There’s a local girl making waves in the country music world, and her name is Shaylin McGuire. Born and raised in Glasgow, she’s already made a splash in Nashville, where she’s done a lot of live shows with bands comprised of some of Nashville’s top-notch players. She also won a competition at Opry Mills Mall earlier this year, and has competed in the world-famous Wildhorse Saloon’s house band competition. And established country stars have already had her open for them. So being the curious type that I am, I just had to experience one of her shows for myself, and I was not disappointed. She played the Plaza Theatre in Glasgow on June 20.

McGuire is a singer-songwriter who showed great versatility during this performance. She can sing them smooth and slow, just accompanied with an acoustic guitar, or can powerfully rock out a country tune with attitude without being overpowered by the band behind her. And that’s saying something, since the band, which she referred to as “her guys,” can really get into it, too. She had a four-piece behind her with Michael Parsley and Dana Hester on guitars, Mike Hester on bass, and Rodney Hull on drums. So everything was full speed ahead, and the performance was very impressive.

You can’t help but be taken in by McGuire’s voice. She is crystal clear, even when singing at the top of her lungs. Her range is very impressive as well. She has the charisma to be the center of attention, and knows how to work the crowd, getting off the stage several times to be with her fans in mid-song.

I’m not a country music expert, but I would say Ms. McGuire is “new country.” I used the term “rock out” above and you will hear a bit of rocking in her music. She certainly can handle that vocally; actually, she passes with flying colors. McGuire displays star power on stage, and you can just tell she loves what she’s doing. That always makes something good, great.

The material was a combination of original music and cover tunes. The set was a nice length, giving us plenty of time to see and hear a nice variety of her songs. It was a great showcase for her, in front of her hometown audience.

McGuire has a CD out, and it’s pretty good, too. Pick one up and hear for yourself. It’s called “Edge of Dreams,” and the title song is a great example of how she handles a ballad. If you want to experience that edge I’ve been talking about, I recommend “Without a Fight.” The CD even includes one cover, a fun version of Robert Palmer’s “Simply Irresistible.” She also drew the back cover of the package too, so the CD is all Shaylin McGuire. You can find it at www.shaylinmcguire.com, where you can sample the tunes and get lots of other info on Ms. McGuire.

Do it now, and you’ll be able to tell people you discovered her long before she became famous. And I think that should be sooner rather than later. She’s got a great shot at being the next south central Kentucky musician who makes it big.

About the author: Pennman bought his first 45 at age nine and has been hooked on rock ever since. He has spent much of his disposable income on music, especially live performances. He writes reviews of the shows he sees and keeps a keen lookout for upcoming shows in or near Bowling Green. He has a BA in Communications, specializing in journalism, and has dabbled in music himself, both as a player and instructor. Visit him at www.facebook.com/pennman