Album Review – Trisha Yearwood’s “The Mirror”
Country Pop (#530.2) with some Neotraditional Country (#510.8) on the Country DDS.
– – – – – –
Is this a “mom country” album, meaning an album full of flowery affirmations about self-worth, adult contemporary sounds overlaying country sensibilities, and music ideal for listening while sipping Merlot during a ladies night in? Yes, it’s guilty of all of these things.
But The Mirror is also a Trisha Yearwood album. It’s an album that feels inspired, passionate, and purposeful. It’s the best album Trisha Yearwood could make in this season of her career. It’s an album from women, by women, and for women and the men that love them. It will be well-received by those who’ve always found Trisha Yearwood to be an artist they enjoy in country music, because she speaks to their lived experiences.
Trisha Yearwood will be in the Country Music Hall of Fame some day as one of the artists who helped define country music in the ’90s decade and beyond, and inspired a whole generation of women who currently make country music as well. This includes some artists who appear in the track list of this album as contributors, including Hailey Whitters, Erin Enderlin, and Sunny Sweeney.
But the most impressive wrinkle about The Mirror is that all the songs were co-written by Trisha Yearwood herself, and Yearwood co-produced the album with Chad Carlson. This was the album Yearwood wanted to make in every sense. And though it took 16 albums into her career, and six years since her last one to get here, The Mirror feels like a victory.
Don’t come to this album expecting a revitalization of ’90s country neotraditional twang. This feels more like a 2000s-styled contemporary country album, though with appearances from a steel guitar in places, and enough country notes to keep it within the genre. Yearwood even delivers some straight country songs, like the empowering “Little Lady” about being able to write her own checks, or the rambunctious “Drunk Works” with Hailey Whitters and a tipsy guitar.
What’s consistent about The Mirror is how it speaks to a strong feminine perspective on life that’s unafraid to share earned wisdom and insight. Sometimes this comes across as rather cliché, like the title track whose hook/payoff you can see coming a mile away. But at other times the sentiments really resonate, no matter what chromosomes you’re packing.
“So Many Summers” is the perfect song to release at this time, reminding you to get out there and live life, and to choose the adventure whenever it comes calling. It’s so easy to get swept up in the constant refrain of current events, but “The Record Plays On” reminds us that there are always crises, and they always have felt existential. The song’s good enough where you can even overlook that it’s Lady’s A’s Charles Kelly singing with Yearwood.
And sure, for traditional country fans, this album will not have the twang and dirt they’ll need to satisfy their appetite. But that doesn’t mean these things are entirely absent. The song “The Shovel” featuring Jim Lauderdale is a good example. Let’s face it though, Trisha Yearwood is a creature of signature home furnishing collections and cooking shows these days. If you get any kind of grit from her, you’ll call it good.
If you love Trisha Yearwood, you will love this album. But even if you don’t love Trisha Yeawood but appreciate her ’90s output, you can still appreciate The Mirror and how it got made. It’s inspiring to see more mature country artists still pushing themselves and putting out meaningful music as opposed to chasing trends. Yearwood can look in The Mirror and be proud.
7.8/10
– – – – – – – – –
Purchase/stream The Mirror
July 21, 2025 @ 8:08 am
I did not see Trigger reviewing this one, but cool. I have been looking forward to it. I have been a fan of hers since I heard her live at a Travis Tritt show with George Jones. She sounds so amazing live.
July 21, 2025 @ 12:38 pm
Travis’s Holiday Homecoming in 1992 at the old Omni in Atlanta? I was at that show too, and the first time hearing her live as well.
July 22, 2025 @ 7:11 pm
Sounds about right. 😁
July 21, 2025 @ 8:20 am
At least she didn’t rerecord ‘Walkaway Joe’ with Post Malone
July 21, 2025 @ 9:48 am
Just wait for the duet album with mr. Yearwood.
July 21, 2025 @ 8:24 am
She has a great voice and she her albums always have always been classy and well worth a listen. I have always thought ‘Jasper County’ or the ‘Heaven, Heartache….’ album were her best. That is until this one. I think might just be her best. Some great songs and album with real passion to it. More bite to it than in her previous albums. She has pushed herself on this one and to good effect. Her singing as always is great. A very good album and it well deserves a listen.
July 21, 2025 @ 9:53 am
Do I have to buy a 16 disc box set at a Bass Pro shop to listen to this?
July 21, 2025 @ 11:04 pm
Wrong Yearwood, that’s Mr. Yearwood’s deal
July 24, 2025 @ 9:14 am
I was pleasant surprised by this Album. I knew and everyone knows that Trisha has pipes for sure. She’s a crazy good singer and definitely in the Top 5 female country artists of all time imo. Perhaps since I’m an aging Gen Xer, I appreciate her sentiments more. No one can sing a romantic ballad better than her. Because of it, I really enjoyed her on that ain’t how drunk works and little lady. Was never a die hard fan before bc she came across as pretentious. Doesn’t mean she wasn’t and isn’t one of the best of the best. I’m a die hard fan now and would give this album 9/10. Not a bad song in it or a terrible remake of Miami! Great job.
July 21, 2025 @ 10:04 am
It’s rare especially in this age I listen to an album the first time through in its entirety. I did that with this album Saturday. And that’s neither good or bad. Although it was pleasant enough to not turn off, no song made me want to hit repeat.
Drunk Works feels like a song Miranda passed over ten times (interesting I read now it’s a co-write). And the verses of Fragile Like a Bomb are built on so many cliches, the song nearly collapses in on itself.
There are a lot of dated cliches throughout the album, but like you indicated that’s the mom target.
Overall, the album really doesn’t says anything, take any brave stance, or is overall interesting (especially for a man). But the girl power themes do take courage in this current anti-woman country music climate.
After listening to this album, I dove back into Yearwood’s catalog. Real Live Woman was Yearwood’s last great album and that was a quarter century ago. And it was great!
July 21, 2025 @ 12:12 pm
Most female country is heavy on the “girl power” to where I don’t feel being a man puts me in the intended demographic of who the album is even for.
July 21, 2025 @ 4:25 pm
I’m having troubling processing the fact that you think Jasper County and Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love aren’t great albums.
July 21, 2025 @ 11:11 am
It had enough country for me to recognize the greatness of this. But most of all, it was wonderful to see Trisha Yearwood standing on her own. She so often gets second-fiddle to Garth that it was nice to see her standing on her own and succeeding.
July 21, 2025 @ 12:34 pm
Yes, multiple comments in this comments section are already making reference to Garth Brooks when he has literally nothing to do with this album. In fact, part of the point of this album is for Yearwood to express she is her own woman, and anyone who knows their country stuff knows she had a career well before Garth.
July 21, 2025 @ 2:17 pm
Garth is supporting her all the way. Garth that this is his favorite album that she’s made and he’s playing plus one in 2025. That may be true but Garth Brooks is her biggest fan. Do not forget that Garth and Trisha started about the same time. Trisha was his opening act in 1991. It has supported her to her entire career.
July 21, 2025 @ 9:19 pm
Obviously I am intrigued by this album and by Trisha; and hopefully she’ll get some love from radio. Whether she does get any of that love, though, depends on whether radio programmers can get past either her gender or her age (60, going on 61). If they can’t, then I hope the fans and the general public force it upon them.
And it’s not just THE MIRROR that she’s actively involved in promoting. Tomorrow, at the CMA Theater, she will be hosting a tribute to the Los Angeles country-rock scene of the 1970’s in general (the CMHoF’s Western Edge exhbiit), and to her (and generations of other female singers’) spiritual role model Linda Ronstadt in particular.
July 21, 2025 @ 11:19 pm
You think “fans and the general public” are chomping at the bit to hear new recordings from Trisha Yearwood on the radio?
Go for it. lol.
(I think the radio progammers will be able to withstand the pressure.)
July 21, 2025 @ 2:13 pm
Garth is supporting her all the way. Garth that this is his favorite album that she’s made and he’s playing plus one in 2025.
July 21, 2025 @ 12:23 pm
I struggle to see how country music is anti-woman. I just do not see it.
Someone, anyone, please articulate this for me. I truly am asking this sincerely. I see women literally ROCKING country music right now, even if they aren’t always up front. It’s like with women’s soccer and women’s basketball… bring in the money, get the money in return. Women are starting to do this and the current female vocal talent is pretty freaking amazing if you were ask me.
I prefer the female voice to the male, but male country singers are a different animal from pop and other genres.
Trisha has good pipes on her. She’s clearly got a very strong voice with really, really good control. Her tone can go all over and she knows how to do this. But most of my exposure to Trisha is her cooking show since I am an avid home cook and I see these things all the time for ideas.
TL;DR
I had no idea women were being somehow shunned in this genre, so please educate me on the HOW this is presenting itself.
Trisha has a great voice, in my humble opinion.
I can see Trigger won’t let me buy him a beer still. He don’t like me too good. I would literally mail you a beer, Trigger. Or order it from your local and you can go grab it yourself.
Cheers!
July 21, 2025 @ 12:39 pm
“I struggle to see how country music is anti-woman. I just do not see it.”
Who is saying this? Where did it comes from? This is a classic, classic Saving Country Music comments section entry where someone bored with the actual topic at hand attempts to twist the conversation into a culture war issue so they can seethe.
You are the one that brought this topic up. Not anybody else. But since you brought it up, yes, women struggle to find proper representation in popular country music, especially when it comes to things like radio play in such a lopsided manner that you’d have to be a fool to not recognize it. But even then, I’m not seeing anyone assert that country music is “anti-woman.”
Thanks for the offer of a beer, but I don’t drink.
July 21, 2025 @ 1:30 pm
Hoptowntiger just said it.
July 21, 2025 @ 1:49 pm
We’ll I stand corrected. But he should have responded to hoptowntiger as opposed to leaving a general comment. I read hoptowntiger’s comment and didn’t take it as some screed against how anti-women country is. He seemed to be more critical of the cliche nature of the album, while also pointing out the obvious, which is it’s a statistical certitude that women are significantly less supported in country, especially in the mainstream.
July 21, 2025 @ 4:39 pm
Or you could have just read it.
Gosh. You’re SO combative and for little reason.
I thought I had hit reply to the post but clearly I screwed the pooch there. I am man enough to apologize when I am wrong and make mistakes. I wish you had that much to give. So, apologies for posting incorrectly.
I have no animosity toward you despite any disagreements, but you seem to go off the handle without seeing your own reply feed. You stand corrected, but not man enough to apologize for the attack.
But how are women “less supported” in country? I asked for clarification and you offer attacks instead in the form of braying out “This is a classic, classic Saving Country Music comments section entry where someone bored with the actual topic at hand attempts to twist the conversation into a culture war issue so they can seethe.”
blah blah accuse blah blah insult blah blah
Clearly the only person seething here is you. Grow up, Trigger. Reply in kind or don’t reply.
I would still buy you a drink. Coffee? Tea? Juice box?
July 21, 2025 @ 6:09 pm
Jimmy,
I apologize for not seeing your reference to hoptowntiger’s comment. However, he mentioned something in passing, and you used it to go on a tangent. And yes, I am combative about such things because I’ve requested everyone avoid veering into divisive political topics on posts that have nothing to do with politics, and regularly people still do their best to take the discussion in that direction.
July 22, 2025 @ 4:19 am
Between Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away” (2012) and Marren Morris’s “Bones” (2020) no female country artist scored a number #1 record. A period of 8 years.
In 2024 only one woman scored a #1 record – Ella Langley – and according to Billboard data for the year women achieved only 8.39% of country radio airplay.
https://wkml.com/2025/06/04/female-country-artists-get-just-8-4-of-radio-play-in-2024-study-reveals/
Facts prove there is shunning at country music radio.
July 22, 2025 @ 9:54 am
The shunning at country music radio is actual country music.
The shunning of pop starlets masquerading as country singers is not worth any concern.
July 22, 2025 @ 10:02 am
The problem is the “shunning” primary occurs with actual country artists who happen to be women, while “starlets masquerading as country singers” are some of the few women the format does play.
July 21, 2025 @ 2:34 pm
My favorite Yearwood songs aren’t the twangy ones. They’re the reflective ballads: “Hearts in Armor,” “On a Bus to Saint Cloud,” “The Woman Before Me,” “The Song Remembers When.” I haven’t had the chance to listen to this album yet, but I expect to enjoy it greatly.
July 21, 2025 @ 5:03 pm
I have been a fan of Trisha from out of the gate. The voice. The song choices. Solid albums. Just all around a class act.
While she has never been “traditional”, there have certainly been moments on her albums that would stand out even if released in the golden ’60’s. In particular, some of the album cuts on “Hearts in Armor”. I will always think, “Woman Walk the Line” or “For Reasons I’ve Forgotten” should have been singles.
That being said, I don’t go into a Trisha album expecting twang. Yet, bubbling under the surface, you just know she has respect for the history of country music and could probably sing along to anything released in the ’50’s-“70’s. This album was no different for me. I wasn’t expecting a hard core country album full of steel, fiddles and honky-tonk piano. Instead, what I got met my expectations. The musical equivalent of meatloaf. It is not always my go-to, but it brings me comfort and I’m glad I chose it. Parts of it I could have passed over, but man, when you get to the sweet spot of the meat and taters, it makes me happy I finished.
I downloaded the album and while it will not be a frequently listened to one, like “Hearts In Armor”, “Jasper County” and “Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love”, it will be one I will come back to now and then.
PS…While not the most “country”, my favorite Yearwood song is, “The Nightingale” from “The Song Remembers When”.
July 21, 2025 @ 6:30 pm
My God do I love this album. I’m one of the biggest Trisha fans out there. I’m loyal to Real Live Woman and Hearts in Armor, but this may actually be my new favorite or pretty damn close. Also that voice…it has held up so damn well. When she rips into “Little Lady” I would’ve thought that was the voice of a 26 year old not a woman of 60. She isn’t human. I’m convinced
July 22, 2025 @ 7:42 am
My favorites as well — and I could see this one becoming a fave. 🙂 (I also have a soft spot for 1995’s ‘Thinkin’ About You’, mainly for introducing me to the music of Kim Richey.)
July 21, 2025 @ 7:07 pm
She took back her music, her power and independence. This is her best album since “Hearts in Armor”. And she’s never sounded better. This is a 10. Not your pitiful 7.8.
July 21, 2025 @ 7:16 pm
Trisha Yearwood speaks to many women’s experience while being an uber-talented artist.
July 21, 2025 @ 8:50 pm
I get the sense that there’s a push to get Trisha Yearwood in to the H-o-F. Maybe she’s entitled to it for havng to live with Garth. Has she done the “Artist in Residence” thing at the Hall? I don’t think so. That seems to give the push that’s needed when an artist is stuck outside. And despite the pretentious title, the artist in residence apparently does not have to pack up and move into the Hall. They just have to do something like three concerts. It worked for Kenny Rogers, and then Connie Smith and Marty Stuart. The only artist it really didn’t work for is Rosanne Cash. When we hear that Trisha or Dwight are the next “Arist in Residence” that will be a sign that they’ll be getting inducted into the H-o-F.
July 22, 2025 @ 5:22 am
Garth Brooks is Mr. Trisha Yearwood.
July 22, 2025 @ 7:55 am
I bought myself this wonderful album for my birthday on Friday — as a fan since “She’s in Love With the Boy,” I’ve always thought of her as an interpreter of emotional intelligence, class and taste. And I couldn’t be prouder of her for co-writing and co-producing a whole batch of tunes that can stand up nicely with her past catalogue. Thanks for the review, Trig! x
July 22, 2025 @ 7:58 am
I have always loved Trisha. “”Like We Never Had a Broken Heart” If you don’t like that one, I don’t know about ya! 😉
July 25, 2025 @ 1:42 am
…that glas – or two – of merlot, cabernet or chardonnay would just make a perfect album even perfecter.