Ashley Ray is Lightning 100’s Local Artist of the Week! Ashley Ray is a Nashville-based country singer-songwriter from Lawrence, Kansas. She studied music at Belmont, but was subject to rejections in the music industry for years. Since breaking into the scene, she has released three studio albums and a handful of singles. Outside of her solo career, she has written material for artists such as Little Big Town, Wade Bowen, and Lady A, among others. Her style combines the emotional motivation and vocal style behind country music with the instrumentation of rock music.
“Dirty Work” begins with a bold fill from the drums and guitar, which quickly dies down into the song’s verse. From here onwards, the instrumental is simple and effective, with a looped drum beat and guitar riff. The bass functions similarly, but with a bit more groove factor behind its flow. Some sections cut out parts of this three-piece instrumentation, but the focus remains on the vocals throughout the song. Ray’s voice is powerful and in-your-face, with hints of raspiness and sass. As the song relates to Ray’s family lineage, she reaches a certain level of emotion only found in works tied so closely to the artist.
Ashley Ray originally released “Dirty Work” as a single to promote her upcoming album Pauline. Ray named the 2020 album after her grandmother, who was also a musician. Ray’s most recent song is the single “Better Now”, which released in 2021. Although she has not announced any new music for this year, Ray will be performing at a few events this spring. Tickets for her upcoming performances, including a show right here in Nashville, are available here. Otherwise, be sure to keep up with Ashley Ray through her social media accounts and her website. Also, feel free to check out the official music video for “Dirty Work” below!
Listen all week to hear “Dirty Work” as we feature Ashley Ray as our Local Artist of the Week! Listen live on-air at 100.1FM or at lightning100.com.
