If Ashley isn’t blowing out your speakers with flamethrowing chainsaw guitar, she’s drowning you in a torrential downpour of waterworks with a power ballad. Even the more hushed moments come with intensity.
If you know anything about country music, you know how integral the Fender Telecaster guitar has been to the music’s twangy sound over the years. A major roster of talent will assemble to celebrate 75 years of the Telecaster.
Instead of worrying about sales and stats, Ashley’s decided to double down on what she does best, and what brings here the most meaning: unflinchingly brutal and honest songs that burrow deep into the emotional reservoirs of life.
Ashley McBryde’s strong suit is taking snapshots from the everyday lives of average working people, and gracing them with unadorned, plainspoken, but deeply potent songwriting poetry.
It’s a remarkable achievement that an album like this was even made under the otherwise repressive jurisdiction of the Music Row system in Nashville. No, you should not consider this like a conventional album release by Ashley McBryde, meaning a succession of potential radio singles and album cuts.
The amount of album releases these days can be dizzying. And it can be even more daunting when you have a release day with some super big titles that suck up all the attention when some of the other releases from smaller and more independent artists are just as important or enjoyable.