Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Gwen Sebastian released her new album Friday.

And “Once Upon a Time in the West, Act 1” quickly found its way to number one on the iTunes singer-songwriter albums chart.

Gwen says the title is a nod to the sound she was looking for on the album.

“I wanted it to sound like a bit of a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack, like an old Spaghetti Western,” she told Voice Views.

It’s also distinctive from her previous albums in that Gwen had a hand in writing all 13 songs, including the title track, which sets the stage for a grittier type of country music.

Since appearing on Season 2 of The Voice, Gwen also released a self-title album in 2013. She toured and recorded a number one hit duet (“My Eyes”) with Blake Shelton. And she’s now a member of Miranda Lambert’s touring band.

In fact, Miranda is a co-writer on three tracks from the new album, including lead single “Cadillac” and “I’m Not with the Band,” a song Gwen says they wrote with Anderson East and April Lewis at the Sunset Hotel on a trip to L.A.

Among the other tracks you’ll definitely want to check out from the new album — “Quicksand,” the clever “Losers and Lashes” and the ballad “Cry to Jackson.”

The album was produced by her husband, Louis Newman. And it was still number four on the iTunes singer-songwriter album chart Sunday morning, more than 48 hours after its release.

But why “Act 1?”

You can probably guess. Gwen says Act 2 is already in the works and could be released sometime in 2018.

You can follow Gwen through her Facebook page and website.

Here’s the title track from the new album.

Like Westerrns? Check out my blog Once Upon a Time in a Western, featuring reviews of more than 200 Spaghetti Westerns, nearly 200 Westerns released since 2000 and lots more.