Brit Taylor proudly hails from the Appalachian Foothills of Eastern Kentucky, like many of her musical heroes, including Keith Whitley, The Judds, Tyler Childers, and, of course, country queen Loretta Lynn.
Although the songwriter and recording artist has lived in Nashville for 18 years, she says she's always homesick. She sees a resilience in her fellow Kentuckians that has helped her chase her dream, even when times were tough.
Taylor advised, "I'm so grateful to have grown up [in East Kentucky] because I don't think I would be on this path if I hadn't. My family is not musical. They don't play music. My parents really didn't listen to country music or Bluegrass, but my mom's dad, my papa, did. He loved Ricky Skaggs, and he listened to country music, too. He loved Ricky and Patti Loveless, both eastern Kentuckians who came from the Bluegrass world.
The Mountain Art Center in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, hosts the Kentucky Opry. And one of their events is the Kentucky Opry Junior Pros. Taylor tried out at age seven and made it. She began singing regularly during the summers and Christmas until she graduated from high school. She moved to Nashville at age 17, where she started writing songs and meeting people in the industry. Music producer and filmmaker, Dub Cornett, became her mentor and introduced her to people like Cowboy Jack Clement.
Taylor went to school and studied Music Business, and signed her first publishing deal in 2013. She recalled, "I was just having so much fun. And I hadn't really found who I was or my voice yet. Then, 10 years into a 10-year town, the band broke up. I went through a divorce. Everything fell apart."
Around the time that Taylor was considering returning home, she was introduced to music producer and songwriter Dan Auerbach and recording engineer David Ferguson.
To keep going, Taylor spent seven nights a week singing on Broadway, cold-called record executives, and even formed a cleaning business to help finance her first album, Real Me. Nashville's Dave Brainard produced the debut album while Dan Auerbach helped write five of the songs.
Several years later, she texted Ferguson, "Hey, I want to make my next record with you." To which he responded, "How about me and Sturgill do it?" That's how she got her album, Kentucky Blue, to be produced by Sturgill Simpson.
"Things started looking up after that," she stated.
Also, during that time, she met her current husband, singer/songwriter/producer Adam Chaffins, with whom she now has a baby. He has been an integral part of her newest record, Land of the Forgotten, alongside songwriter Adam Wright.
Land of the Forgotten is a collection of tightly written, hook-driven songs that often center on the working class and is a tribute album to her Appalachian heritage. Taylor takes us to her much-discussed and misunderstood homeland, Appalachia, with songs that reveal the complex heart and complicated people of the region.
She explained, "I've been in Nashville so long now, just trying to find my sound, my voice, and I think now we've found it. I've gotten closer and closer with every record. And my husband knows me better than anybody in the world. He's such a talented musician, and he's so supportive. He really listened to me, heard me, and nailed down the sound that I've been trying so hard to figure out since I got here."
Besides its bluegrass undertones, the most impressive thing about Brit Taylor and The Land of the Forgotten is that she is different. Brit Taylor doesn't sound like anyone else currently on the radio. And in the crowded world of country music, that is a very good thing.
The album begins with the lively mountain folk song "Broke No More," which she calls a "manifestation" of what she hopes will come. If it's not now, it will definitely be true once she gets to heaven.
Another rowdy, tongue-in-cheek tune is called "All For Sale." Once the love runs out, she no longer wants anything "from the pictures on the wall right down to the nails." It's all for sale, including the guy.
And while Taylor is now happily married, it was her previous relationship/divorce that has been a gold mine for her songwriting. She agreed, "It's not an emotionally charged experience now, which almost makes it even easier to write about it because you can write about it with a sense of humor."
If there were ever a song that has Loretta Lynn's imprint all over it, it's "Warning You Whiskey." In the song, it's the whiskey that is getting all of the blame and not the man who's drinking it. With the lyrics, I'm warning you, whiskey/ Stay away from that man/ You make him not miss me when you're in his hands/He can't resist you, you don't understand/I'm warning you, whiskey/ Stay away from that man you can practically visualize Loretta singing it alongside of Brit.
Taylor confirmed, "Those Appalachian women love so strongly and believe in the sanctity of marriage so much so that they will fight like hell for their men, even when all [the guy] really needs is an ass-whooping."
Taylor is over it with the song "Done Pretending." She is done tryin', cryin', and done with your cheating two-timin'. She will no longer pretend to love you, regardless of what anyone thinks or says.
With a sad fiddle sawing, the title track, "Land of the Forgotten," is a somber ode to an overlooked population. It's a love song to her family and friends who were raised in the Appalachian foothills as she promises to "always remember you."
Taylors explained, "The main time we're remembered is when it floods, or there's a tornado. Nobody really remembers us. But I see resilience and strength. I see faith and community, and beautiful hills and hollers, gardens, and Kudzu and Mimosa trees. I don't like that it gets such a bad name, and Hillbilly gets a bad name. I wear Hillbilly as a badge of honor."
The song "Lately I've Been Thinkin'" addresses the dichotomy of thought that exists in all of us. Sometimes we are done and fed up, only to realize later that what we have isn't half bad.
"Queen of Fools" is a song about a guy whose castle is a honky tonk and throne is a barstool. He is the king of broken hearts, and she keeps falling for him repeatedly, even though she knows how the story ends.
I got the Kasey Musgraves "Merry Go Round" vibe from Taylor's "Around and Around." The song is an honest look at being stuck in the ruts of your life and circumstances.
One thing we hillbillies and rednecks know about is that we all have at least one crazy relative like the one who has a Bible in one hand and a crystal ball in the other, or another who gets baptized five times because the first four didn't work. "Crazy Leaf" is a fun homage to that person. (If you don't know who they are, maybe it's you.)
Taylor reveals her inner Miranda Lambert in the sweet serenade, "Bars Closing." It speaks of two newly acquainted lonely people trying to figure out what's next for them after the bar closes.
Because of inexplicable coincidences, Taylor has long felt a kindred spirit to an owl. They would always show up for her at random times. It was as if God were giving her the go-ahead to take the next step. That's where the idea for the final song came, which says my guardian angel is "Bird of Prey." It simply states "I once was afraid, but ain't anymore." It's a perfect ending to an album that honors her people and home.
Brit Taylor's Land of the Forgotten is flush with fiddle, some serious banjo pickin', and an abundance of pedal steel guitar, yet it remains very conversational, with plenty of vivid storytelling. Yes, there are memorable hooks, but much of its content is based on real-life conversations and people. That's what makes this record especially endearing.
See Brit Taylor in concert throughout the Southeast and Midwest this spring and summer.
Follow her on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and all streaming services.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and TikTok.
Land of the Forgotten Track List:
Broke No More
All For Sale
Warning You Whiskey
Done Pretending
Land of the Forgotten
Lately I’ve Been Thinkin’
Queen Of Fools
Around and Around
Crazy Leaf
Bars Closing
Bird of Prey
