Leah Blevins has released her sophomore album, All Dressed Up, a 10-track collection produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. The record, which arrived March 20, was recorded at Easy Eye Sound Studios in Nashville and marks an incredible new creative chapter for the rising country artist following her debut album, First Time Feeling.
Speaking with Music Mayhem about All Dressed Up, Blevins described her creative process as a balance of confidence and surrender. Now that the collection is complete, she says the work feels undeniably genuine.
“I’m just like, here it is. Take it or leave it,” she said, adding. “But it feels like this is the most authentic record I’ve made thus far.”
That authenticity stems in part from a dramatically different artistic approach, something Blevins called “foreign territory” up to this point. Known for typically writing solo and drawing from past co-writing sessions, this time she entered the studio with the intention of creating a cohesive, full-length body of work for All Dressed Up.
“The process of making this record was completely foreign territory for me,” she explains. “Dan has his own system, and it works. We were writing specifically for a record this time, which was new for me.”
Each session brought an element of surprise. Rather than knowing her collaborators ahead of time, Blevins often walked into the room without knowing who the third writer would be. “It was always three writers, Dan, me, and someone else,” she shared. “But I never knew who that third person would be. I’d try to pry, and Dan finally said, ‘When do you get to be surprised?’ That ended up being really beneficial for me.”
Across two intensive songwriting sessions, each spanning three consecutive days, Blevins and her team came up with 18 brand new original songs. From there, the final tracklist came together naturally. “These songs just made sense in terms of if we were trying to tell a story, the vulnerable aspect,” she says. “I think each song kind of exemplifies that vulnerability, which I think, anyone who knows me personally knows that’s kind of my way of navigating life as well.”
Ahead of the album’s release, Blevins offered a few early previews with “Be Careful Throwing Stones,” “Diggin’ In The Coal,” and the title track, “All Dressed Up,” each showcasing her blend of modern country and retro-leaning influences. The title track ultimately became the anchor of the album.
“I think it’s a takeaway of who I am, and just women in general,” she says of “All Dressed Up.” “We’ve all been in relationships where you’re giving your all and getting 1% back…. My granny always told me to never leave the house without lipstick and to always look put together, and just within that conversation, we all had a mutual understanding of like, ‘Wait, this could go here.’ And just putting the puzzle together essentially.”
“Be Careful Throwing Stones” carries a different kind of inspiration, naturally evolving into a musical homage to Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks.
“I’m such a fan of Stevie Nicks—who isn’t?” Blevins says with a laugh. “That song is kind of my nod to the era of Fleetwood Mac and Stevie in general. We went in with Daniel Tashian and Dan, and we were just being goofy. We just kind of found the melody, and it just slowly came out.”
In fact, both “Be Careful Throwing Stones” and “All Dressed Up” were written on the same day, a testament to the organic nature of the sessions.
That same spontaneity carried over into the visual side of the project. For the first time, Blevins leaned into creating music videos for each single, something she describes as both nostalgic and freeing.
“I grew up in the ‘90s when music videos were very prevalent,” she says. “Working with Ford Fairchild, everything has moved so quickly that there’s been no time to overthink, which is great for me.”
For the “Be Careful Throwing Stones” video, Blevins drew inspiration from personal memories and incorporated a flair for the dramatic.
“We could have gone in so many directions, but the dress that I wore in the video was the second choice for my wedding dress. So I was like, wait, I think we could pull something in that way from the Dixie Chicks, how it was very theatrical and kind of dramatic on its own,” Blevins said. “But that was kind of where my head was at. But again, very fast paced and just threw it at the wall and went with it.”
Filming often meant braving the elements, with many scenes shot outdoors in frigid temperatures. But the experience also brought unexpected moments of connection, such as one of the locations where Blevins would ride horses every Sunday, which served as a sweet, full-circle moment.
“For ‘Diggin’ in the Coal,’ we went right back to the same spot and filmed that video,” she said.
Musically, All Dressed Up brings together a balance of vulnerability and timeless influences.
On “Hey God,” Blevins delivers a stripped-down, folk-leaning plea filled with raw emotion, while “Diggin’ In The Coal” offers a breezy, galloping melody about discovering something meaningful in unlikely places.
“Lonely,” which Blevins calls her favorite track, leans into classic country heartbreak reminiscent of Patsy Cline.
“It’s so simple,” she says, adding that in the recording studio, she felt “the vocal on it is so clear, and there are breaks in it, and it’s not too perfect.”
Blevins also points to the closing track, “Centerfold,” as a standout for its energy and live-play appeal.
“It’s just fun to play,” she says.
Throughout the album, a unifying theme emerges: reflection and emotional honesty. “I think it’s about being reflective of your actions and what those actions parlay into relationships,” she explains. “That you once nurtured and are now nurturing yourself, depending on who you are in the story and the song.”
Raised in Sandy Hook, Kentucky, Blevins grew up surrounded by music, from bluegrass legends like Loretta Lynn and Keith Whitley to a wide range of influences spanning generations and genres. “Music was always part of my life,” she says. “My family had a band, and we sang in church. I was a background vocalist for years.”
It wasn’t until 2013, after moving to Nashville with a band that eventually split, that she decided to pursue a solo career. “I told myself, if this doesn’t work out, at least I tried,” she says. “And here we are.”
Initially, Blevins thought her path would lead strictly to songwriting. She spent her early days on Music Row knocking on doors and asking to sing demos, while also building connections the old-fashioned way. “I’d go to shows by myself, shake hands, and stay after to meet people,” she says. “That’s how I found my footing.”
Her persistence paid off, eventually leading to collaborations with Auerbach and others who helped shape All Dressed Up.
Despite her growing success, Blevins remains grounded in the influences that shaped her, from classic artists like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys to modern voices like Chris Stapleton.
“I’ve never had a vocal lesson,” she says. “I just pull from everything I’ve heard growing up. It’s all in there.”
Leah Blevins’ new album, All Dressed Up, is available now. For the latest news and updates follow along on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook and online at leahblevinsmusic.com.
