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Sunny Sweeney

 
Artist: Sunny Sweeney
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Sunny Sweeney

Similar Artists:

Taylor Swift, Dixie Chicks, Sarah Borges, Elizabeth Cook, Natalie Maines, Kasey Chambers

Influenced By:

Lucinda Williams, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard
See Sunny Sweeney Lyrics
  • Active: 2000s
  • Genres: Country
  • Instrument: Vocals

Biography

A brassy country singer whose retro style garnered comparisons to singers like Natalie Maines and Kasey Chambers, Sunny Sweeney grew up in Longview, TX. Sweeney was a gutsy, musically inclined girl, if a tad unpredictable. In her senior year of high school, she busted into choir class and demanded to be allowed to sing Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" in the school's year-end show. Sweeney, who didn't even belong to the class, proceeded to belt out the song, much to the choir teacher's surprise. She got the spot in the year-end show, but Sweeney didn't pursue music after she graduated. Instead, she moved to New York and tried her hand at acting. She performed on the improv comedy circuit and juggled a series of short-lived day jobs (dog walker, nanny, and waitress among them) in order to make ends meet. Sweeney eventually moved back to Texas and hooked up with an improv troupe in Austin. It was at this point that she started taking her talents as a musician seriously. Encouraged by her fellow comedians and particularly her stepfather, who'd tried to teach her some guitar chords when she was a kid, Sweeney picked up a guitar and started practicing. She played her first real gig at Austin's Carousel Lounge in 2004, went on to nail down weekly spots at various honky-tonks throughout the city, and managed to go on a small European tour soon after that. It was at this point that she managed to grab the attention of various music critics in the Austin area, and in 2005 the Austin Music Pundits named Sweeney one of the city's most notable local acts. She landed a record deal with Big Machine soon after that, and her debut, Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame, was released in 2007. ~ Margaret Reges, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Sunny Sweeney
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Sunny Sweeney

Sunny Sweeney, Midlands Music Festival 2007
Photo: Karen Miller
Background information
Birth name Sunny Michaela Sweeney
Origin Longview, Texas, USA
Genres Country
Occupations Musician, Songwriter
Instruments Vocals, rhythm guitar
Years active 2006-Present
Labels Big Machine, Republic Nashville
Website SunnySweeney.com

Sunny Michaela Sweeney (born in Longview, Texas) is an American country music artist. She is signed to the independent Big Machine Records label. Her debut album, Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame, was issued in 2007. Although it produced three singles in "If I Could", "Ten Years Pass" and "East Texas Pines", none of these singles have charted.

Contents

Biography

Sunny Sweeney was born in Longview, Texas. Initially, Sweeney decided that she wanted to be an improv comedian. She moved to New York City to join a comedy troupe; however, the troupe's other members persuaded her to choose a career in singing instead, and she moved back to her native Texas.[1][2] After gaining a following on the club circuit in her native Texas, Sweeney signed to the independent Big Machine Records label.[3] She also toured throughout Europe in 2007.[1] Her debut album, Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame, was initially self-released, and was reissued in 2007 on Big Machine.[4] The album produced three singles in "If I Could", "Ten Years Pass" and "East Texas Pines", although none of these songs charted.

In 2009, Sweeney was signed as the first artist to Republic Records Nashville, a newly-founded joint venture between Big Machine and Universal Republic.[5]

Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame

Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame
Studio album by Sunny Sweeney
Released May 2007 (2007-05)
Genre Country
Label Big Machine
Producer Tommy Detamore, Tom Lewis, Sunny Sweeney
Professional reviews

Content

"Please Be San Antone" was co-written by Emily Irwin (now known as Emily Robison) of the Dixie Chicks, and was previously recorded by Jim Lauderdale on his 1999 album Onward Through It All. "16th Avenue" was previously a Top Ten single for Lacy J. Dalton from her 1982 album of the same name, and "Mama's Opry" by Iris DeMent on her 1992 album Infamous Angel.

Reception

The album has received favorable reviews from music critics. Michael Berick, who reviewed the album for Allmusic, gave it four stars out of five, calling it a "a refreshing slice of traditional honky tonk enlivened with a dollop of rock & roll energy[…]She has a strong idea of who she is as a singer and performer, and her instincts are proven correct on this impressive effort."[6] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly gave it a B+ rating, calling it "the kind of roadhouse fare typically tagged 'too country for country'."[7] Country Standard Time critic Stuart Munro gave a favorable review as well, noting the mix of material on the album, and describing Sweeney's voice as being "full of sass and syrupy twang."[8]

Track listing

  1. "Refresh My Memory" (Jim Lauderdale, John Scott Sherrill) – 3:23
  2. "East Texas Pines" (Libbi Bosworth, Gary Griffin) – 3:20
  3. "Next Big Nothing" (Audrey Auld) –3:14
  4. "Lavender Blue" (Keith Sykes) – 3:18
  5. "Ten Years Pass" (Sunny Sweeney, Elizabeth Mason) – 3:24
  6. "Here Lately" (Deron Harris) – 2:50
  7. "Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame" (Sweeney) – 2:34
  8. "Slow Swinging Western Tunes" (Sweeney) – 4:35
  9. "Please Be San Antone" (Lauderdale, Emily Erwin) – 2:20
  10. "Mama's Opry" (Iris DeMent) – 4:07
  11. "If I Could" (Tim Carroll) – 2:19
  12. "16th Avenue" (Thom Schuyler) – 3:58

Singles

Year Single
2007 "If I Could"
2008 "Ten Years Pass"
"East Texas Pines"

References

  1. ^ a b "Sunny Sweeney biography". Country Music Television. http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/sweeney__sunny/bio.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-01-07. 
  2. ^ "New Artist Spotlight: Sunny Sweeney". Great American Country. http://www.gactv.com/gac/nw_cma_close_up/article/0,,GAC_26068_5508650,00.html. Retrieved 2008-01-07. 
  3. ^ Reges, Margaret. "Sunny Sweeney biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jxfixqldld6e~T1. Retrieved 2008-01-07. 
  4. ^ "Sunny Sweeney signs with Big Machine". Country Standard Time. 2006-11-16. http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=281. Retrieved 2009-01-03. 
  5. ^ "New Nashville label starts with Sunny Sweeney aboard". Country Standard Time. 2009-06-05. http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=2955. Retrieved 2009-06-05. 
  6. ^ a b Berick, Michael. "Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kvfixqldldke. Retrieved 2009-02-15. 
  7. ^ a b Willman, Chris (2007-03-16). "Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame review". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20015137,00.html. Retrieved 2009-02-15. 
  8. ^ a b Munro, Stuart. "Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame review". Country Standard Time. http://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/cdreview.asp?xid=3481. Retrieved 2009-02-15. 

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Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame (2006 Album by Sunny Sweeney)
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Sunny Sweeney (Country Artist, 2000s)

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