Score: 4/5
Up-and-coming country solo artist and member of the band “Pistol Annies” Ashley Monroe showcases the darker side of country music through her meaningful lyrics in her third album “The Blade.”
Although many summer country albums feature upbeat jams about the blessings of love, Monroe’s heartfelt ballads show the risks of giving your heart to someone and how to move on in spite of the pain.
In the title track “The Blade,” Monroe explores the reasons why we give into love and the emotions surrounding heartache in a thoughtful ballad.
Monroe’s soulful tone tells the story of woman who gave away her heart only to have it broken with lyrics such as, “That’s the risk you run when you love, when you love. And you give it all you’ve got to give. Knowing all along there’s a chance, there’s a chance you’ll reach and they won’t. You’ll bleed and they don’t.”
While “The Blade” shows the side of someone being broken with, Monroe shows the other side of story in “Bombshell,” a track that describes the impossible process of trying to find the right way and time to end a relationship.
She perfectly captures the thought process behind breaking up with someone with lyrics like, “If I did a little drinking, it may numb me into thinking I could tell you face-to-face. If I harden my heart, I tear us apart so I wouldn’t have to carry this weight.”
Although Monroe shows the depth of hurt that can come from a broken heart throughout “The Blade,” she does offer comfort in the opening track “On To Something Good.”
In “On To Something Good,” Monroepoints out the necessity in life to move on and enjoy the journey with lyrics such as, “Lost or found, I’m better dancing when I don’t look down, hard times roll up, but they don’t hang around. I feel like I’m on to something good.”
Along with taking a different approach to love, Monroe also brings distinct perspective on the South.
Unlike many country artists who praise Southern culture, Monroe, like Kacey Musgraves before her, gives a realistic glimpse into the downsides of small town life in the South in “Dixie.”
Monroe tells the story of a Southern girl who dreams of escaping Dixieland because of what it had done to her family with lyrics such as, “It was the mine that killed my daddy. It was the law that killed my man. It was the Bible belt that whipped me when I broke the Fifth Command [ment].”
Despite the darker tone to “The Blade,” Monroe’s sophomore album is a throwback to the days when country music told the story of heartbreak along with upbeat summer jams about girls in trucks.
You can reach Morgan Prewitt on Twitter @kmprewitt_TDR