Cyndi Thomson revisits her perfect sanctuary with rare Tifton benefit performance

If you wonder whatever happened to charismatic girl next door Cyndi Thomson, hang tight for a thoroughly unplugged concert review along with plenty of photos and videos. The warm as honey, emotionally-charged country chanteuse unleashed a string of hits in the early aughts — the chart-topping “What I Really Meant to Say,” “I Always Liked That Best,” “I’m Gone” — and co-wrote Gary Allan’s Top Five “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful.” The singer-songwriter is seen above performing at the Paint Me Purple benefit in Nashville, Tennessee, on December 9, 2009, along with husband-guitarist D.J. Goodman. Photography by David Braud

Country chanteuse Cyndi Thomson infiltrated the collective consciousness like a shooting star. Dropped in the late summer of 2001, Thomson’s premiere record My World became the best-selling debut album by a female country artist since LeAnn Rimes’ Blue five years earlier. Three Top 40 hits were lifted from My World — “What I Really Meant to Say,” “I Always Liked That Best,” and “I’m Gone.” Debut single “What I Really Meant to Say” climbed all the way to number one, placing Thomson in elite company.

Possessing a charismatic girl next door vibe, the emotionally charged singer experienced constant touring and all the trappings that follow over-night stardom. Thomson’s personal contentment was fulfilled when she married producer-guitarist D.J. Goodman and had two children, Bella and Hayden.

Professionally it was another story by October 2002. In a shocking move that mystified listeners, a couple of weeks shy of her 26th birthday the former beauty queen voluntarily abandoned her Capitol recording contract and commitments at the height of her fame.

Thomson diligently cultivated a low profile, immersing herself in a “lost weekend” that bested John Lennon’s five-year sabbatical in the late ’70s. Repeated attempts were made to resuscitate her recording career with…