Nashville Native Gabe Lee Readies New Album “The Hometown Kid”

Many country music artists are based in Nashville, and many more come to the city every year to “make it” in the mecca of the country industry. But a very select few country performers are actually from there. Gabe Lee is one of those rare few, and he’ll be offering his assessments and perspectives on his hometown along with other heartfelt expressions in a new album called The Hometown Kid. Lee’s third album overall, it will be released on October 28th via the Torrez Music Group.
First emerging with his 2019 debut album farmland, Gabe Lee quickly distinguished himself as a top flight songwriter in the field of new independent country performers, and an incredibly passionate and soulful singer with songs like “Eveline” and “Emmylou.” The son of Taiwanese immigrants, Gabe grew up in the church where his mother played piano, and the appeal for the culture he was surrounded by in Nashville took hold.
But it wasn’t until Gabe Lee left Nashville to go to college in Indiana that he was able to give a deeper assessment of his surroundings. This also happens each time he takes off on tour.“This album is about departing and returning to your hometown,” says Gabe. “More specifically, it’s about the discovery, searching, and maturing that comes not only with being gone, but with returning to the place you come from.”
This is what you hear in the album’s debut single “Rusty” (listen below). The Hometown Kid was recorded at the Farmland Studio in Nashville, with most of the twelve songs tracked live. Pedal steel and fiddle help keep the songs grounded in country roots, but Gabe Lee gives himself the latitude to utilize the sounds and attitude of Heartland rock to flesh out some of these songs as well, while others have a distinctly John Prine jug band feel to them.
Gabe Lee continues to be one of the most underrated songwriters and performers in the current independent country wave that is swelling into a tsunami, threatening to consume Nashville and cleanse the streets of the wannabes and copycats. Few can walk down the sidewalk of Music City and claim to be born and raised there. Gabe Lee isn’t just one of those very few, he’s also on the cutting edge of returning the substance and soul to the music of Nashville than made it a destination for country performers and hopefuls in the first place.
TRACK LIST:
1. Wide Open
2. Over You
3. Lucky Stars
4. Buffalo Road
5. Rusty
6. Kinda Man
7. Lonely
8. One Of These Days
9. Longer I Run – Hammer Down
10. Never Rained Again
11. Long Gone
12. Angel Band

August 31, 2022 @ 7:56 am
Finally some good news! I was going to see in late March of 2020, but…
Hope to catch him this time around.
August 31, 2022 @ 9:11 am
Agreed! I didn’t like a few of his earlier tunes where it seemed he was trying to sound like someone else, but rest of his work won me over and now he is a favorite.
September 1, 2022 @ 6:07 am
He did an Instagram live Full Concert in April 2020. Where were you?
September 1, 2022 @ 3:04 pm
Obviously not on Instagram.
August 31, 2022 @ 8:20 am
Dude is a legit talent as anyone out there now. Those who don’t know who he is are missing out.
August 31, 2022 @ 8:21 am
Gabe lee is so criminally underrated it hurts. There’s not a single bad song off of honky tonk hell. Hopefully this next album pushes him to the next level.
Speaking of criminally underrated, have you guys listened to “Goodbye LA”, the jeremy pinnell album from october 2021? Certain well-informed characters are beginning to murmur that it “rips” “really fucking hard”? Idk i’m just excited for trig to review it.
August 31, 2022 @ 2:21 pm
Don’t hold your breath, The Flatlanders (all individually legends) released one of the best albums of the year last year, independently, and not there was no review at all. Additionally, Joe Ely also released a solo record as well which was ignored. These are three guys who are basically the essence of what independent country songwriting is all about. Without them the music world would be a lot different. Hopefully the album does get reviewed, I will check it out later. I bought the Flatlanders double vinyl and play it very often. The whole thing is insane. Lloyd Maines absolutely crushing the production as is to be expected.
August 31, 2022 @ 2:39 pm
Trig’s doin all he can brotha and we appreciate him. That flatlanders record does rip, I think they have new music coming out on friday too. Also thanks for the rec on the Joe Ely record, I’ve never heard of him.
TRJPAR
September 1, 2022 @ 5:28 am
never heard of Joe Ely? he did and still does rip!!
August 31, 2022 @ 3:59 pm
Didnt know about that Flatlanders release. Thanks for mentioning it. I saw them live about a decade ago, and they were great. Ryan Bingham opened for them and he had just put out his debut album, so what a memory. Saw Butch Hancock live a couple years ago, and of course Jimmy Dale toured a bit with Dave Alvin. Yeah, they are interesting characters. Looks like that album you reference has a bunch of covers, maybe thats why Trig didnt get to it.
Jim Bones, not your real name im sure, unless you are Jeremy Pinnell going by a surname, your whole ongoing schtick is worn out man. It aint happening, let it go.
Gabe Lee is a talent, not sure exactly how to categorize him. My brother in law who is asian , is excited to see an asian playing country/ americana/ heartland rock, whatever you call it. Hes got a decent voice.
September 1, 2022 @ 10:39 am
Ian (and everyone else),
I have been answering this question for going on 15 years, and I’m beginning to lose my patience. I have gone through great personal and financial sacrifice to keep Saving Country Music going to help highlight under-appreciated artists in country music. I review a shitload of material, and what I don’t review, I try to highlight in other ways. But I can’t review everything. There is an INSANE amount of music coming out each week, and I now spend more time just trying to screen it and keep everything in order than actually reviewing it.
Joe Ely’s career is not going to hinge on whether I review his latest record like it might for Gabe Lee, Anna Tivel, or Bri Bagwell. This is my topmost priority. I think Joe Ely is great and I may review one of his albums soon. But if I don’t it CANNOT be read as some sort of insult to him. It probably has more to do with time, I just don’t know what to say, or the fact that he’s not really a country artist, he’s more of a country rock guy on the fringes of what I cover.
I’m honored that you and others think so much of my opinions that you care whether I review and album or not. But you have to put yourself in my shoes, and see the INSANE amount of content that is dumped into my lap every day. I do the best I can, and offer all of my content to the public for free. Your understanding is appreciated.
August 31, 2022 @ 9:40 am
This guy is good. So much better than what gets passed off as “country” in today’s industry. I really hope he find great success!
August 31, 2022 @ 10:42 am
Man I hate to echo what everyone else says, but it’s a shame he’s not bigger than he is. Great songwriter and singer and completely underrated
August 31, 2022 @ 4:39 pm
CAT Diesel Power…love that jacket. Great talent also.
September 1, 2022 @ 10:31 pm
It’s just hipster posing. He has never and will never make his living from the sweat of his brow. “Blue collar regalia” is the equivalent of a workingman wearing tails and a top hat to his drywall gig. An indication of this clown’s pretensions.
September 2, 2022 @ 1:58 am
I saw him at a small venue in Rochester, NY last year. It was an acoustic set and he recorded an EP from that show. My friend and I talked to him afterwards and he was really cool. We talked about country music and football and he asked what our jobs were. I was kind of embarrassed to say I was in food service but he said he either was or had been. Your comment is ridiculous. Gabe is an excellent singer and songwriter. Who the hell are you to question how hard someone has worked? It sure isn’t easy for someone trying to make a living as an independent artist. Consume a satchel of richards.
September 2, 2022 @ 12:09 pm
Knew I shoulda gone with my other jacket!
September 2, 2022 @ 12:17 pm
I know plenty of weekend warriors who literally hang drywall. As ridiculous as it is to gatekeep what someone does for a living, could you at least be an *accurate* asshat next time?
September 3, 2022 @ 12:55 pm
Not like those old time singers we all love, those custom Stetsons and Nudie suits are exactly what they wore when they personally were riding the range and roping steers on long cattle drives. Come on now. Half the artists we enjoy never made their “living from the sweat of his brow” because they were musicians since childhood. And when they were blue collar they played music in the hopes of making money and getting rich and never having to work again if possible.
October 27, 2022 @ 11:01 am
I’ll bet your entire political philosophy is shaped by one guy in Florida who’s never worked a day of hard labor in his life.