Ashley Monroe: The Blade
Alfred Soto, Spin, 20 July 2015
THE SINGER AND WRITER of the most exquisite sighs in modern country, Ashley Monroe doesn't come off as a mope. Her high, fluting voice projects a steadiness and good cheer that belie the heaps of alcoholic stupors and broken relationships in her songs. At first she seemed the simplest of the Pistol Annies, the power trio comprised of hellion Miranda Lambert and miniaturist Angaleena Presley. Her sophomore album, Like a Rose, changed that: a collection of excellent plaints produced by Vince Gill during that spring of 2013 when Kacey Musgraves commanded the headlines. Within minutes Like a Rose sounded like a classic. I've heard the title track pop up in wedding playlists twice in ten months.
Total word count of piece: 431
