traditional-sounding country album goes deeper than trying something different.
“The whole reason for this album was my dad. It was therapy for me. We lost him in 2012, and it was a way for me to feel close to him again,” Thompson explains, emotion creeping into her voice.
“It’s pretty much who I am as an artist,” she adds after a beat. “When I moved to Nashville in 1996, this is the record I wanted to make. As Nashville does sometimes, people talked me out of doing it because traditional country music wasn’t a popular thing at the time, and not what radio wanted. So, I kind of started doing other things,” she recalls. “Then, I met Keifer, and the rest is what it is with Thompson Square. But this is the kind of music that I grew up loving because of my dad. It’s all the music he had laying around the house or that he was playing on his guitar around the house,” she adds.
Thompson’s Vocal Influences
More than the album’s traditional honky tonk sound, one of the most striking things about Lean on Neon is Shawna Thompson’s voice. Those who are fans of classic country will likely hear strains of country greats from days gone by in her voice and vocal delivery. However, one could never say that she is trying to sound like anyone else.
“They’re kind of all over the map,” Thompson says of her influences. “Probably the first would be Shelby Lynn. Then, probably Etta James. But also Merle Haggard and George Jones, and Verne Gosdin,” she adds. “There’s a lot of male influence in there because that’s what my dad played, and that’s what I heard all the time. When we played in our little band and played the honky tonks around South Alabama, that’s the kind of stuff we played,” Thompson recalls. “There’s a tremendous amount of male influence, and I think if you listen to the record, you’ll get that right away.”
Lean on Neon Was a Family Affair for Shawna Thompson
Shawna Thompson made her debut solo album with her father in mind. However, that wasn’t the only familial connection to the creation of this album. Her husband, Keifer Thompson, co-produced the record. He also joined the conversation to talk about recording Lean on Neon.
“It was one of the easiest albums I’ve ever been a part of, as far as recording,” Shawna Thompson says.
For Keifer, making Lean on Neon was about more than putting together a rock-solid album. It was also about giving his wife something she’s always wanted.
“Shawna and I have been together for a long time. We met the first week we moved to Nashville and have been married for 25 years now. The dynamic between us has always been very close. We got to enjoy watching each other’s dreams come true. Seeing your best friend get what they always dreamed of is an amazing thing,” he says of the album.
“When it came down to this project after we got out of our record deal, I wanted to fulfill this dream of hers. Based on what Thompson Square sounds like, one might not discern that we’re traditional country lovers. That’s all we listen to,” Keifer reveals.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of direction vocal-wise. I think she’s one of the most underrated female singers in country music right now. I have always thought that,” he says of the ease of the recording process. “Three scratch vocals ended up being on the record. I can’t think of many singers who can do that,” he adds.
“That was an important part of this album. We wanted it to feel old school. So, we didn’t want to take a bunch of takes and comp and all that stuff. We just wanted to be in it,” Shawna Thompson says.
How Shawna Thompson Paid Tribute to Her Dad on Lean on Neon
Shawna Thompson’s late father was on her mind while writing and recording Lean on Neon. However, the album’s final track, a cover of Buck Owens’ “Together Again,” is a tribute to the man who introduced her to country music. She watched her dad sing the song countless times while playing in Alabama. However, she didn’t know the song would be on the album until the last minute.
“Recording ‘Together Again’ was one of the coolest things I’ve ever been involved with in a studio session,” Keifer says. Then, he revealed why they chose to add the song to the album.
“We were at the house getting ready to go to the studio. Shawna was in the shower, and I looked over and noticed that she was sitting down, which was odd. Then, I opened the door and realized she was crying,” he recalls. “We were listening to music and Buck Owens’ ‘Together Again’ came on and it reminded her of her dad,” he adds. “This whole album is a reflection and dedication to her father, who was her biggest influence. They were thick as thieves,” Thompson explains.
He immediately knew that Shawna needed to cut “Together Again” for the album. She protested, saying she had never sung it before because her dad was always the one to sing it. However, he persisted, and it became one of the many highlights on the record.
“We had about 20 minutes left on the session, and I just made everybody unplug and come into the main room, and we just gathered around a few mics, and we had time for one take, and Shawna had never sung it before,” Thompson recalls. “We put a microphone in front of her with the lyric sheet, and the band counted it off. If you listen to that specific track, you can hear the air in the room, kind of like they did back in the day with no fixes. That particular song is a one-take song, no overdubs, no vocal tuning. It just came out one time and couldn’t get it a second time because Shawna kept crying,” he adds.
However, she was far from the only one in the room who was in tears. There wasn’t a dry eye in the studio after they captured the song.
“When we got done with that three-minute take, I looked over at our engineer and my co-producer, Chad Carlson, and we were both crying. Everybody in the sound room was crying. It was one of those organic moments that you just don’t find. It was just a pleasure to be in the room when that went down,” Thompson recalls.
Lean on Neon is available to stream across all digital platforms.
Featured Image by Larry Marano/Shutterstock
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