A former opera singer, Hanson's Valerie Barretto is finding success in country music

Wise guys might suggest there are more cows than opera singers in Hanson, but that bucolic South Shore town has produced its fair share of outstanding musicians in various genres. Valerie Barretto is the latest to hit the bright lights, and if her biography of the classically trained opera singer who becomes a country songwriter seems ready-made for a TV movie, the simpler truth is that when her striking vocals combine with some uniquely from-the-heart lyrics, the effect is nothing short of dazzling.

Barretto is releasing her debut album, “Hurt & Healing,” Sept. 8 with a show at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke.

Barretto has been performing around the area for several years, mostly doing pop and rock covers, and mixing in more and more country. But that’s a course that she didn't seem destined to follow when she graduated from UMass with a degree in classical vocal performance, concentrating on opera. As it turns out, there are not a lot of opera gigs on the South Shore.

“I had begun taking music lessons at age 13, and it was almost all classical training,” said Barretto recently. “Opera had always been a focal point and I studied classical vocal performance at UMass. After college, when I wanted to perform, I realized I had to do more pop and country, and I had been doing that for a few years.

“During COVID-19, when we were all sidelined from playing out, I listened to a lot of country music,” Barretto explained. “I think that is really where my origins lie and I’ve always loved storytelling and that’s a big part of country music, obviously. Listening to a lot of Maren Morris and Miranda Lambert, I started thinking, ‘Why don’t I just play country music?’ The more I thought it over, the more I became convinced this is what I should be doing.”

Concert review: Beach Boys bring 'Good Vibrations' to South Shore Music Circus

Barretto had been playing in local venues for a few years, but the urge to start crafting her own songs really came to the fore during that pandemic shutdown.

“I had been playing out off and on, pretty much starting right after college,” she noted. “But that couple-year hiatus we all got with COVID made me evaluate my life. Like a lot of people, I spent time looking inward and thinking what did I really want to do? Now, music is my full-time job and when I play out, I still do a lot of covers, but I also mix in my own originals.”

Barretto’s turn to striving for her own identity as a country artist involved some risk, of course, but fans around the region were supportive from the start.

“I can honestly say I have encountered no resistance and I think the audiences appreciated that this sets me apart from most singer-songwriters,” said Barretto. “I understand, if you don’t like country music, that’s fine, and I will still do pop and rock numbers. But I think that the audiences we have here on the South Shore have been kind of a blessing and the response I’ve gotten has always been positive.”

With the new album ready to drop, arranging the CD release show at Soundcheck Studios was a natural.

“I’ve been very affiliated with them going back to doing their open mikes,” said Barretto. “They typically host a lot of jam bands and Grateful Dead-type bands, but they’re trying to broaden their musical menu. They were nice enough to book me for this and it’s a little gem of a venue, close to home.”

It's Only Entertainment: Lucky Larrys for Weymouth's Corddry, Norwell's Coolidge returns to 'White Lotus' and more

Barretto quickly found a kindred soul in Annie Brobst, the North Shore country singer who headlined the recent country music fest on Quincy Common. Barretto asked her musical pal to join her on one of the songs on the new album and Brobst will be opening Thursday’s show.

Barretto’s songs have a striking candid quality, plus the knack of approaching the familiar subject of romance in new ways. “Cheers to Space,” for instance, deals with the experience of having a partner decide they need some space away from a relationship. “Another Love Song” is about the weariness one gets when you realize you’re the only one invested in a romance. And the stand-alone ballad “John’s Song” is a poignant memory of a young man gone much too soon.

“I would guess 99.9 percent of my songs are about stuff that happened to me,” Barretto said with a soft laugh. “I have yet to make up a song with no personal affiliation. ‘Cheers to Space’ is about an ex, and kind of like my revenge. And yes, I am a Taylor Swift fan and I realize the similarity.”

Movie review: Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock ride the 'Bullet Train'

“'Another Love Song’ is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” Barretto saud. “I actually do quote a Taylor Swift lyric there, kind of pay homage to her. That song is all about breakups and loss, and getting over it and moving on. I’ve gone through the whole thing, and know how you can be so hurt you are afraid to get into another relationship. But you have to get beyond that, and so the song is about coming full circle. ‘I don’t want to write another love song, but what can I do?’ It’s all about putting myself back together, and growing into being a new person. The whole album is about that ‘full circle’ concept, and I hope people can relate to it in their own ways.”

"John’s Song" is something else, a tribute in memory of a friend’s brother who died in 2021.

“For what would have been his 31st birthday, a bunch of us put together 31 acts of kindness, in his memory, and to help raise awareness of mental health,” Barretto explained. “My act was writing and recording that song. The response was absolutely overwhelming, and one of his family members came up and said, ‘You gave me John.’ I don’t know how you could hear something like that and not start crying, and I couldn’t. But it was good to see one of my songs have an impact like that.”

Movie review: Austin Butler shakes, rattles and rolls in Baz Luhrmann's 'Elvis' biopic

Barretto’s album is  available in CDs. The digital release is slated for Sept. 30, and after that she’ll be looking into wider distribution. She’s taking it one step at a time, but the first step of creating a memorable collection of her own songs has been a solid success.

Barretto is also playing at Anna’s Harborside in Plymouth on Friday night; at Tolson’s Tap Room in Pembroke on Saturday; and at The Mad Hatter in Weymouth on Sept. 15.

More homegrown country

Proof that the South Shore area has a burgeoning country scene comes in the return of Norton’s Timmy Brown, who headlines the Southside Tavern in Braintree on Friday night. Brown’s latest single is “Hey There Heartbreak,” and fans may have heard his recent singles like “Play It By Beer” or “If You Were Here.” Despite releasing his debut album during the COVID spring of 2020, Brown’s work has earned over half a million streams to date. Brown was also voted the local male artist of the year for 2016-17-18 by New England Country Music Awards.

Ghosted

Readers may recall our note about the excellent Americana band from Maine, The Ghost of Paul Revere, performing a stellar show at The Paradise in Boston a few weeks ago. Last Saturday the band played its final show in Portland, but there was also a cool announcement last week. The band’s final album, “Goodbye,” will be released on Americana Vibes, and that label will also release the band’s previous albums too. Griffin Sherry, Sean McCarthy, Max Davis and Chuck Gagne created some indelible music since The Ghost of Paul Revere started in 2011, and we’ll be on the lookout for any of their solo efforts in coming years.

Narrows Music Fest

We estimated more than 1,000 fans were at Sunday afternoon’s opening set by Mark Cutler and the Men of Great Courage at the Narrows Center Music Festival in Fall River, and the crowd kept growing. Cutler’s set included music from all eras of his lengthy career but the finale was one of his best. “Too Many Stars (and Not Enough Sky)” from The Raindogs’ first album was once again proof that ‘90s band was one of New England’s all-time best. The middle set was perhaps the most country-tinged we’ve ever heard Ward Hayden and the Outliers and Hayden was in fine voice. The newest Outlier, from the vast prairies of (checks notes) Brockton, bassist Greg Hall, also stood out in singing a rockin’ version of George Strait’s “I’m the Fireman.” Shemekia Copeland’s headlining set had much of the crowd up and dancing and her fiery finish was “It’s 2 a.m. (Do You Know Where Your Baby Is?)” which, as usual, is one of the hardest-rocking so-called blues numbers you'll ever hear.

Aerosmith at Fenway

Thursday finds Aerosmith landing (possibly for the last time?) at Fenway Park, while My Chemical Romance is wrapping up their two-night stand at the TD Garden. ... Friday has the legendary blues guitarist Walter Trout burning down the Spire Center; New York City female punk trio Thick at Brighton Music Hall; while Chet Faker hits the House of Blues; Bruno Mars performs at MGM Music Hall (and again on Sunday); and German metal crew Rammstrein takes on Gillette Stadium. ... Saturday has The Doobie Brothers at the Orpheum Theatre; The Jon Butcher Axis rocking the Spire Center; Wu-Tang Clan at Xfinity Center; songsmith James Bay at The Paradise; iconoclast Todd Snider at The Narrows Center; and She + Him (the duo of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) at the House of Blues. ... Sunday night catch incendiary blues-rocker Marcus King at the House of Blues; Lupe Fiasco at Big Night Live; and King Khan + the BBQ Show at Brighton Music Hall. ... Tuesday, look for Nathaniel Ratcliff and the Night Sweats lighting up Leader Bank Pavilion. ... Wednesday, hold on as Tom Jones comes swinging into the Orpheum Theatre.

'Steven Tyler made everyone's night': Rocker drops into Alba on 53 in Hanover

If you go

Who: Valerie Barretto

When: 8 p.m., Sept. 8

Where: Soundcheck Studios, 150 Corporate Park Drive, Pembroke

Tickets: $20 in advance or $25 at the door

Info: soundcheck-studios.com

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. Please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Hanson country singer Valerie Barretto releasing album at Pembroke gig