Margo Price albums

2016

Midwest Farmer’s Daughter - 72%

Best Songs: Since You Put Me Down, Hands of Time, Tennessee Song

2020

That’s How Rumors Get Started - 79%

This album shows a huge leap in ambition for Price, breaking out of the country rock mold almost completely. The first three songs are a galvanizing new standard: “That’s How Rumors get Started” exudes some Stevie Knicks level confidence and background sound, “Letting Me Down” finds a background from a classic rocker like Tom Petty to play in, “Twinkle Twinkle” actually channels a bit of Hendrix in its hard rock approach. “Gone to Stay” is almost a perfect blending of country music ballad and rock ballad, maintaining a newfound melodicism as well. There are other triumphs as well, as more care is coming to crafting a complete record: “Stone Me” has that storytelling Price is so good at,  “Prisoner of the Highway” is a perfect highway traveling tune, “I’d Die for You” a surprisingly touching bluesy closer. In all, quite the brave step forward for Price and in my opinion her best record yet.

Best Songs: Gone to Stay, Twinkle Twinkle, Letting Me Down

2023

Strays - 85%

I saw Price play at the Americana fest back in 2008 or so, my first impression of her was a pretty good country artist who really had her stuff together and had some good old-fashioned tunes. She has grown with each record, expanding her palette and it’s been pretty fascinating to watch. This album is like Margo Price meets Led Zeppelin or something. Its not just rock n roll elements that get mixed in, its literal progressive rock structures (“Light Me Up” is the most obvious example I guess), it’s Hendrixian guitar solos, and just plain catchy pop rock at times (“Time Machine”, by far the catchiest song and one of her all time best). “Radio”, a duet with Sharon Van Etten, also comes out of left field as an electronic ballad of sorts by way of Lucinda Willaims, truly a pleasant surprise. Even the songs that reach for higher goals but maybe don’t quite achieve them, the six plus minute ballad “Lydia” has some Blonde on Blonde-era Dylan aspirations, and closer “Landfill” is perhaps too old fashioned; ditto for “Country Road” which is the only song I don’t like.

Whatever the reason for the rock n roll stylings, its easy to see form That’s How Rumors Get Started (2020) how this is possible, in fact it’s kind of what I was hoping for. “Hell in the Heartland” keeps with her classic country style and proves how effortlessly she can create a new classic song; the atmosphere of this song could fuel an entire album of songs in this style alone. “Anytime You Call” comes into that tradition of torch ballad with elements of soul, Bonnie Raitt, Neko Case, Linda Rondstat, etc. Maybe this was always going to be a great country music artists progression, to delve full into rock n roll; after all so many great rock n roll bands end up being country rockers…..

Best Songs: Time Machine, Hell in the Heartland, Radio,  Been to the Mountain