An ode to a Nashville icon from Toronto-via-Auckland balladeer Tami Neilson.  On her latest album, Neon Cowgirl, Tami channels Orbison and Aretha and brings some impressive guests along for the ride.

Release Date:  11^th July 2025

Label: Outside Music

Formats: CD / Vinyl (Aus & NZ only) / Digital

TAMI NEILSON

The Neon Cowgirl is an illuminated mural that sits high over Broadway in downtown Nashville.  Tami Neilson has always considered her as the ‘Patron Saint of Heartbreak’ and says that the cowgirl: “… represents a lifelong dream of chasing Nashville and country music.  I’ve loved her my whole life, even when she breaks my heart, over and over again.”

Born in Toronto, Tami Neilson grew up in a musical family.  The family toured Canada and the US relentlessly and it was during those hauls around the continent that Tami formed her relationship with the Neon Cowgirl.  Tami relocated to Auckland, New Zealand, in 2007 and she’s become a popular artist – a multiple award-winner – in her adopted country.  Indeed, her 2022 album, Kingmaker, hit the #1 position in the NZ album chart.

AN INSPIRATIONAL ROAD TRIP

The inspiration for Neon Cowgirl (the album, not the mural) cameduring a five-month road trip across North America in a 36-foot RV. The trip was originally intended as an opportunity for Tami to give her NZ-born children a taste of their family heritage, alongside pushing her career in the US, but plans shifted following a serious illness. Two months before the trip, she was hospitalised for a month with sepsis and spent time in ICU. 

Says Tami, “Our trip changed from one of me going full throttle to make a good dent in my career to one of recovery and slow healing. It became a time of embracing life fully and savouring the precious time with my family in a way one does only after a near-death experience.

We zig-zagged across the country, from the ghostly halls of Graceland to the technicolour desert of Salvation Mountain, across neon graveyards in Las Vegas to driving alongside herds of buffalo in Montana. I collected the seeds for these songs in each place along the way. When they blossomed, there were crossbreeds of Presley and Patsy, Orbison and kd lang- the blues of Memphis, the twang of Texas, the cinematic torch of Judy Garland on a Hollywood soundstage. But, mostly, it became a love letter to my Neon Cowgirl.”

A VOICE – AN ACE CARD

And the result of all that upheaval and anguish is an album that looks dead set to emulate the success of its chartbusting predecessor.  For starters – Tami is joined by a stellar cast of impressive guests that include Neil Finn, Ashley McBride and JD McPherson.  Second, she’s supported by an impressive group of musicians and arrangers that tackle the range of musical styles on Neon Cowgirl – big ballads, country, gritty, bluesy, swampy rock and gospel-tinged soul with consummate ease and mastery. 

But the album’s ace card is, without any doubt, that Tami Neilson voice – comfortable in any pitch or register and capable of conveying emotions that range from sympathy and tenderness right the way through to arrogance and aggression.  And you’ll never doubt for one second that she really means it.

CHANNELING ORBISON, CHANNELING FRANKLIN

Neon Cowgirl gets off to a grand start with Foolish Heart, a tender ballad that provides early notice of exactly what that voice can do.  It stands alone, way out at the front, despite the rich orchestration, in a way that suggests that Roy Orbison had a female cousin that we weren’t aware of.

At the other extreme, Salvation Mountain is a gritty road song with nice, dirty guitar licks and some delicious, simmering organ from keyboardist Steph Brown.  And it’s here that we get the first hint of Tami’s ability to channel Aretha Franklin, as she hits the high notes on the song’s chorus. 

INTRODUCING THE GUESTS…

Guest Neil Flynn makes his appearance of the album’s breathtaking title track.  It’s a song that starts life as a soft confessional with acoustic guitars taking the instrumental initiative, before the band slowly gather pace to turn the affair into a huge, huge, ballad.

A remarkable feature of Neon Cowgirl is the ease with which Tami and her band shrug aside generic boundaries and that skill is particularly apparent in Borrow My Boots, a song that blends a country bar-room stomp with sheer, pure, gospel.  Ashley McBryde, Grace Bowers and Shelley Fairfield provide the backing vocals and their impact is awe-inspiring.

ABSOLUTE ASSURANCE

I’ve a feeling that Tami is no stranger to John Fogerty’s swamp-rock experiments, an assumption that’s partly prompted by the soul-tinged grit of Love Someone.  The band – organ, sprinkles of guitar and a rock-solid rhythm section – are on fire, the backing vocals are, once again, stunning, and – best of all – Tami struts and sings with absolute assurance.

Heavenly harmonists The Secret Sisters are the guest backing vocalists for the strident ballad, Keep On.  The song provides Tami with yet another opportunity to impress with her vocal range and control; the song has a bluesy feel, but the backing vocals and lush orchestration lift things to another level entirely.

YOU’RE GONNA FALL

Tami is a long-time admirer of Oklahoman singer-songwriter JD McPherson and, when she came up with You’re Gonna Fall – the album’s lead single – she knew that JD was the man she needed to make the song work to best effect.  She takes up the story: “I was sitting on my friend Nicole Atkins’ front porch in Nashville, eating pizza while she smoked a cigarette and talked music biz shorthand at the speed of a tiny tornado. She asked me who my dream collaborators would be, I said I would love to work with JD McPherson. She said, ‘No way, he’s one of my best friends! He lives in Oklahoma, but he’s actually in town this week, producing Jessica Simpson at RCA studios down the road, let me text him!’

It was almost midnight. He responded saying he was just wrapping up and was tired and heading back to his hotel to get some sleep. She then responded with a video clip of me performing at the Ryman, winked at me and said, ‘Just wait…’ Her phone pinged with a text from him, ‘Bring cigarettes.’ We met up and chatted about our love of Nancy & Lee and country noir. So, when I wrote this song for the beloved NZ murder mystery TV series, ‘The Brokenwood Mysteries,’ I immediately asked him if he would be the Lee to my Nancy and he kindly said yes. Another bit of magic whipped up in Nashville by the Neon Cowgirl.”

The effort was well-worth it.  The tune hits the ears like a Western theme, complete with echo-y backing vocals and spooky noises.  Tami and JD take alternate lines during the verses and JD sings an earthy harmony during the chorus – exactly like Nancy & Lee!  The song is strong and assured, with a hook that any listener will find irresistible

KEEP ON CHOOGLIN’

Loneliness of Love is exactly the piano ballad that its title suggests it will be.  Tami doesn’t really do weepies, but she manages a tender tone in her voice and Steph Brown’s piano mirrors the song’s mood and intensity perfectly.  And the Creedence groove is back for the gritty U-Haul Blues.  When I first heard John Fogerty mention ‘chooglin’,’ I didn’t really understand what he meant, but U-Haul Blues is one of those that compels you to keep on doin’ it, regardless.

AMAZING VOCALS

And, to close this remarkable album, Tami reprises the Orbison mood for the massive One Less Heart.  Tami’s voice is at its embracing, passionate, best; the instrumentation is spot-on, with twangy guitar and Neil Watson’s pedal steel providing the jewels in the crown.  It’s a big ballad, sung by one of the most amazing vocalists that I’ve heard in a very long time.

There’s something for everyone on Neon Cowgirl.  My advice: Give it a spin.

Watch the official video to You’re Gonna Fall – the album’s lead single (featuring JD McPherson) – below:

Tami Neilson online: Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X (formerly Twitter) / TikTok / YouTube / Bandcamp

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