By Jeanni Ritchie
The first thing I noticed was the drummer. She could rock.
Yes, she. And yes, rock. Before Alli Walker even took the stage, I knew this wouldn’t be a typical country music set.
I was right! Nobody puts Alli Walker in a rhinestone corner. The Canadian-born, Nashville transplant in the black fringe vest, camo cowboy hat, black leather pants, blinged-out belt, and black boots was the love child of Patsy Cline and Axl Rose.
With original title tracks like The Whiskey’s Gone and I Saw the Devil, Alli proves that her songwriting is as strong as her vocals.
Playing the guitar as well as the electric bagpipe—backed by an incredible band—Alli took the audience through stories, singalongs, and genre-bending fun last month at Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center.
One set in particular transported me to my 1982 Camaro cruising down Jackson Street. Hotel California (Eagles), Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns N’ Roses), and Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi) had the teen in me rockin’ out, while Thunderstruck (AC/DC) had me ready to break out my best Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader moves.
Her setlist progressed right along with my own life, landing squarely in my domestic era with the country songs that soundtracked it—The Devil Went Down to Georgia (Charlie Daniels), Any Man of Mine (Shania Twain), and Redneck Woman (Gretchen Wilson).
Alli also performed the song she wrote and performed with Gretchen, First Time Living.
She played the Ryman in 2024, which was the same year her hit Nashville came out. I told her post-show about a TikTok I recorded in Nashville that suggested her song as the audio. It definitely fit the vibe of my video.
I’m on my way to Nashville,
Put you in the past-ville,
Take your memory and shake, shake it like my a— will…
Alli’s next set was all about trucks. Her hilarious I Like Big Trucks had that Sir Mix-a-Lot feel, while Wrong Side of the Truck Bed (HARDY) and Heart Like a Truck (Lainey Wilson) brought modern country to the stage.
She closed out the show with two originals—Come Hell or High Heels and Creek—before signing autographs and taking pictures with fans after the show.
A standout performance presented by the Arts Council of Central Louisiana, showcasing a dynamic performer with a sound—and presence—all her own.
