Our June Swag Session Alumni, the ladies from Runaway June recently released a music video for their sassy single, “Buy My Own Drinks.” The trio is making waves in the country music scene this year with an ACM nomination for New Vocal Group of the Year, as well as, making their national TV debut on NBC’s Today Show.
The girls are proving that they’re ones to watch, as they continue the momentum with their new music video. The infectious song promotes women empowerment, as do the visuals. The colorful and confident video showcases group solidarity, as well as, independence. Each woman participates in their own tasks, such as washing their dog, writing and playing guitar, and painting, while mini-mes of each woman reflect the same tasks and mood. According to Runaway June songstress, Naomi Cook, “’The ‘Little Junes’ were the perfect way to capture that carefree feeling of returning to your inner child and getting a little wild. In doin’, that we find true liberation.”
Check out the liberating video below.
The song was co-written by Runway June’s Naomi Cooke, Hannah Mulholland, and Jennifer Wayne with songwriters, Hillary Lindsey, and Josh Kear. The bop is truly an anthem for girls and women of all ages. Watch the video below to see our live session with Runaway June, where they sing “Buy My Own Drinks,” and “Wild Wild West,” both off their debut EP.
The powerhouse group of ladies will lend their vocals as openers on Carrie Underwood’s ‘The Cry Pretty Tour 360,’ this fall, accompanied by fellow female country duo Maddie and Tae. The girl-power tour stops at the iconic Madison Square Garden on October 2nd. Find tickets here. In addition, the trio will play CMA Fest this June, at the Riverfront Stage.
https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/buy-my-own-drinks.jpg288480Erica Zismanhttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngErica Zisman2019-03-05 11:47:352019-03-05 11:47:35The Ladies of Runaway June Release Video for “Buy My Own Drinks”
Just this last year, so many country musicians have combined their talents into epic anthems, heartfelt songs, and straight-up jams. After the release of Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell’s vocal collaboration in Gilbert’s new song, “What Happens in a Small Town,” we were inspired to compile a list of some of our favorite country duets over the last few years.
“We Were Us”- Keith Urban & Miranda Lambert (2013)
“Drowns the Whiskey”- Jason Aldean & Miranda Lambert (2018)
“Somethin’ Bad”- Miranda Lambert & Carrie Underwood (2014)
“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”- David Lee Murphy & Kenny Chesney (2018)
“Take Back Home Girl”- Chris Lane & Tori Kelly (2017)
“What Ifs”- Kane Brown & Lauren Alaina (2017)
“Goodbye Summer”- Danielle Bradbery & Thomas Rhett (2018)
“The Fighter”- Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood (2017)
“Dear Hate”- Maren Morris & Vince Gill (2017)
“Craving You”- Thomas Rhett & Maren Morris (2017)
Although technically not a duet, we couldn’t leave Dierks Bentley and Brothers Osborne’s 2018 hit, “Burning Man” off our list, so consider it a bonus!
We look forward to the great country duets to come in 2019 and wonder who will collaborate next. To listen to the songs listed above, make sure to follow NYCountry Swag on our Spotify playlist.
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/duets.jpg288480Erica Zismanhttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngErica Zisman2018-12-31 13:46:282018-12-31 13:46:28Ten of Our Favorite Recent Country Music Duets
Country music’s biggest night has rolled around yet again, bringing country music fans an incredible night filled with live music, laughs and career altering award wins. The 52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards aired live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee last night on ABC.
Six-time CMA Entertainer of the Year award-winning icon, Garth Brooks opened the show with a special tribute to the twelve victims of the horrific Thousand Oaks mass shooting that took place last week in California. Brooks began the evening by lovingly dedicating the award ceremony to each of the victims followed by leading a moment of silence while each of their names appeared on the screen.
Photos courtesy of Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Kicking off the many musical performances of the night, superstar Luke Bryan filled the room with positive energy as he was joined by New Artist of the Year winner Luke Combs, Cole Swindell, Jon Pardi, Lindsay Ell, Ashley McBryde and Chris Janson for an infectious performance of his latest single and every country music lover’s anthem, “What Makes You Country.”
Welcoming the audience, eleventh-time hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley took the stage to deliver a hilarious musical monologue loosely based off of the film A Star Is Born, calling out a few fellow country stars. Paisley even jokingly surprised Underwood with yodeling sensation Mason Ramsey, portraying her firstborn son. Speaking of sons, the queen of country music amusingly revealed the gender of the baby she is carrying. When Underwood was pregnant with her first son, Paisley accidentally revealed his gender live on the air during the 2014 CMAs. This time, Paisley pressed Underwood until she finally admitted she will be having another baby boy. Later in the evening, the co-hosts took a moment to share their support and thanks to the firefighters battling the Woolsey wildfires in California.
Photos courtesy of Larry McCormack/Tennessean.com
There was a total of twenty-one outstanding performances throughout the night, but we’ve narrowed those down to some of our favorites. Music Video of the Year winner, Thomas Rhett, gave an extremely entertaining performance of his number one single “Life Changes,” which started out in a reimagined version of his college dorm room and progressed into the singer-songwriter performing all throughout the crowd with a full marching band. Rhett’s gorgeous wife, Lauren, planted a kiss on Rhett as he passed her on his way to the main stage.
Photos courtesy of Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Dan + Shay absolutely stunned with their vocals during their performance of “Tequila.” Fake snow was falling, to go along with the theme of the single’s official music video, as the duo gave fans goosebumps with their exceptional vocal range. Paying tribute to the late, great Dottie West, Lauren Alaina honored the recent Country Music Hall of Fame inductee by performing a rendition of the classic hit, “A Lesson In Leavin.’” Alaina’s vocals undoubtedly did the hit justice. Fellow recent Country Music Hall of Fame member, Ricky Skaggs, gave a once in a lifetime performance of a mashup of a few of his hits, featuring an all-star guest list to celebrate his induction. Skaggs was joined by his band Kentucky Thunder to perform “Black Eyed Suzie,” along with John Osborne of Vocal Duo of the Year Brothers Osborne and Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban to perform “Highway 40 Blues” and closed out the performance with “Country Boy,” joined by Marty Stuart and co-host Paisley. Entertainer of the Year, Urban gave an epic performance of his current single “Never Comin Down” on top of the jumbo screens, featuring alluring visuals. The multi-platinum seller received a standing ovation, unquestionably proving why he was deserving of the biggest award of the night.
Photos courtesy of Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Brooks returned to the stage to debut a brand new song entitled “Stronger Than Me,” that he wrote for his wife, two-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year winner, Trisha Yearwood. The singer-songwriter performed solo with nothing but an acoustic guitar and his chilling vocals. The emotional lyrics brought Yearwood to tears as she watched her husband, front and center.
Maren Morris, Morgane Stapleton, Marty Stuart, Mavis Staples, and Chris Stapleton teamed up for an unbelievable mashup performance of Stapleton’s “Friendship” and Staples’ “I’ll Take You There.” The collaboration had everyone up on their feet, singing along. Album of the Year winner, Kacey Musgraves showcased her angelic, silky smooth vocals while strumming along to her own acoustic guitar for a stunning performance of “Slow Burn” off of Golden Hour.
Photos courtesy of Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
The most powerful performance of the night was delivered by co-host Underwood. She absolutely dazzled in a beautiful royal blue gown, blowing everyone away with her striking vocal range on her anthem, “Love Wins.” The Female Vocalist of the Year was joined by a full choir which helped to close the performance of the powerful song in the shape of a heart, surrounding Underwood. You could feel the palpable energy through your television screen.
Stapleton lead last night’s wins with Song of the Year, Single of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. The singer-songwriter gave an emotional speech thanking his wife and children for allowing him to invest so much time into his career.
Musgraves was the only female artist in the Album of the Year category and deservingly won for her fourth studio album, Golden Hour, explaining during her acceptance speech that earlier in the day she had realized it had been 10 years to the day that she made her move to Nashville.
Photo courtesy of John Shearer/Getty Images
Luke Combs received the award for New Artist of the Year. He will kick off his first ever arena headlining tour this Winter.
Brothers Osborne took home Vocal Duo of the Year for the third consecutive year in a row, giving a hilarious yet thankful speech. Underwood reigns as the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year for the fifth time. She “cried pretty” as she delivered a tearful speech, thanking God, country music and all of the many “families” in her life.
Closing out the memorable evening, Urban was not expecting his win for Entertainer of the Year. His fellow competitor Bryan, shot up right out of his seat in excitement as his friend’s name was announced. Urban tearfully accepted the award, thanking his wife, actress Nicole Kidman and their children, as well as his “phenomenal” fans. He also gave mention to his late father, “wishing he was alive to see this.” Watch his moving acceptance speech below.
The 2018 CMA Awards was another one for the books. Below is a full list of winners from the epic night.
Entertainer of the Year: Keith Urban
Female Vocalist of the Year: Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist of the Year: Chris Stapleton
New Artist of the Year: Luke Combs
Vocal Group of the Year: Old Dominion
Vocal Duo of the Year: Brothers Osborne
Album of the Year: Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
Song of the Year: “Broken Halos” – Chris Stapleton
Single of the Year: “Broken Halos” – Chris Stapleton
Music Video of the Year: “Marry Me” – Thomas Rhett
Musical Event of the Year: “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” – David Lee Murphy & Kenny Chesney
Musician of the Year: Mac McAnally – Guitar
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Country music superstars and co-hosts, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood sat down with ‘Good Morning America’ anchors, Michael Strahan and Robin Roberts earlier this morning to discuss the upcoming 52nd annual CMA Awards. The country musicians obvious chemistry and charm was center stage during the segment. Country music’s biggest night will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 14th at 8 pm EST on ABC.
Roberts gave the co-hosts a warm welcome at the start of the segment, while also reminding fans to tune into her Pre-CMA special on Sunday evening. “We are less than a week away from country music’s big night. We’re talking about the 52nd annual CMA Awards. Must see TV! This Sunday, I will have the pleasure of sharing some conversations with some of country’s biggest stars- It’s the tenth year that I’ve done this, and we have got two of the biggies right here, right now, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley. I cannot believe this is the 11th year that you all will be co-hosting together.”
Underwood, who looked beautiful in a black dress and Paisley, who dressed in his signature cowboy hat and a leather bomber jacket, discussed some of their favorite parts of hosting together. Underwood shared that she loved getting to spend time, writing the script together; while Paisley mentioned how fun it is to get to make the fans and fellow artists laugh and have fun, usually at their expense.
Strahan and Robins switched gears to congratulate the songstress on being pregnant with her second baby; however, conversation found its way back to the CMA Awards, when they reminisced on when Paisley accidentally revealed the gender of Underwood’s first baby, live on air in 2014, during the hosting gig. The Cry Pretty singer chose to keep the gender under wraps this time, even after Strahan tried to convince her otherwise.
Check out those sweet moments and others from GMA here.
The award show with hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley are just around the corner! Make sure to stay tuned for our recap of CMA Awards broadcast next week, and follow us NYCountry Swag on Twitter, as we live-tweet the show.
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Wednesday night, CMT did their part in changing the conversation about women being played in country music and the lack thereof. While the night specifically honored Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini, Carrie Underwood and the ladies of Little Big Town, Karen Fairchild, and Kimberly Schlapman, Fairchild used her platform during her acceptance speech to acknowledge something that we already knew at New York Country Swag, there is a TON of incredible female artists out there.
We have worked with several of the artists that Fairchild named including Jillian Jacqueline, Abby Anderson, Tenille Townes, Runaway June, and Natalie Stovall. Below is a playlist of our favorite songs from all 35 of the rising female artists that were named during that epic moment which you can check out here as well as some other amazing females that you should be listening to.
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Carrie Underwood, Runaway June and Maddie & Tae at CMT Artists of the Year ceremony. Photo by Rick Diamond / Getty Images via CMT.com
Wednesday evening (Oct 17.), in Nashville at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, CMT’s 2018 Artists of the Year ceremony honored women of country, including Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood, Hillary Scott, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman, and for Country Artist of a Lifetime Award to Loretta Lynn. It was the perfect step towards changing the conversation to an action of supporting women in country music.
The night started off with Miranda Lambert and her band the Pistol Annies singing their new cut “Sugar Daddy,” which is on their on their upcoming record Interstate Gospel. Lambert voiced her opinion on supporting women in the industry and how we always have to be there for each other.
Kelsea Ballerini joined Alison Krauss to perform a beautiful rendition of Krauss’ classic, “Ghost In This House” and then accepted her award from Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott.
Alison Krauss and Kelsea Ballerini at CMT Artists of the Year ceremony. Photo by Jason Kempin / Getty Images via CMT.com
“One of the greatest gifts that have been given to me as a new artist on this short journey that I’ve been on so far is having people that I grew up listening to and that I’ve learned from, turn around and reach out their hand to me,” Ballerini said. “They’ve shared their stage with me and shared their platform with me and I think what I’ve learned from that is to lift each other up, to support each other, and to share our stage no matter how big or small it is.”
Maren Morris brought sass and R&B into her performance, where she joined Brandi Carlile on stage to put their own spin on Aretha Franklin’s soulful hit “Natural Woman” in tribute to the legend who passed away earlier this year. Accepting her award from Sheryl Crow, Morris voiced on how thankful she was that CMT was shining the light on the lack of female representation and putting this night together. She also said how she feels that the females in this room are putting out the most compelling and emotional music right now.
Hillary Scott performed with pop star Tori Kelly and gospel singer Kirk Franklin with an inspiring showing of Lady Antebellum’s hit “American Honey,” Kelly’s new single “Never Alone,” and Franklin’s track “Oh Happy Day.” Following Scott, Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman and Karen Fairchild performed with the soulful legend Gladys Knight for a mashup of “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” which brought chills and a standing ovation through the Symphony Center.
Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman with Gladys Knight at CMT Artists of the Year ceremony. Photo by Jason Kempin / Getty Images via CMT.com
A standout moment was when Fairchild humbly included 35 up-and-coming women artists to look out for and support through their new projects in her speech including our past Swag Spotlights, Jillian Jacqueline, Abby Anderson, Tenille Townes, Runaway June, and Natalie Stovall. Take a look at the chilling moment in the video here.
Sadly, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Loretta Lynn wasn’t able to attend the ceremony to accept her award but her lifetime friend and actress Sissy Spacek was happy and tearful accepting the award on her behalf. Spacek seemed overwhelmingly thrilled and proud to talk about her dear friend and their everlasting friendship.
Lastly, Carrie Underwood brought out her opening acts for her 2019 Cry Pretty 360 Tour, Maddie & Tae, and Runaway June. Underwood began her performance with an acapella version of Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man,” and then Maddie & Tae joined in with “Rockin’ with the Rhythm,” by the Judds. Underwood then continued with a rousing rendition of Martina McBride’s “Independence Day” giving everyone a blast from the past. Runaway June added their touch with singing “Wild One” by Faith Hill. The artists then ended with a powerful performance of Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and harmonizing on Underwood’s single “Cry Pretty.”
CMT gave everyone a taste of what’s to come for females in country music. It was the perfect opportunity to show everyone that the future is female and female artists aren’t going anywhere but up from here.
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CMT_Cover.jpg288480Kelly Cunninghamhttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngKelly Cunningham2018-10-19 01:50:222018-10-19 01:50:222018 CMT Artists of the Year – An Epic Night of Women in Country Music
Last night the 2018 American Music Awards, hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross, aired live on ABC. The American Music Awards is the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, honoring artists in multiple musical genres, including country. Fans had the chance to vote for their favorites, from September 12th to October 4th via Twitter and web voting online. Each nominee listed was based on key fan interactions reflected by Billboard, including radio airplay, streaming, social activity, album, and digital song sales and touring. For those who didn’t tune in to the live broadcast, here’s a recap!
The AMA’s was a big night of music and this year country music was represented by Carrie Underwood, Kelsea Ballerini, Thomas Rhett, Kane Brown, Florida Georgia Line, and Jesse James Decker; who took part of the pre-show red carpet as well as being the Subaru Correspondent during the show. The first award of the night was presented by country duo, Florida Georgia Line and their “Meant to Be” duet partner, Bebe Rexha. Together they announced Cardi B as the Favorite Artist in the Rap/Hip-Hop category. As the night went on we got to see more of our fan favorites take the stage to present awards and introduce other artists. Grammy-nominated artist, Kelsea Ballerini, and EDM-Pop duo, The Chainsmokers, introduced Post Malone and Ty Dolla Sign to the stage for their performance. While later in the evening platinum-selling country artist, Kane Brown had the honor to present favorite album Soul/R&B to XXXTENTACION’s family after his untimely death.
Throughout the night, fans of country music were on the edge of their seats waiting to see which of their favorites won in the country music categories. The first category announced was Favorite Female Artist. Thomas Rhett presented this award to the queen of country herself, Carrie Underwood, winning the category for the fourth year in a row, making this her 13th AMA award. She went up to the stage thanking God, her incredible team and of course the fans, saying “Tonight is all about the fans! Thank you so much, you’ve have shown so much love and support for me…you guys mean the world to all of us, just thank you so much!” The next award of the night was Favorite Male Artist in the country category. First time nominee, Kane Brown took home the award, winning his first ever AMA award. Brown came up on stage saying, “First off I feel like I’m about to pass out” then went on thanking the fans and everybody who helped him win. This wasn’t the end to Brown’s night, he went on a streak, winning all the awards he was nominated for, taking home Favorite Song for his single “Heaven” and Favorite Album for his self-titled record. Last but not least the award for Favorite Duo or Group was given off-air to Florida Georgia Line, closing out the awards for the country categories.
Photo Credit: Getty / Frazer Harrison
As the night was coming to an end, Carrie Underwood stole the show with her stunning performance of her new song “Spinning Bottles” off her brand new album Cry Pretty. Underwood took to the stage, right after she won Favorite Female Country Artist, showing everyone watching how deserving she is. She chose to sing one of her more heartbreaking songs, appearing in a beautiful red grown surrounded by candles. Her performance was extremely intimate, showing her emotions with every note she hit, leaving the crowd in complete awe. Underwood’s flawless delivery was one for the books, giving one of the best performances of the night.
The AMA winner gave everyone a taste of what to expect from her at her concerts and luckily as New Yorkers, we can experience The Cry Pretty Tour 360 with special guests Maddie & Tae and Runaway June at the iconic Madison Square Garden on October 2, 2019. While we have to wait a year to see Underwood, luckily we New Yorkers have the chance to see Kelsea Ballerini this month on the Graffiti U tour with Keith Urban at the Barclays Center on October 27th. Three-time AMA winner, Kane Brown will be playing a one-night-only exclusive album release show at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 7th.
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/amacov1.jpg288480Nicole Sellatihttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngNicole Sellati2018-10-10 18:28:202018-10-10 18:28:20Country Music Well Represented at the 2018 American Music Awards
Last week, The Tonight show host Jimmy Fallon swapped out his space at 30 Rock for Central Park, making this the first ever late night television to do so. Country superstar Carrie Underwood was a part of history appearing on the episode with Blake Lively, the New York Philharmonic and of the course The Roots. The late show took place at Rumsey Playfield, aka Summer Stage, to an audience of over 1,500 people, making this The Tonight show’s biggest audience yet. If you didn’t get a chance to catch the episode when it aired, here’s a recap!
Fallon kicked off the night with the special edition of the name that song challenge, where The Roots and the New York Philharmonic played one instrument at a time to create the beat of a song until someone guessed it. The teams were, Jimmy Fallon with Blake Lively and Carrie Underwood with special guest Henry Golding. Underwood being a musician herself had the advantage and guessed the majority of the songs right but somehow Fallon turned the game in his favor making his team the winner.
When it came time for the interview portion, Fallon introduced his next guest, “One of the biggest names in music and a 7-time Grammy winner, her album Cry Pretty is available right now! Welcome, Carrie Underwood!” Putting the country superstar in the hot seat before she took to the stage to perform. Underwood talked about her pregnancy and her 3 1⁄2-year-old son Isaiah, who she hopes one day will be a singer just like her. It was also mentioned that she co-produced the record with the incredible writer and producer, David Garcia. She described the experience as, “It’s really exciting cause you get to get in there, and you’re, you know, there for every step of the way and making the creative decisions…But it was just amazing to, like watch the musicians at work, and I gained such a bigger respect for what they do.” Taking on the role was a great experience for the singer and when asked which song is her favorite on the album she said, “Depends on the day”, which all of us can relate to.
Last but not least, it was the moment everyone was waiting for, “Here with the T.V. debut performance of her new single, “Love Wins” from her album Cry Pretty once again, Carrie Underwood!” She took the stage in a beautiful all black outfit, giving the audience a performance to never forget. As the camera panned out each person had a pink bracelet or a pink foam stick, making the crowd illuminate in a beautiful sea of waving pink lights. As always, her vocal range showed off her undeniable talent with her power ballad. Underwood gave her all while performing, leaving the crowd with goosebumps, wanting more.
The country superstar gave everyone a taste of what to expect from her at her concerts and luckily as New Yorkers, we can experience The Cry Pretty Tour 360 with special guests Maddie & Tae and Runaway June at the iconic Madison Square Garden on October 2, 2019. While we wait for the show to roll around, we can listen to her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty, that is out now!
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/carrie-fallon-cov.jpg288480Nicole Sellatihttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngNicole Sellati2018-09-18 02:53:342018-09-18 02:53:34Carrie Underwood Is a Part of The Tonight Show History
This Friday we were graced by a brand new album from superstar Carrie Underwood titled Cry Prettyas well as new singles from Eric Church, Brett Young, Erin Enderlin, Dolly Parton featuring Sia and Heather Morgan. Check out our Spotify New Country Music Playlist below and be sure to follow for updates each and every Friday.
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/newmusic914.jpg288480Christina Boschhttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngChristina Bosch2018-09-14 13:40:152018-09-14 13:40:15New Music Friday – The Playlist
There’s no denying the power of Carrie Underwood within the country music community. The golden-voiced superstar has been a fixture in the genre since her American Idol win back in 2005. Today, Underwood releases her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty, which only further serves to cement her role as the reigning queen of country. However, unlike previous efforts, Cry Pretty shows Underwood stretching her sonic wings, veering in different directions musically, topically, and emotionally.
Sonically, Cry Pretty shows Underwood exploring different sides of her voice, hints of a more R&B/ soulful tone lacing many of the album’s tracks. The LP contains thirteen songs (including a bonus track “The Champion”), with each showing a different side of Underwood. For the first time in her storied career, many of these lyrics sound like they’re coming directly from the singer’s heart, rather than presenting her in character. The album also allows her to wear both her producer hat, co-producing with David Garcia and her writer hat, having written on nine of the album’s tracks.
While Underwood has always excelled in the art of the story song, as evidenced by the likes of “Last Name” and “Two Black Cadillacs,” she truly shines when she lets down her guard and sings from the heart. Nowhere on the album is this more evident than on track 12, entitled “Kingdom.” The song, co-written by Underwood, Chris DeStefano, and Dave Barnes, plays as a love song to Underwood’s own husband and children, remarking that their perfectly imperfect life is their kingdom.
Cry Pretty also shows Underwood tackling some difficult subjects, touching on the long-term and long-reaching effects of a single bullet in “The Bullet.” She also hits on the topics of school shootings and politics in “Love Wins.” While she doesn’t overtly advertise an opinion within these songs, she uses her platform to draw attention to some tough topics, and “The Bullet,” co-written by Marc Beeson, Andy Albert, and Allen Shamblin, provides one of the album’s most poignant moments.
On the album, Underwood also shows off a more lighthearted side, releasing what could be described as her first party song. It would be safest to liken “Southbound,” co-written by Underwood, Garcia, and Josh Miller, to a Little Big Town song in the vein of “Pontoon” or “Day Drinking.” While the song is certainly a departure for Underwood, it does work here, and we expect to hear it blasting at tailgates for the next fifty years. “The Song That We Used to Make Love To” also veers into a more poppy sound for Underwood than listeners may be used to hearing, but with a voice like hers, it works.
“Low” and “Backsliding” show off the groovy side of Underwood, revealing a more R&B side to her voice. “Backsliding,” written by Underwood, Garcia and Hillary Lindsay, is an ode to going back to an ex that you most definitely shouldn’t, and interestingly, wouldn’t sound out of place on a Thomas Rhett album. Alternatively, “Low,” written by the same writing team as “Backsliding” really allows Underwood to show off a different and underused side of her voice. Rather than focusing on belts and glory notes, she explores different tones, riffing and running the notes from high to low.
Other highlights of the album are “Ghosts on the Stereo,” written by Hillary Lindsey, Tom Douglas, and the late Andrew Dorff, and “Drinking Alone,” co-written by Underwood, Garcia, and Brett James. On the latter, Underwood laments the old adage that misery loves company, while the former tells of her “having a ball with Hank, Haggard, and Jones.”
For Underwood fans, Cry Pretty is a unique but engaging offering, stretching the singer outside of her normal realm, yet still keeping her planted in her musical roots. For country music purists, the overall body of work might veer too much away from the Underwood of “I Told You So” and “Jesus Take the Wheel,” but for fans of music as a whole, Cry Pretty offers something for everyone.
The album is available to buy or stream everywhere today.
Carrie Underwood’s Cry Pretty Track List:
Cry Pretty (Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose)
Ghosts On The Stereo (Hillary Lindsey, Tom Douglas, Andrew Dorff)
Low (Carrie Underwood, David Garcia, Hillary Lindsey)
Backsliding (Carrie Underwood, David Garcia, Hillary Lindsey)
Southbound (Carrie Underwood, David Garcia, Josh Miller)
That Song That We Used To Make Love To (Hillary Lindsey, Jason Evigan)
Drinking Alone (Carrie Underwood, David Garcia, Brett James)
The Bullet (Marc Beeson, Andy Albert, Allen Shamblin)
Spinning Bottles (Carrie Underwood, David Garcia, Hillary Lindsey)
Love Wins (Carrie Underwood, David Garcia, Brett James)
End Up With You (Hillary Lindsey, Brett McLaughlin, Will Weatherly)
Kingdom (Carrie Underwood, Chris DeStefano, Dave Barnes)
*Bonus Track* The Champion (Carrie Underwood, Brett James, Chris DeStefano, Christopher Bridges PKA Ludacris)
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