Premiere - Tiffany Williams & Dalton Mills: Worst of Both Worlds
With a friendship forged through the camaraderie of their native Kentucky music scene and a bond strengthened by songwriting, two Tennessee residents – Dalton Mills and Tiffany Williams – joined forces to bring us a duet project due for release this Friday, August 2nd. Today, we are thrilled to premiere the single “Worst of Both Worlds” from the three-song EP titled Wasted Luck.
Mills, a Bell County native, released his well-received self-titled debut album in 2020, and his sophomore effort, Good Place to Hide, was released to critical acclaim in 2024. He has opened for the likes of John R. Miller, Abe Partridge, Justin Wells, and 49 Winchester.
Photo by Emily Wakin
A coal miner’s daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter from Eastern Kentucky, Williams writes both songs and fiction. Her debut EP, When You Go, was released in January 2019 and charted on the North American College and Community Radio Folk Chart and the Folk DJ Chart. Her sophomore EP, I’ll Be Back Soon, reached No. 4 on the Folk DJ Chart, with the album coming in at No. 8. Her debut LP, All Those Days of Drinking Dust, was released August 19, 2022, peaking at No. 5 and No. 6 on the FAI Folk Chart and NACC Folk Chart, respectively. She is the recipient of the 2011 Jean Ritchie Fellowship for Appalachian Writing, a 2021 Kerrville New Folk songwriting competition finalist, a 2023 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist, and has been featured on NPR’s Mountain Stage and WMOT/NPR Live Sessions Finally Friday.
Photo by Danielle Shields
During the COVID pandemic, Mills contacted Williams about writing songs together. He sent the initial work of the not-yet-titled “Worst of Both Worlds.” Dalton was hoping to create a duet with the couple of verses he had so far developed for a male character. Tiffany responded to him with a chorus and away they went. Over the course of about a year of tweaking the song to their satisfaction, they realized how much they enjoyed writing together, so they decided to write a thematically contrasting song which became “I Remember You.” Once they decided to record the songs, they chose to round out the EP to include a cover of the Emmylou Harris version of A.P. Carter’s “Gold Watch and Chain,” but gave it their own personalization.
In the quipping style of John Prine and Iris DeMent, today’s feature single, “Worst of Both Worlds” is a humorous banter between old lovers. Both taking spirited digs at each other whilst proclaiming their fondness.
“I’ve got the worst of both worlds with you / Can’t stand it when you’re going / Can’t stand it when you come back too”
It’s an up-tempo romp that features some of the best musicians Kentucky has to offer: J. Tom Hnatow who produced, engineered, and played bass, acoustic guitar, dobro, electric guitar, pedal steel, and keys; Aaron Smith who added drums, percussion, mandolin, and fiddle; Duane Lundy at the Lexington Record Company to mix; and Justin Perkins at Mystery Room Mastering to master.
Take the first listen to the Williams/Mills duet here: “Worst of Both Worlds” and then pre-save the EP, Wasted Luck ahead of Friday’s release.
