Magnolia Boulevard

If patience is a virtue, then the current state of Magnolia Boulevard plays right into the long-held notion that sonic grandeur evolves in its own time and place — one where the Lexington, Kentucky, rock-n-soul act is aiming to break into a national audience ready and roaring for the quintet’s soaring talents.

“Things happen when they’re supposed to happen,” lead singer/guitarist Maggie Noelle says. “And I’m so proud of this music coming out now with this group of dudes — it’s like we’re finally getting what we kind of deserve.”

“We know who we are now, and we know what we want to do,” adds keyboardist Ryan Allen. “We know what we want to sound like. Everybody involved is on the same path. We’ve got the same mission and we feel good about it. These songs have been cared for and thought about, where everything is happening with intention — there’s purpose behind the music.”

That mission of luminous tone and honest intent is no more apparent than Magnolia Boulevard’s latest self-titled album. Captured by legendary Kentucky producer Duane Lundy, the eight-song LP runs the gamut of genres, all with thick threads of the blues and soul radiating from the tracks.

“We like a lot of different things, so let’s start a band that’s blues and soul, the rest being whatever else we feel like adding,” Allen says. “These are songs and stories of the struggles of Appalachian people, these little snapshots of time of what it’s like to live around here.”

“Inspiration comes and goes,” Noelle adds. “I’ve realized, in these later years of songwriting, I tend to write about my current life and where my heart is.”