One of the most striking things here is that despite being so young, teenage songwriter Carleigh Nesbit has lined up so many local acoustic heavyweights to back her on her new album The Flower To The Bee and at its release show. Mentor Devon Sproule pointed her toward local producer and engineer Jeff Romano, who milked his Rolodex for all it was worth to rustle up help from violinist Ann Marie Calhoun, mandolin player Andy Thacker, Sons Of Bill guitarist Sam Wilson, 6 Day Bender’s Luke Nutting, and a whole slew of others. To be fair, though, a lot of it also has to do with Nesbit herself, who is clearly far more interested in local music than most of the other teenagers rampaging around the mall.

But Romano also had an impact beyond simply playing matchmaker, actually coaxing the promising young musician out of her shell on some tracks. Nesbit says she tends toward the first-person when writing lyrics, and it was Romano who encouraged her to work on a third-person narrative. The result was “Anna’s Tambourine,” which feels like the album’s centerpiece in part because it’s the only song which mentions Jesus. “I just sort of started writing about that. I felt like it was out of my realm at first, says Nesbit. “Boys are one thing to take on, but God is a whole other thing.”

Both the show and the album are highly recommended for fans of Devon, whose influence from songwriting lessons years ago still shines through.

Carleigh Nesbit - Three Steps Out The Door
Carleigh Nesbit - River Run Dry
Carleigh Nesbit - Turn On The Heat
Carleigh Nesbit - Your City Skies
Carleigh Nesbit - Three Steps Out The Door [live, with Carl Anderson]