Lainey Wilson ‘Whirlwind’ – Album Review

Lainey Wilson’s brand new album, Whirlwind is out now, August 23rd on all streaming platforms. Take a listen and read our full review below.

With one of the genre’s most unique voices and standout styles, Lainey Wilson has been a tornado through the boys club that is often the hierarchy of country music. Today, the acclaimed singer-songwriter releases her aptly-titled album, Whirlwind, taking listeners on a journey inside her life.

On the follow up to 2022’s Bell Bottom Country, which featured the monster hit “Heart Like a Truck,” Wilson stretches herself artistically, taking a fearless step into what’s made her one of the most exciting artists of our generation. On Whirlwind, the BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville artist co-wrote all fourteen tracks, enlisting superproducer Jay Joyce to bring her vision to life. While the album takes listeners on a journey through country music, the reigning CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year stays true to what has made her a superstar.

“This album has been a long time coming, and I can’t wait for the world to have this body of work in their hands…” says Wilson of the project. “This new chapter of music is the most cathartic and personal piece of art I’ve ever made. I hope this record brings some peace to your whirlwind and wraps its arms around you like it did for me.”

Roaring in with the one-two punch of  “Keep Up With Jones” and “Country’s Cool Again,” one thing is immediately clear: Wilson isn’t about to stay stagnant. Instead, the swampy and swinging album opener recalls images of George Jones on a barstool, as Wilson aims to keep up with the joneses, cleverly turning phrases with a lyrical play on words. The track is immediately followed by the previously-released “Country’s Cool Again,” a fun celebration of all things country.

“Country isn’t just a genre for any of us that live & breathe it every day. It’s a way of life. It’s always been cool & I think I speak for everyone when I say, we’re just glad it’s gettin’ a lil more love these days.“ Wilson shared of the playful track.

“Everybody wanna be a cowboy // Drive a jon boat, whip a John Deere // Everybody want a backwoods front porch // With a tub full of iced-down beer // Must be something in the water flowing out of the holler // Blue collar must’ve caught a new wind // Doggone, dadgum it, didn’t see that coming // Country’s cool again”

Country life and the singer’s Louisiana upbringing are themes that weave their way throughout the album on songs like the stirring “Bar In Baton Rouge,” the celebratory “4x4xU,” and the spectacular “Call a Cowboy.” While “4x4xU” celebrates finding home wherever you are, “Call a Cowboy” is a slide guitar laden ballad that extolls the virtues of cowboys, and how they’re the ones to call when you’re in need. 

Wilson enlists fellow twang queen Miranda Lambert on “Good Horses,” the pair harmonizing and trading verses as if they’ve been singing together for decades. Their voices work perfectly together, tackling a topic usually reserved for the genre’s boys. On the poignant duet, they’re prone to roam but always return home.

“I don’t need a map // I don’t need a road // I don’t need a fence // I just need to roam If you wanna love me // You don’t need a rope // You just need to know Good horses come home // They always come home”

“Hang Tight Honey” is the ultimate earworm, its background vocalists and music setting the mood for a long distance love affair. “Hang tight honey, got a pocket full of money,” She sings buoyantly. “And I’m headed straight home to you “

Wilson experiments with different sounds throughout the album, most noticeably on the album’s lush title track, which finds the bell-bottomed chanteuse channeling her inner Stevie Nicks. Likewise, “Counting Chickens” is a plucky ode to jumping the gun and counting your chickens before they hatch in a relationship.

“Ring Finger” also finds Wilson experimenting with a new sound, her distinct voice tinted with an almost electronic sounding filter over doo-wop inspired background vocals and roaring guitars. Here, she roars through a kissoff to a cheating ex. “I got the ring, he got the finger,” She growls. “You got the cheatin’ country song, and baby I’m the singer”

While Wilson shines on any tempo, the ballads on Whirlwind are exceptional, with standouts like the triumphant “Middle of It,” “Broken Hearts Still Beat” and the vulnerable “Devil Don’t Go There.”  On “Broken Hearts,” she struggles in the aftermath of a breakup, building to a heart wrenching climax as she picks herself up and mends her cracked heart.  “Broken hearts still beat, and that’s what you showed me, I thought if you ever let me go, That’d be the end of the end of my rope,” She sings, voice laced with vulnerability and emotion. “It ain’t good as new, and boy thanks to you, It may never be the way it used to be, but broken hearts still beat.”

Likewise, “Devil Don’t Go There” finds Lainey Wilson at her absolute best, channeling her inner Dolly as her voice veers into a low and emotional whisper at times. “Even the devil don’t go there, the way you did me that night // I bet the hell you put me through // Could make his angels cry // How’d you ever leave me like that?” She asks. “Are you really that cold? // I bet even where he lives, he wouldn’t go that low // And boy I swear, even the devil don’t go there.”

The album ends on a slightly different note, a classic country story song that finds a child dealing with his father’s alcoholism. It’s an incredible performance from Wilson, proving that there are still unique ideas out there. 

“He drew a big orange sun // Shining down on, a little red house // With a little green tree, a little blue car parked out on the street // Brother with the football, sister with the puppy dog // Mother with a smile and her church dress on // Then he raised his hand, Said ‘teacher I can’t draw my daddy, do you have a whiskey colored crayon?’”

On Whirlwind, Lainey Wilson continues to establish why she’s country music’s newest superstar, well deserving of every accolade that has come her way.

Whirlwind Track List: