It's long a road from Kodiak to Nashville, but Rachele Lynae never had any doubt she'd find it. In fact, this 20-something never doubted she'd find it, and navigate its twists and turns skillfully. Don't mistake her for some braggadocios up-and-comer or some young whippersnapper anxious to leave her mark however.

The 12 songs on her self-titled debut album -- available at iTunes now -- introduce a girl who likes to have a good time but is grateful for every opportunity and every word of encouragement. She's been humbled, but scars are a good thing in country music. One song called 'Sometimes You Fly' almost missed the cut because she wasn't sure she should share it.

Rachele Lynae album
Momentum Records
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“The story that it came from didn’t turn out as happy as the song," Lynae admits during a phone interview with Taste of Country. She holds back sensitive details, as an artist is wont to do when talking about what inspires her most personal creations.

“It was written about the early stages of falling in love," she adds starting to laugh, "and so I joke that it should be called ‘Sometimes You Fall Flat on Your Face.’”

Lynae was born in California but raised in Alaska and Washington. Her household was full of fishing rods and music. Her dad's mom played in a traveling quartet called the Colorful Sounds part-time, but aside from her and a father who liked to sing, few in her family had dared to dream behind the sea.

Sometimes it's difficult to go first, but not for Lynae. “The dream didn’t seem too big to reach because it’s all that I wanted," she says from her home office.

Jamie O'Neal produced 'Rachele Lynae' and helped the young singer write two songs. Lynae's pen was used for all 12, resulting in a deeply personal project lightened by a few uptempo moments. ‘Party ’Til the Cows Come Home’ is a fan-favorite at concerts (find her tour dates HERE). But it's the more introspective songs like 'Cigarette' and 'Clean' that leave a lasting impression.

The latter is about coming home to get clean. That means different things at different times in ones life. As a kid, perhaps it's literal. To a young woman with a broken heart, chasing her dreams thousands of miles away ... the song tells the story best:

“First time in that back pew in at least a year or two / I’d wandered out a little too far to chase a man I thought I knew / Falling to my knees the preacher spoke to me / Child come on down and get clean.” 

The dream didn’t seem too big to reach because it’s all that I wanted

“It’s at the core of who I am and also country music values in general," Lynae says about the song.

When she's not on stage or at home writing, you may still find Lynae near a pond or river with a rod in her hand. The daughter of a commercial fisherman took to the family trade afterall, just not in the same way. There's a fishing song on 'Rachele Lynae,' but it's not what you might be thinking.

"You're working that grin, but baby don't bother / You're fishing for something that ain't in the water," she sings during this female anthem.

Maybe she's got a little attitude after all.

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