An Alabama native who has enjoyed the heights of country music success has gone back to her roots on her first solo album, which features guests such as Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs and Rhonda Vincent.
“Lean on Neon,” released Friday, is the debut solo album from Shawna Thompson. A native of the Washington County community of Laton Hill, she grew up in and around Chatom, Ala. As half of the hit-making duo Thompson Square, along with husband Keifer Thompson, she’s had some big hits including two that hit No. 1, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” and “If I Didn’t Have You.”
Shawna Thompson had a couple of specific goals for her first solo project. One was to turn a new generation on to traditionalist country music. Another was to pay tribute to her late father, Mickey McIlwain, who died in 2012.
“I made a traditional honky-tonk album that would make my daddy proud,” Thompson said in an announcement of the album’s release. “This album has been like therapy for me — it’s made me feel closer to my dad.”
Songs include “Bama Clay,” which features an attention-getting start with Thompson, Gill and Skaggs singing unaccompanied harmony. Pam Tillis joins in on “Honky Tonk Hurtin’,” and another southwest Alabama artist, Ashton Shepherd, is featured on “Outlaw Women.” Keifer Thompson, who co-produced, sings along on “The Doctor’s Always In.”
Shawna Thompson credits her father with exposing her early to the likes of Buck Owens, Charley Pride, and John Anderson.
“What got me through losing my dad was my faith,” she said of “Bama Clay.” “I know I will see him again, and I hope this song can comfort someone else going through the same thing.”
“Lean On Neon,” released by Sun Records, is available through major streaming services. For more information, visit www.shawnathompson.com.
