After spending the last few years learning the ropes as touring musicians, Abby Bryant & the Echoes are releasing their debut album, Not Your Little Girl, today. Through 13 songs, Bryant and the band create a confident and rebellious collection, showcasing her vocal abilities and claiming the band’s hard-fought place in the world of vintage-inspired Southern soul-rock.
Recorded in Asheville, NC, the band’s home base since 2018, Not Your Little Girlfeatures Anthony Dorion on bass, John Ginty (Robert Randolph & The Family Band, The Allman Betts Band) on Hammond organ and keys, Jeff Sipe (Col. Bruce Hampton, Leftover Salmon, Susan Tedeschi) on drums, and The Naughty Horns (Nick Ellman, John Culbreth, Ian Bowman), in addition to Bailey Faulkner on guitars and Bryant on vocals.
The title track marks Bryant’s journey to find her place in the world and music industry, discovering her own separate identity and value system outside of her experiences as a young girl.
“Tried” showcases the emotional exhaustion and disappointment of giving your all to someone only to find that they’re not on the same page. “Better Now” was written shortly after a particularly rough chapter, confidently conveying optimism for the future. “Had To” conveys the grief of ending a relationship, while “Hold Me” embodies the aesthetic of what the band loves most about old-school soul tunes — the slow dance-inducing rhythm, the memorable and sweet melody, and the theme of longing and desire.
The daughter of a music minister, Bryant grew up singing and playing music for church services under her father’s direction. One of her first memories performing involves singing as an angel in a nativity play and backing up the church band in her traditional small-town community. She and guitarist Bailey Faulkner met while attending Appalachian State in Boone, NC, and started playing together after Bryant began guesting with Faulkner’s rock band. Their time playing at local bars and venues proved to be a foundational step for the pair as they learned from other musicians and friends in the local scene, and eventually, they began co-writing the songs that would eventually become their debut album.
Not Your Little Girl represents the culmination of years of dedication and a decided shift in Bryant and Faulkner’s outlook on their future – to unabashedly make their presence known. The collection exhibits fierce independence, a fiery spirit and a deep love for and understanding of American Roots and soul music.
