Rating: 7.5/10
Before listening to this album, the only thing I’d heard from Ashley McBryde was “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega”. I liked her voice in that song, and I found the chorus catchy. The subject of making the best of a bad day is something I think is very important. Now that I’ve listened to this album, that song is still one of my favorites, but Ashley McBryde’s music has a lot of good things going for it, aside from just that one song.
The album starts off with the title track. It’s also one of my favorites. According to the description on apple Music, the song is autobiographical. Ashley had a teacher who said she’d never get anywhere by playing music. Even when she defied said teacher’s expectations and made it, though, Ashley still had people saying that she’d crash and burn. Still, the draw of the crowd and doing what she loved kept her dreams afloat, and though it hurt when people said those things, Ashley still kept on going. After the acoustic production of this song, “Radioland” came as quite a surprise. It’s an upbeat track, with some great guitar. While I would usually not go for this kind of thing on a country album, the whole rock sound works well for Ashley’s voice, which is good as she’s got more where that came from. This particular song is all about listening to the radio as she grew up, and the memories she had. I liked the flow of the song, and it made for a nice, somewhat lighter moment.
“American Scandal” is one of my least favorite songs on the album. It’s pleasant to listen to, but it just doesn’t stick out. It’s a relationship song. She wants the passion of scandals past. I guess things are just too vague for me to really relate to the characters in this one. “Southern Babylon” is an interesting song. It’s all about her going to Hell, where she had to play guitar in flames. While discussing this song with Megan, she said it was awesome for someone to put a song about going to Hell on their debut album. She also wished that the production had been different, and when she said that, I realized my problem with this song. I wish it had been rougher, maybe more upbeat, something instrumentally to indicate the theme of the song. Overall, I think this track was an awesome idea, I just wish it had been executed differently.
We go from Hell to memories. “The Jacket” is the next track, and it’s all about her father’s old jean jacket. It had seen many of his memories, and he ultimately gives it to her so that she could feel like he was with her. I do love this song. It takes being materialistic and turns it around. The object actually has a meaning. “Living Next to Leroy” is a fun and upbeat song, despite the lyrics revolving around getting high. It’s another nostalgia-laced song, wherein she talks about her neighbor who was big into drugs. In the end of the song, she gets her diploma, and Leroy isn’t there to be proud of her.
“Andy (I Can’t Live Without You)” is a softer song. The instrumentation is mostly made up of guitar, and her tone is softer. It’s all about a relationship wherein her boyfriend drives her crazy, but she can’t seem to live without him. I loved how this song portrayed how relationships are never perfect, and even that man who drives you crazy could still be the one for you. “El Dorado” is yet another faster song, all about driving to the next show, and trying to find the town it’s in. SHe’s tired, they’re running out of gas, and yet she keeps going. I take this as sort of a sequel to “Girl Goin’ Nowhere”, since she’s headed toward her dreams. I like the instrumentation of the song, but the repeated line of “can’t stop now” does quickly get old. Still, it’s not an awful song, and it makes for good listening.
Finally, we come to the last two songs. “Tired of Being Happy” is a slower, more blues-infused track. The woman in the song is telling her ex that if he gets tired of being happy and in love, he could give her a call. She doesn’t want to ruin what he has, but she’s there, just in case he ever wants to take her up on the offer. “Home Sweet Highway” is another road song, all about how the highway is her home. This song doesn’t stick out much for me either, maybe because it’s slower. Still, I like how she keeps bringing things back to the road.
Overall, I think this is a well-done album. It’s one of the best mainstream country albums I’ve heard in a while, probably since Maddie and Tae’s album. Ashley’s voice is versatile, going from vulnerable in songs like “Andy”, to more confident in “Radioland”, and “El Dorado”. I think if you want to find a new artist who’s in the mainstream scene, you should definitely check out this album.
Buy the Album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s830jmiqnw