Coming fresh off her debut album, Roots & Dreams, Dusty Leigh brings sheer, sprightly rhythmic production to her first single, “Take a Ride with Me”. A summery tune written by Nashville songwriters Ava Paige and Corey Lee Barker, “Take a Ride with Me,” is sure to be an earworm living in your head rent-free. Reminding her of the times she and her dad spent hours in the car with the windows down and the radio blasting, chasing the sunshine, the song is a mellow invitation to slow down and enjoy life, hinting at what’s coming up on Leigh’s sophomore release.
Dusty went 5 rounds with Adobe & Teardrops to talk about her roots, influences, and her favorite songs right now.
Explain the title of your album.
Roots & Dreams is a literal ode to my roots and dreams. Completing my childhood dream and living a life making music and doing what I love.
Who would you love to collaborate with? why?
I can’t put my finger on one single person I’d love to collaborate with: there’s so many! Different people for different projects. For instance, I would love to collab with Dolly on a story-telling song, because she is so good at taking life and turning into a musical journey. I would have loved to collab with Don Williams on a good ole’ country love song because his vocals were like butter, and I love the richness his voice brings to the music. I would also love to collab with Taylor Swift. She’s a lyric genius with a mind that never turns off. I’m always so impressed with the visions she has and her ability to turn them into amazing songs, tours, etc. She’s the whole artist/musical package.
Do you have any go-to albums to listen to in the van?
I have go-to albums for just about anything, but road trips just hit different, and I always find myself listening to the stuff I grew up on. I have a playlist full of Bob Seger, John Cougar Mellencamp, Joe Cocker, The Boss, & Stevie Nicks.
Do you play covers at your shows? Why or why not?
I do! I love playing some of my favorite covers. I’m a huge Stevie Nicks fan so I cover a few of her songs in my set list, as well as a Dolly songs and a Guns N’ Roses song, too. I try to read the crowd to get a feel for what they’re into and perform accordingly. Everyone loves the classics that they can sing along and dance to.
Recent release you cannot stop listening to?
Clare Dunn’s “Unread” – She’s a total guitar-playing, music-making badass. I would love to see one of her shows live. She’s so high energy and really engages with her audience.