Sunny Sweeney is a no-nonsense, straight talking kind of person. She brings that wonderfully raw honesty to everything she sings. With the release today of her latest album, Rhinestone Requiem (Aunt Daddy Records / Thirty Tigers), she can expect to burnish her already-solid reputation even more. (Stream it HERE.) What you can anticipate hearing is the voice of a sublimely mature artist. At 48, Sweeney, a Longview, Texas native, is a master storyteller and a pro at conveying her lived experience in memorable musical ways.
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She is unabashedly reverent and passionate about country music. In an interview recently with Wide Open Country, Sweeney described what this new LP means to her. "Basically, I feel like it's a tribute to the music that shaped me. I feel like it's my chance at making what I think a country record should sound like." Sweeney added, "I know, love, respect, and protect country music. I love country music."
Listen to "Diamonds and Divorce Decrees" Here
This track was co-written by Sweeney. It barrels along to tell the tale of a woman eager to be liberated from her bad marriage so she can get on with her newly-solo life. Sweeney herself knows that situation well. The singer said definitively, "I've been divorced twice and that will be all. I feel like sometimes, it's really hard to ever see the end when you're in the middle of something. When you're getting divorced, it's really hard to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel. People come to my shows and hear these songs about past relationships ending and see that I survived it."
Sweeney Developed a Love of Music Early in Life
She explained, "I really was drawn to country music at an early age. I lived with my mom and my stepdad growing up. My dad and my stepmom lived across town so I spent equal time at their house. My mom and my stepdad are country and bluegrass fans. When I would go to Dad's house, they would be listening to more rock and roll. They'd be listening to Tom Petty, and Neil Young and Stevie Nicks."
Her Music Idols
If Sweeney could duet with anyone, she said it would be Stevie Nicks. "That's like a dream come true," she mused. "She's still living and still just killing it. She's so freaking talented. I would love to find out what her favorite country song is from old times, classic country, and then do a duet with her."
The late Loretta Lynn is another of Sweeney's treasured performers. "I met her a couple of different times. She was magic. Just magic. Most of my heroes have always been, wow, they are exactly what I wanted them to be."
Sweeney Loves Being an Indie Artist
She appreciates the time she spent recording on two major labels and said it was a valuable learning experience. But Sweeney also found that they tried to dictate the songs she would do, and that felt constricting to her.
She said, "It just didn't make sense...they wanted to pick the songs. I just feel like I got out of there unscathed. When I went back to being indie, I made the choices. I've made a career for myself doing things my way. If this is as far as I'll ever get, I'll be happy."
