Taylor Hunnicutt makes rooted southern music adapted to the modern world. She's a proud daughter of Alabama, with songs that honor the state's tradition of country storytelling, rock 'n' roll rebellion and guitar-filled rawness. After years of spending around 200 days on the road every year, she debuted her album Alabama Sound - a musical love letter to the South, written by a musician who has lived much of his life far from home.

Hunnicutt grew up in Marengo County, where her mother filled the house with 90s country music. She found her own musical talents early on, singing in the school choir and taking up the guitar at the age of 17. After high school, she moved to Birmingham to go to college on an opera scholarship, but quickly realized she didn't fit in. She started working as a waitress in a blues club, where she developed the powerful, raspy vocals that now define her unique style.

The album Alabama Sound combines inspiration from artists like John Prine and classic rock frontmen like Paul Rogers, Rod Stewart and Steve Marriott. It was recorded at Clearwave Studios in North Alabama and captured the energy of her band through live recordings. "We wanted it to sound real and raw," explains Hunnicutt.

"There's a bit of country, a bit of singer/songwriter and a bit of Americana," she says of the album, which was recorded with her touring band between travel days. "There's a lot of soul and southern rock too. For me, this is the sound of my home. It's not a genre - it's Alabama."

In this way, the album depicts not only her journey as an artist, but also the musical traditions of Alabama - a tribute to her home state and her own voice as a rising star in country and southern rock.