Hard Headed Woman

About

Country firebrand Margo Price has never pulled a punch, a quality that likely inspired the title of this fifth studio album and follow-up to the two-part <i>Strays</i>. Known for her fiery lyrics and even more electric live performances, Price, now nearly a decade out from her groundbreaking debut album <i>Midwest Farmer’s Daughter</i>, is a pillar of left-of-center country, paving the way for like-minded artists like Sierra Ferrell and Tyler Childers, the latter of whom appears on this album. Though she’s a longtime Nashville resident, <i>Hard Headed Woman</i> marks the first time Price has recorded a project in Music City, setting up shop with Grammy-winning producer Matt Ross-Spang (Old Crow Medicine Show, Jason Isbell) at famed Music Row outpost RCA Studio A. Sonically, the record doesn’t deviate far from Price’s previous output, though there’s a confident ease in these performances that is more palpable here than on older projects. It opens with a prelude, harmony vocals setting the stage for lead single “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down,” a keep-your-head-up anthem Price co-wrote with Rodney Crowell, the late Kris Kristofferson, and her husband/frequent collaborator Jeremy Ivey. Singer-songwriter Jesse Welles joins Price on “Don’t Wake Me Up,” an off-kilter rocker that eschews the chaos of the modern world in favor of dreamy idealism. The Childers collaboration “Love Me Like You Used to Do” is another high point, bringing the pair of beloved artists together for a last-call ballad about keeping the spark alive.

via Apple Music