NASHVILLE'S MOST WANTED

Ft. Dustin Spears & Alice Nelson

Tuesday February 22, 2022

@ Scoreboard Bar & Grill in Nashville, TN

(Review by: Jeffrey Kurtis)

With the Country Radio Seminar (CRS) officially kicking off the next day, Cody Purvis brought some of the best emerging talent to the Scoreboard Bar & Grill in the Music Valley area of Nashville for his weekly live series Nashville’s Most Wanted.

Whether it’s a lineup packed with headlining talent, or one with tomorrow’s stars…you can always count on this weekly show to be a go-to place to find great music, discover incredible artists and songwriters, and give you the ability to say that you were there before everyone else. 

While Brandon Noreck, Jessica Lynne Witty, and Chris Jones were all incredible acts, this night became a spotlight shining moment for the two bookends of the show - Alice Nelson and Dustin Spears -both who commanded the audience and kept them on the edge of their seats in two very different ways.

Armed with an acoustic guitar, Alice Nelson balanced her 45-minute set between originals and covers that ran the gamut from modern country to 90’s alternative rock, but very smartly avoided the cliché standards that are so often played by bands around town.

By wisely doing this with her song choices, Nelson carried a specifically unique edge that made her stand out, while often showcasing her range by bringing in a lower vocal register to pull out the feel of the lyrics and connect them with the audience

After a thank you to Cody Purvis for inviting her to play Nashville’s Most Wanted, an item she can now check off her bucket list, Nelson began her set with Sara Evans’ “Suds in the Bucket,” before bringing the first hint of her undeniable sass to the stage with Pistol Annie’s “I Feel a Sin Coming On.”

“This next song is going to be on my EP later this year,” Nelson announced with a promise of new music coming soon as she dove into the Romeo and Juliet type love story on her first original of the night with “Downlow,” a catchy, toe-tapping, pop country gem that carries a summery tilted vibe in its melody, namechecks Lonestar, and allows Nelson’s built in Alabama drawl to appear in certain phrasing of lines throughout the song.

“I’m gonna slow things down just a bit with one of my favorites from Miranda Lambert,” Nelson said as she performed “Tin Man,” during which several people sitting at the bar turned their chairs to face the stage as she flawlessly delivered each poignant line of the meaningful song.

“I’m very proud to say that I just won first place in the ‘I Heard It In A Love Song’ competition with this next song, though It’s not your typical love song,” Nelson finished with a sly smile on her face as she played her second original of the night with “Never.”

Eluding to her influences from both country and rock, she then delivered the Gin Blossom’s signature hit “Hey Jealousy,” asked the crowd to excuse her if she got a little wild before playing Miranda Lambert’s “Kerosene,” and satisfied an audience request for Maren Morris’ “My Church,” learning the song on the spot to deliver a perfect version of it that elicited a cheer from those who requested it, while quickly getting other patrons in the crowd singing along with the familiar chorus.

“I’m from Alabama,” Nelson said introducing herself to the crowd. “If ya know about us; we love our country folk down there. I play a lot of shows in Alabama and the other day someone asked me to play Alanis Morissette, so I decided to do it…and I’m gonna play her song again tonight for y’all,” Nelson finished as she delivered a countrified version “Ironic,” the wildly popular #1 song from Morissette’s breakthrough album, Jagged Little Pill.

“Here’s a song that I like to play on guitar,” Nelson stated as she tuned up her 6-string. “It’s not necessarily about the lyrics for me, but about the lick I get to play,” she finished as she played the familiar opening walk up the neck of her guitar to Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walking,” during which she also added a punch of sass by swaying her hips along with the groove as she snarled out the lyrics.

Sharing that there is still discussion as to whether the next song will be a single, Nelson delivered the very strong “Heartbreaks,” a song which allows her to really showcase all sides of who she is as an artist and songwriter as she tugs on heartstrings with the lyrics throughout the softer pace verses before dousing the song with an ultra-vibey and catchy chorus that pulls you to the edge of your seat and commands your attention.

With an aptly timed cover of Dolly’s “Jolene,” Nelson then rounded out her set with two more originals; the catchy “It’s You Not Me” which brought out a well-timed hair flip on stage from her in tune with the notes she played, and her current single “Girlfriend,” a song she wrote way back in December of 2020 and said she was proud to have out and available now for everyone to hear.

We’ve seen a few performances from Alice Nelson over the past couple months and we can notice her getting stronger with each showing as her confidence continues to boom while she still continuously challenges herself to grow as a writer, artist, and performer by incorporating more original material into her set, satisfying the music lovers in Nashville who yearn for new songs to know and love.

FULL SET LIST

1) Suds in the Bucket (Sara Evans cover)

2) I Feel a Sin Coming On (Pistol Annie’s cover)

3) Down Low

4) Tin Man (Miranda Lambert cover)

5) Never

6) Hey Jealousy (Gin Blossoms cover)

7) Kerosene (Miranda Lambert cover)

8) My Church (Maren Morris cover)

9) Ironic (Alanis Morissette cover)

10) These Boots Are Made For Walking (Nancy Sinatra cover)

11) Heart Breaks

12) Jolene (Dolly Parton cover)

13) It’s You Not Me

14) Girlfriend

Whereas Alice Nelson impressed earlier in the night with only an acoustic guitar and a great song selection that allowed her vocals to shine, Westmoreland, TN native Dustin Spears closed the night with a high-energy full band performance that kept everyone rocking with a healthy dose of originals spliced together with covers that came at precise moments to engage the crowd and keep them fully invested.

Leaning into the gravel and grit of his vocals and placing them directly against infectious guitar licks that carried a toe-tapping rhythm, Spears set the precedent for all that would follow as he opened his set with a 1-2 punch of rocking original songs, “Sumbuck On A Horse” and “Whiskey Over You,” before pausing to introduce his downhome attitude to the crowd.

“This next song is the new single that just released with a brand-new video,” announced Spears. “And I just want to thank y’all for being here and thank you to all the acts who played tonight before me,” he finished gratefully as he delivered “Tennessee and You,” during which you could feel the emotions of the lyrics radiating through his voice as it heart punched the audience through the broken down after a breakup lyric.

Sticking in the wheelhouse of originals now that the crowd was already pulled in, Spears delivered his upcoming single (releasing March 5, 2022) “Whiskey Ain’t Working,” which allowed him to slide slightly away from his rock tilted edge and dig more into his traditional country roots to allow his vocals to continue carrying the emotional power of the lyrics.

The middle of his set was anchored with a strong cover selection that ran the country music gauntlet, staying in the modern era with Chris Stapleton’s “You Should Probably Leave” and Randy Houser’s “How Country Feels,” while sliding back to the 90’s country era for Tracy Byrd’s “Watermelon Crawl” and delivering an incredible version of JellyRoll’s “Save Me,” which Spears had announced the artist himself had seen on YouTube and gave him a shout-out on.

However, as much as the middle of the set kept the crowd rocking with him and singing along, for me personally, he really impressed when he tackled John Anderson’s “Straight Tequila Night.” Anderson is such a unique artist with an identifiable vocal that it truly makes him a very tough act to cover if you’re trying to do so straight-ahead, but Spears found the perfect ways to twist the song just enough so that it perfectly fit around his voice and, in many ways, he made the song feel his own.

Returning to his originals toward the end of the set, Spears played a song he said to have never done in concert before with “Broken Fool,” followed by “Alabama Cutie,” during which he brought an enthusiastic youngster from the crowd on stage with him and in a complete show of respect, got down on one knee at the child’s level and allowed him to play the guitar during parts of the song.

With one last, rowdy turn at Luke Combs “Beer Never Broke My Heart” to close his set, Dustin Spears left it all out on stage this night and did everything right with this performance.

He gave the crowd a wide range of country music covers that allowed the fans, no matter what era is their favorite, to have something to latch onto. However most importantly, he used his 45-minutes to deliver an amazing preview of his original music and elevate his career path one major step ahead because of it. 

FULL SET LIST

1) Sumbuck On A Horse

2) Whiskey Over You

3) Tennessee and You

4) Whiskey Ain’t Working

5) You Should Probably Leave (Chris Stapleton cover)

6) How Country Feels (Randy Houser cover)

7) Straight Tequila Night (John Anderson cover)

8) Save Me (JellyRoll cover)

9) Watermelon Crawl (Tracy Byrd cover)

10) Broken Fool

11) Alabama Cutie

12) Beer Never Broke My Heart (Luke Combs cover)

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