Lainey Wilson Takes A Trip To ‘Redneck Hollywood’ In New EP

She's "bell-bottom country" aka "country with a flair."

Lainey Wilson Takes A Trip To ‘Redneck Hollywood’ In New EP
Lainey Wilson; Photo credit: Alex Berger

Broken Bow Records artist Lainey Wilson released her new EP, Redneck Hollywood, on Sept. 13. The four-song project, produced by Jay Joyce, showcases Wilson’s unique brand of country music, which she dubs “bell-bottom country.”

“I think that little slogan is about my music, my sound, but also my look,” Wilson says. “The best way for me to describe bell-bottom country is probably country with a flair.”

That flair can certainly be heard on the project, which is full of personal songs that cover everything from good times to heartbreak, all while demonstrating her strong southern twang and unique country instrumentation. The EP kicks off with good-time tune, “Straight Up Sideways,” written by Wilson, Dan Alley, Jason Nix and Reid Isbell. With lyrics like, “There’s more than one way to get straight up sideways,” Wilson says the tune is a “good ole party song.”

The Baskin, Louisiana native also added many personal touches to the EP. “Dirty Looks,” which will be her first single from the project, brings out Wilson’s “sexy side,” as she sings about loving a hardworking man.

“I am from a very blue collar, rural area in northeast Louisiana where we were taught to take extreme pride in having a hardworking man,” Wilson says. “In my opinion, there’s nothing sexier than going to grab a beer with your man after he’s been busting his tail at work all day long.”

Wilson brings some raw emotion to the record in the next track, “Things A Man Oughta Know.” The heartbreak tune, written by Wilson, Jonathan Singleton and Jason Nix, is about the various things every man should know, including how to treat a woman. Wilson says the tune, with its poignant lyrics and sweet mandolin melody, was originally inspired by past relationships. However, the story of the song soon came to pass in her own life.  

Lainey Wilson; Cover art courtesy of Broken Bow Records
Lainey Wilson; Cover art courtesy of Broken Bow Records

“I didn’t know what I was even writing about at the time, and now it means something completely different,” she says. “It’s just one of those real, raw songs that I feel like everybody can relate to in some kind of way.”

Redneck Hollywood comes nine years after Wilson’s original move to Nashville from Louisiana with the camper trailer that she called home for three years. She knew she wanted to move to Music City at just nine years old when her father drove her family through the city following a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Even though she moved away, Wilson’s roots are still in Louisiana, and the final track on the EP, called “LA”, is a bit of an ode to her home state.

“Everywhere I’d go, I’d open my mouth to speak and people would say, ‘Where in the world are you from?’” Wilson says of moving to Nashville. “I’d say, ‘I’m from LA.’ And they’re like, ‘There’s no way you’re from Los Angeles with an accent like that.’ That’s kind of where the song idea was born. When I said LA, they heard Hollywood, but I heard Louisiana.”

Wilson can be found on the road for the next week, playing in Perris, CA on Saturday (10/5), Dallas, TX on Thursday (10/10) and Helotes, TX next Saturday (10/12).