Among a semi-revolution in terms of breaking out new female performers, Maren Morris' "My Church" has become a huge success, doing well digitally while currently placing in the top-10 on the country airplay chart. Unlike fellow newcomer Kelsea Ballerini, however, Morris has seen a breakthrough with an interesting, substantial record that pushes boundaries at country radio.
"My Church" is a bit of a bad-ass anthem with enough self-awareness to not reach the almost self-parody that bad girl rompers from Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood (see: "Somethin' Bad") have. It has more depth and nuance to the lyrical construction, with the premise being the importance that music - specifically country music - has had on her life. From a songwriting persepctive, "My Church" smartly draws the line between edgy and reflective, making it a most interesting listen.
From a sonic standpoint, the record mostly succeeds. With a mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation, as well as handclap percussion, "My Church" is a diverse mixture of sounds that makes for a strong arrangement, and mixed with Morris' strong technical and interpretive performance, is most certainly a compelling listen.
The two minor knocks on "My Church" would be that the melody can feel a bit clunky at times - especially after repeat listens - while Morris borders on shouting by the end of the chorus. While neither are enough to dock major points, they do prevent this from being an elite-level recording.
There's easily more than enough good here, however, to say that "My Church" is a definite bright spot at country radio, and that it's success is a massive victory for the genre. If this one's just the start, Maren Morris will definitely be an act to watch going forward.
Grade: B+
Listen: "My Church"
"My Church" is a bit of a bad-ass anthem with enough self-awareness to not reach the almost self-parody that bad girl rompers from Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood (see: "Somethin' Bad") have. It has more depth and nuance to the lyrical construction, with the premise being the importance that music - specifically country music - has had on her life. From a songwriting persepctive, "My Church" smartly draws the line between edgy and reflective, making it a most interesting listen.
From a sonic standpoint, the record mostly succeeds. With a mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation, as well as handclap percussion, "My Church" is a diverse mixture of sounds that makes for a strong arrangement, and mixed with Morris' strong technical and interpretive performance, is most certainly a compelling listen.
The two minor knocks on "My Church" would be that the melody can feel a bit clunky at times - especially after repeat listens - while Morris borders on shouting by the end of the chorus. While neither are enough to dock major points, they do prevent this from being an elite-level recording.
There's easily more than enough good here, however, to say that "My Church" is a definite bright spot at country radio, and that it's success is a massive victory for the genre. If this one's just the start, Maren Morris will definitely be an act to watch going forward.
Grade: B+
Listen: "My Church"
