December 6, 2007 — Nashville, TN — Singer-songwriter Lori McKenna will hit the road in January for a series of headlining dates in support of her major-label debut Unglamorous, which recently won a Boston Music Award for “Album of the Year.”
The album, which was released on August 14th on Warner Bros. Nashville and Stylesonic Records (the label run by country superstar Tim McGraw and noted Nashville producer Byron Gallimore), debuted at Number One on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. Since then, critics have raved about the Stoughton, MA-born and bred McKenna, who, in addition to being a singer-songwriter, is also a plumber’s wife and stay-at-home mother of five. Traversing familiar domestic territory, Unglamorous, which was produced by McGraw and Gallimore, “lays bare the realities of small-town life while clinging to the hope of better days,” as one reviewer put it.
“What really gets you is the strength of the songwriting,” said People Magazine in a lead review, while the New York Times praised McKenna for her “knack for aching melodies and telling details.” Entertainment Weekly raved: “the most engaging pop paeans to mature, married love you’ve ever heard,” while USA Today called Unglamorous a “winning showcase for McKenna’s own achy-sweet, warmly knowing voice.” McKenna appeared on Good Morning America the day the album was released, and was featured in an eight-minute segment on Nightline.
McKenna first emerged on New England’s vibrant singer-songwriter scene with the independently released Paper Wings & Halo (1998), followed by Pieces of Me (2001), and The Kitchen Tapes (2003). In 2005, she signed to Warner Bros. Nashville, which re-released her 2004 album Bittertown. Over the summer, she completed a stint opening for McGraw and Faith Hill on the couple’s hugely successful “Soul2Soul Tour 2007.”