A ten-track reflection of Leslie Tom’s own journey intertwined with Hank Williams-inspired tales of addiction, love, heartache, and loss, can be found on the songstress’ new album, Ain’t It Something, Hank Williams, due March 23rd.
Recorded at Nashville’s Cinderella Sound Studios, produced by John Macy (Los Lobos, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) and featuring all-star players like Lloyd Green (pedal steel), Andy Hall (dobro on the somber “Angel of Death”), Walter Hartman (drums), Joe Reed (bass), and more, the record contains a healthy mix of Hank covers and Hank-inspired originals, some, such as “Are You Ready for Some Hanky Panky?” even stemming from seemingly ordinary conversation.
Tom relays the story behind the song, “Contrary to the song title, it’s NOT about sex. This is a tongue and cheek song about the life of Hank Williams that I’m very, very proud to have written with Dean Miller. The song idea came from my husband, who is amazing in a million ways but god-bless-him, does not have a creative bone in his body. While at a CD release party for a fellow Denver honky tonker, I casually mentioned to my girlfriend I needed to come up with a catchy phrase to put on a t-shirt and would love for the phrase to be about Hank Williams. Without skipping a beat, my husband turned, looked me dead in the eye and said, “Why don’t you get a shirt that says, ‘Are you ready for some Hanky Panky?’.” After I picked my jaw up off the floor (because the idea was not only creative but brilliant), I said to him…”