Pistol Annies
Interstate Gospel
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The most pleasant surprise for me this decade has been the emergence of Pistol Annies as a creative force in modern country music. My admiration for the artistic sensibilities of Miranda Lambert has been well-documented, but I’ve come to acquire a deeper appreciation for Ashley Monroe, and a new affection for Angaleena Presley.
The trio got the ball rolling on their third album, Interstate Gospel, at the beginning of this year when Lambert sent Monroe and Presley a verse and chorus to a song she was working on. Within 20 minutes they had each sent back a verse. That song, “When I Was His Wife,” is a blistering waltz from the heightened perspective of a woman post-divorce:
He’d never cheat, he’d never lie
He’ll love me forever ’til the day that we die
He’ll never take me for granted I
Said that too when I was his wife
God, he looks handsome in the bright morning light
His smile can light up your world for a while
His love is enough to keep me satisfied
I said that too when I was his wife
He’s funny as hell, hot as July
He’s strong when I’m weak, sweet when I cry
I’ll always be the apple of his eye
I said that too when I was his wife
The keen sense of awareness they tapped into on “When I Was His Wife” permeates throughout the record. Presley takes the lead on “This Too Shall Pass,” a not-so-delicate ballad about being trapped in a dead-end relationship. The true cost of staying in that relationship, the subject of the gorgeous “Leavers Lullaby,” finds Monroe at a moment of clarity:
When did I get this crazy?
When did I get so mean?
Living wild and exhausted
Paying what it cost to feel so free
Run along, little daddy, take the dog and the house and dang me
It ain’t worth the time that it’s gonna take to change me
It’s as deep as the holler and clear as the water that stains me
I want whatever it is I ain’t gettin’ from you
I know you need me to need you
I tried to teach you to be tough
There’d be no such thing as leaving
If just loving somebody was enough
“Best Years of My Life,” the purest moment on the record and one of the strongest mainstream country songs released this year, happens when you realize just what it takes to get you through the day:
I picked a good day for a recreational Percocet
I’ve got an itch to just get high
I’m in the middle of the worst of it
These are the best years of my life
I’ve got the hankering for intellectual emptiness
I’ve got the need to ease my mind
I’ll watch some re-runs on the TV set
These are the best years of my life
I’m gonna mix a drink and try to drown this worthlessness
Call mom and tell her I’m alright
Well he don’t love me but he ain’t gone yet
These are the best years of my life
“Masterpiece” finds a couple on the brink, questioning the possibility of undoing what to the rest of the world seems so perfect. The song, which Lambert said needed to be written, celebrates the darker side of being “that couple:”
Baby, we were just a masterpiece
Up there on the wall for all to see
We were body and soul, we were talked about
Once you’ve been framed you can’t get out
Who’s brave enough to take it down?
Who’s fool enough to lose the crown?
We’re just another thing they’ll all forget about
They’ll be standing around laughin’
Like nothing ever happened
All these moments of clarity reach their apex on “Got My Name Changed Back,” which has never made reclaiming your personal identity sound more fun. It has some clever wordplay, a nice dose of dobro, and a melody that’s catchy as hell. “Milkman” is melodically softer than its lyric, which finds a daughter putting her mother on blast for judging her personal choices:
If mama would’ve loved the milkman
Maybe she wouldn’t judge me
If she’d’ve had a ride in his white van
Up and down Baker Street
On a Monday with her hair down and hand about to slide between his knees
But mama never did love nothin’ but daddy and me
If mama would’ve smoked her a cigarette
Maybe she wouldn’t judge me
If she’d’ve done more than the dishes
Untied them apron strings
She’d be sittin’ in her sundress on the back porch mixing whiskey and sweet tea
Mama never did think twice about feelin’ this free
Mama never liked to pick wildflowers
Drinkin’ on a Sunday was a sin
She might’ve made it past the water tower
If she’d’ve loved the milkman
“Sugar Daddy” is about reclaiming your power by knowing and getting exactly what you want. “Stop Drop and Roll One” is unapologetically defiant, with the hard edge of pure country rock. “Cheyenne” finds Lambert enviously singing about a very flawed woman:
She lives for the nightlife and trashy tattoos
She loves country music and broken-in boots
Nobody can blame her for the chip on her shoulder
She finds plenty of pool-table cowboys to hold her
Her daddy says she was destined for sadness
And her grandmama Lily’s to blame for the madness
The only forever she knew ended tragic
So she’ll fall the night while the neon light flashes
If I could trade love like Cheyenne
If I could be just as cold as the beer in her hand
If I could move men and mountains with a wink and a grin
Oh, if I could treat love like Cheyenne
Another of the album’s shining moments, the title track, celebrates all those signs we see along the highways and backroads, not billboards, but those ones on the lawns of churches and the like that often display inspirational messages. “Interstate Gospel” isn’t just a great title for a classic country shuffle, but it lyrically ties the whole record together:
These church signs, they light up these roads that I roam
They’re leading me closer, they’re calling me home
The further I get, the further I go
This interstate gospel is saving my soul
This interstate gospel is saving my soul
Interstate Gospel, as far as mainstream country albums go, saved my soul, too. “Got My Named Changed Back” is lyrically thin with all the repetition and the “la-la-la” and “oh-oh-ohs” throughout are disconcerting. But overall this is a great album and well worth the five-year wait.
Predictions for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards
February 11, 2016Country music fans have much to look forward to come Grammy Night, which is coming up on Monday this year. Carrie Underwood and Sam Hunt will croon their duet “Heartbreat.” Chris Stapleton is slated to join Bonnie Raitt and others in a tribute to B.B. King. Luke Bryan is joining a slew of pop artists in honoring Lionel Richie, who is the Grammys MusiCares Person of the Year. Little Big Town will take the stage as well.
Best of all is the last minute announcement is that Eagles will honor Glenn Frey along with their good friend Jackson Browne. The rest of the show promises to be equally as jammed packed, with just about every major artist under the sun slated to take the stage.
Here are my predictions for the country nominees, plus categories that feature artists marketed within the country or American Roots genres. Please leave a comment and let me know who you think/hope will walk away with Grammy Gold.
Best Country Solo Performance
This is a very solid group of nominees. Perennial favorite Carrie Underwood has lost this category only once – when Taylor Swift’s “White Horse” bested “Just A Dream.” Cam, surprisingly, is the weak link. Her hit version of “Burning House” is nowhere near as good as Emily Ann Roberts’ from The Voice last season. Who would’ve imagined a contestant on a reality singing competition would find the hidden nuance in a song its own singer couldn’t?
Should Win: “Chances Are” – Lee Ann Womack has yet to win a single award for her seventh album, a transitional record that showcased the artistic sensibilities she’s only hinted at until now. This is the album’s finest track, possibly the greatest performance she’s given to date. Real country music deserves to slay the competition.
Will Win: “Little Toy Guns” – It’s a fool’s game to bet against Carrie Underwood. Not only does she stand the strongest chance of winning, she’s the only one powerful enough to stop Chris Stapleton in his tracks. He will walk away a Grammy winner before the night it through, it just won’t be for the title track of his debut album.
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
This is a hodgepodge of nominees, with some forgettable performances along side some treasures.
Should Win: “If I Needed You” – Joey + Rory have the sentimental vote and a serge in name recognition since Joey’s cancer turned terminal last fall. They deserve to walk away the winner on what is their first and will likely be their only Grammy nomination.
Will Win: “Girl Crush” – There’s no stopping the Little Big Town behemoth, which is also in the running for the overall Song of the Year award. No one else is going to win this award.
Best Country Song
This is a heavyweight category, with a few extremely worthy nominees. I would love to see an upset here, but like the category above, there’s a very clear winner.
Should Win: “Hold My Hand” – Brandy Clark stole the show with her simple performance of this tune on last year’s telecast. The story of a woman determined to hold on to her man in the face of his ex is an instant classic. Clark deserves the prize for a tune she wrote and smartly kept for herself.
Will Win: “Girl Crush” – Should they lose Song of the Year, this will be their consolation prize. Should they win both, this will serve as icing on the cake.
Best Country Album
Of all the country categories, this is easily the weakest. Little Big Town’s album was a dud, Kacey Musgraves’ was charming yet very uneven and Sam Hunt is…Same Hunt. The Grammys do deserve credit though – this is the first time in her career that Ashley Monroe has been nominated for an award for her own music.
Should Win: Traveller – I’m not fully on the Chris Stapleton bandwagon, but he does have the strongest album in this bunch.
Will Win: Traveller – This is one, if not the only place, the Chris Stapleton bandwagon won’t be stopped.
A few more Predictions:
Best American Roots Performance: I’d like to see Punch Brothers take this and finally win a Grammy of their own.
Best American Roots Song: Jason Isbell and “24 Frames.” The genius in the lyric is criminally underrated.
Best American Roots Album: I liked the upbeat nature of Punch Brothers Who’s Feeling Young Now better than the somber tone of The Phosphorescent Blues. They still deserve it, but I’d love to see Jason Isbell take this one. He hasn’t been recognized enough for his brilliant work.
Best Bluegrass Album: I haven’t a clue, but it would be interesting if the Steeldrivers take home an award the same night as their former lead singer Chris Stapleton does the same. If not, I’d go with Dale Ann Bradley.
Album of the Year: A strong category from which I’ve heard cases for each nominee to win. Stapleton could take it, as could Alabama Shakes. But I’m going to go with Taylor Swift’s 1989, easily the most important pop album of the eligibility period.
Song of the Year: Taylor Swift has never won an award for her pop work with Max Martin. I expect that to change this year, when “Blank Space” deservedly takes this category. “Girl Crush” has a shot, but “Blank Space” is far more developed and clever.
Best New Artist: I’ll take a shot in the dark and choose Courtney Barnett. I just don’t see how this award could go to Sam Hunt. But stranger things have happened.
Tags:Alabama Shakes, Ashley Monroe, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Brandy Clark, Cam, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Courtney Barnett, Dale Ann Bradley, Eagles, Emily Ann Roberts, Glenn Frey, Jackson Browne, Jason Isbell, Joey + Rory, Kacey Musgraves, Lee Ann Womack, Lionel Richie, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Max Martin, Punch Brothers, Sam Hunt, Taylor Swift, The SteelDrivers
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