When you think about the most recent great debut albums in Country music you think of Kip Moore’s ‘Up All Night’, of Kacey Musgraves’ ‘Same Trailer, Different Park’, Ashley McBryde’s ‘Girl Going Nowhere’ and Luke Combs’ ‘This One’s For You’. Well, there’s a new name and a new album to add to that list because Megan Moroney’s version of emo-Country, Sad-Girl Country, call it what you will, that she introduces to the world on this, her debut album, ‘Lucky’, is that good.
Of course, one listen to this album will make you realise that there wouldn’t be a ‘Lucky’ without ‘Same Trailer, Different Park’, the genealogy there is clear but that’s how great music is made, right? Taking the influences you were raised on & building upon them in your own, unique way. A native of Savannah, Georgia, Moroney moved to Nashville in 2020 after connecting with fellow Georgia musician Kristian Bush of Sugarland. An EP entitled ‘Pistol Made of Roses’ soon followed as did rumours of an on-again / off-again relationship with Morgan Wallen but it was the success of ‘Tennessee Orange’ last year that really lit the fire under her career and set her on the path to where she is today.
Across the 13 tracks on offer here you’ll get some of the most biting lyrics you’ve heard in a while. You’ll also get classic Country heartbreak, some clever double meanings and word play and you’ll be treated to some wonderful melodies and powerful messages of self esteem. Opening track, ‘I’m Not Pretty’ contains all those things I just referenced. Some gentle, ‘Same Trailer…’ vibes abound here but the lyrics are far from gentle. Moroney spins a tale of jealousy as she sings about the ‘queen of the mean girls,’ her ex’s new girlfriend, who is on Moroney’s Instagram feed trolling her and tearing her down. There’s a nice denouement to this song that makes you realise Moroney isn’t phased by this and isn’t hurt either, which makes you eager to hear what else she has to say.
That inner strength comes through across the whole of ‘Lucky’. ‘Girl in the Mirror’ paints a picture of a woman who has surrendered her self-worth to a man who ‘put out her fire in the name of young love.’ It’s a sensitive, powerful ballad that speaks to an experience that is relatable to a lot of women, something that comes across on this album, time and time again.
On the fabulous ‘Why Johnny’, which is a sparse song with Moroney’s smoky vocals front and centre, we find her singing about a guy who comes home smelling of booze and pills until the chorus hits and we learn that she’s actually asking June Carter how she coped with Johnny Cash’s demons because “I think I have a Johnny of my own’. This could be one of many references to Morgan Wallen on this album if you choose to see it that way but it could also be a reference to just about any guy you’ve ever met if you’ve been unfortunate. Similarly, ‘Georgia Girl,’ a song which showcases the Bluesier side of Moroney’s music, finds her frustrated yet empowered as she sings about a guy’s philandering ways, using the names of the states to represent the women he’s cheated on her with. ‘It’s your loss, not mine,’ she concludes as the steel and electric guitars combine brilliantly to produce one of the album’s stand out tracks.
There are two further tracks, ‘Traitor Joe’ and ‘Sleep on My Side’ which see Moroney in full emo-Country, ballsy, empowered mode. The former, a definite contender for ‘best song on the album’ is a play on words around the American store / brand Trader Joes, highlighting, again, Moroney’s clever turn of phrase and lyrical acumen. There’s a high-end, Kelsea Ballerini feel to this polished and powerful track as you soon come to see that it isn’t Joe who is the villain of the song at all. ‘You should trade her, trade her in for a girl like me,’ Moroney pitches ontop of some Rock-leaning guitars on a song that would make an obvious radio hit. ‘Sleep on My Side’, meanwhile, perhaps contains the best burn on the album. It’s a quirky, almost Folk-tinged emo-Country song about how opposites attract that barrels along with a lightness of touch that belies the message that Moroney is sending out to the guy that has cheated on her. ‘It’s good that we’re so different but when the day is done, I sleep on my side and you sleep with everyone.’ Ouch! That juxtaposition of the light melodies and the vitriolic lyrics is why Moroney needs to be taken seriously as an artist of worth, there’s some clever stuff going on there that doesn’t come along in this industry all that often.
Elsewhere, ‘Lucky’ treats us to some powerful melodies and wonderful, sharp moments. The title track is a a honky tonk bar room romp with a chorus made for line dancing and wooden floor revelry. ‘Tonight, my only ambition,’ Moroney concludes, ‘is to make a bad decision.’ Lead single and main focus track, ‘Tennessee Orange’ is a sweet love song about conflicting emotions and one of a recent proliferation of Country songs that mix football with falling in love whilst ‘God Plays a Gibson’ is another sparse song with a little plaintive steel that is spiritual without being preachy and religious without being mawkish. It strikes the right balance and is relatable to how many people connect with a higher power.
That relatability is a key feature of Moroney’s writing and is what will endear her to the legion of fans that are coming her way in this phase of her career. On ‘Mustang or Me’ she muses about which is going to break down first, her or he old car she’s using to drive away from her break up in. This piano driven ballad brings a different touch to what is quite a restrained and somber album in places. Plaintive guitars and big, sweeping production values would make this an obvious choice of song to send to radio, but then you could say that about seven songs on this album! One song that absolutely does deserve to be a radio single is ‘Another on the Way’. This Western-tinged, southern gothic style anthem feels steeped in that kind of New Orleans mysticism and Carrie Underwood style drama as Moroney sends out more messages of self esteem and empowerment. ‘Don’t you cry,’ she sings, ”cos men, they are like trains. If you miss one, there’s always another on the way.’ My initial favourite on ‘Lucky’, ‘Another on the Way’ is a powerful, relatable (there’s that word again) song that is just so damn fun to sing to as well: it’s made for hairbrush microphones the whole world over.
Megan Moroney is a such a clever writer. Album closer, ‘Sad Song for Sad People’ is actually the happiest song on the album and provides the listener with yet another plot twist and classic Country bait-and-switch. Her version of something that began in 2013 with Kacey Musgraves’ ‘Same Trailer Different Park’ is altogether more empowered and grounded in a relatable way. The melodies are strong and the storytelling even stronger as she twists and turns her way through these 13 tracks. There’s heartbreak aplenty but there’s also empowerment, purpose and love scattered throughout the beguiling tracks on this fabulous album. ‘Lucky’ is not really the word I’d use to describe Megan Moroney, she’s far more intentional and talented than the title portrays. We have the emergence of a real potential presence in the Country music genre here and it will be fascinating to see what the ride has in store for her in the years to come.
Tracklist: 1. I’m Not Pretty 2. Lucky 3. Tennessee Orange 4. Kansas Anymore 5. Girl in the Mirror 6. Another on the Way 7. Traitor Joe 8. Why Johnny 9. God Plays a Gibson 10. Georgia Girl 11. Sleep on My Side 12. Mustang or Me 13. Sad Song for Sad people Record Label: Sony Release Date: May 5th Buy ‘Lucky’ right now.
