FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/b><\/p>\n
November 29, 2016<\/b><\/p>\n
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Leslie Tom to release self-titled EP in February<\/b><\/p>\n
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Timeless music offers Tom\u2019s traditional-modern spin on country music,<\/b><\/p>\n
accompanied by a number of legendary Nashville session players<\/b><\/p>\n
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Denver-based country singer-songwriter Leslie Tom is scheduled to release her new, self-titled EP on February 17, 2017. \u00a0Produced by John Macy (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Richie Furay, Los Lobos) and recorded at Cinderella Sound in Nashville, the record features a veritable \u201cwho\u2019s-who\u201d of legendary session players, including Lloyd Green on pedal steel, Country Music Hall-of-Famer Hargus \u201cPig\u201d Robbins on keys, and long-time Garth Brooks guitarist Chris Leuzinger, among others. The EP also features a dusty-road duet with rising country star Kevin Moon on the song \u201cMy Only Addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhat I love about the EP is that it\u2019s the first record I\u2019ve done where I\u2019ve co-written all but one song on it,\u201d says Leslie. \u201cI have stayed very close to my traditional country roots.\u201d<\/p>\n
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From the twangy slide guitar and fiddle interplay on the Dear John kiss-off \u201cHank You Very\u00a0 Much,\u201d to the honky-tonk-shuffle relationship reality check \u201cBreakin\u2019 My Own Heart,\u201d to the familial bonds explored in both \u201cEvery Other Friday\u201d (a nostalgic nod at Tom\u2019s relationship with her dad) and \u201cHardest Thing I\u2019ll Ever Do\u201d (a tip of the hat to Tom\u2019s daughter and navigating the difficulties and joys of parenthood), the self-titled release is, at its heart, about relationships, as viewed through a traditional country lens.<\/p>\n
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You can\u2019t get much more traditional country than the artist Tom chose to cover on this release: her cover of Patsy Cline\u2019s last single, \u201cLeavin\u2019 On Your Mind,\u201d is a torch song rife with jazzy-bluesy piano that kicks up the tempo just a little bit without losing any of the emotional tug that made the original a powerful country classic.\u00a0 In a case of full-circle rightness, Pig Robbins, who played on Cline\u2019s version, also played keys on this version.<\/p>\n
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Says Tom about the EP: \u201cI want people to realize that country music in the true sense of the definition is still very much alive and well.\u00a0 I\u2019m more proud of this EP than I\u2019ve felt about any piece of work I\u2019ve shared.\u00a0 I have nothing left to prove.\u00a0 These songs are the stories of my life written without worry if I\u2019ll fit in to what is being played on mainstream radio and celebrated by today\u2019s \u2018country\u2019 fans.\u00a0 This is me\u2026 all me.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Leslie Tom<\/i> will come out on the heels of her latest single, \u201cDidn\u2019t Think Twice\u201d (an alternate version of which will be available on the forthcoming EP).\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t Think Twice\u201d was released on Veteran\u2019s Day, November 11, 2016.\u00a0 The song is a moving tribute to her grandfather, Milton Smallwood Alexander, and his service during World War II in Normandy, as well as a document of the sacrifices those serving tours of duty in our armed forces still make today on behalf of their country; it features guest vocals by ex-Navy SEAL Pete Scobell.\u00a0 All proceeds from the sale of the single go to the Travis Manion Foundation (www.travismanion.org), a non-profit organization empowering veterans and the families of fallen soldiers.<\/p>\n
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From the first few notes of a Leslie Tom song, you\u2019re instantly taken back to a time when singers like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn were winning the hearts of country music lovers everywhere. But keep listening, and you\u2019ll hear a voice and a sound that are remarkably current, even timeless. Combining relatable lyrics with her bubbly, sassy personality and an unmistakable voice, along with fiddle and pedal steel guitar, Tom puts her own traditional-modern spin on country music.<\/p>\n
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Born and bred in the heart of Texas, she cut her teeth listening to Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Bob Wills on the radio of her father\u2019s Ford truck. Her own musical journey began at age 7, picking up the violin and clarinet before settling on piano, and eventually developing her vocal skills and songwriting chops. In the years since, Tom has sung on stage in front of tens of thousands of people, appeared on television music competitions, released two critically acclaimed studio projects and performed for enthusiastic audiences around the world. Her musical journey has taken her from the honky-tonks of south Texas to a stint in Nashville, then back to Texas, before settling in Colorado in 2014.<\/p>\n
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