Set for a March 2012 release on Rock Ridge Music, Coming Out Of The Pain is Dalley’s second full-length and her Rock Ridge debut. Combining classic pop-country with the edge of heartland rock, the album has the power and hooks to win over both Nashville diehards and casual listeners, all of whom are sure to be moved by Dalley’s intimate lyrics and dulcet vocals.
“This album is just a natural evolution of my own maturity and growth. I think it sounds very me, yet edgier. I really love the songs,” says Dalley. “In my musical career, I feel happy now. I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing and what I should have been doing all along. That means taking the reins and being in control of my future in music.”
A performer throughout her childhood in Kingsport, TN, Dalley got her pro start entertaining at the Dollywood amusement park. In 1994 she relocated to Nashville and formed national touring act the Hillbilly Gypsies, then later landed a publishing deal with Hamstein Music, landing her song “Dream Too Small” on an episode of the TV show Dawson’s Creek. In 2003 Dalley signed with Curb Records, which released a series of successful singles: “Love's Got an Attitude (It Is What It Is)” debuted in 2003, peaking at #27 on the country charts; “I Think You’re Beautiful” came next; then her highest-charting single, “Men Don't Change,” at #23. In 2005, Dalley charted again with the Reba McEntire single “My Sister,” which she co-wrote with Bonnie Baker and Roxie Dean. Four more singles were released between 2005 and 2007.
Inexplicably, Curb never released the full-length, and in 2008 Dalley left the label and went out on her own, self-releasing It’s Time on her Madjack Records imprint in 2009. A grassroots success, Dalley teamed up again with husband/engineer/writing partner Jack Sizemore (also a member of Jason Aldean’s band) and hit the studio again in 2011 to begin tracking her latest release. The album was produced by Dalley and Sizemore, along with New Voice Entertainment.
On Coming Out Of The Pain, Dalley showcases her considerable songwriting chops, opting to pen her own compositions, rather than rely on the prevalent Nashville practice of tapping professional writers. The results are immeasurable; there’s an honesty and depth to the songs—from the witty breakup tale of “Peace Sign,” to the dark and powerful “Civil War,” to the mother’s love that permeates “Bottle It Up”—that couldn’t possibly have emanated from anyone other than the artist herself.
“I always write for myself. A lot of people here in Nashville get other people to do it, but for me as a writer, I write what I want to say,” explains Dalley. “I think I'm the most authentic when I write how I want to say something, or how I want to sing, instead of saying, 'I wonder what Reba would sing about.' It's just a different mindset.”
Not just an artist, but also a devoted wife and mother of two, Dalley has plenty on her plate these days, but still plans on touring actively in 2012 in support of Coming Out Of The Pain. But more importantly, the release of the album is a much-deserved victory for a gifted artist who’s more than paid her dues. Coming Out Of The Pain marks a brilliant new chapter for Amy Dalley, and the album reflects her joyful, uncompromising new outlook on life.
“I realized that I'm a songwriter and a singer and I'm really good at both, and I should be doing it, instead of being defeated,” says Dalley. “That was the whole idea of the ‘coming out of the pain’ concept—it was clarity for me. I am good, I can do this, and I will do it.”
You can catch her live at Rockwood Music Hall January 26th at 6pm.
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