
If I were to chose a woman on my 2016 Women to Watch List who is going to have the most success this year, it would definitely be Maren Morris. There are people that pass her off as a pop wannabe, but there's no statement farther from the truth. Her blues-rock and country-pop blend is fresh, her vocals are powerful and unique, and her lyrics are strong. The mix between the Kacey Musgraves-esqe comedy in her lyrics and the Chris Stapleton blues influence in her production could bring her as much success as either of those artists.
"Rich" is the first new release from her debut studio album Hero, which features four of the five songs off of her viral debut EP, as well as "Second Wind," which was cut by Kelly Clarkson. The blues rock sound of the track echoes the sound of some of her older demos on SoundCloud like "Circle the Block" and "Airplane Mode." The song makes fun of an ex, with Morris singing that if she got paid for every bad thing he ever did to her, she would be rich.
The chorus is a lyrical and comical masterpiece, ending with "Every promise you made me would have some real value / cause all the little lies rolling off your lips / is money falling from the sky / shit, I'd be rich." If this is and "Drunk Girls Don't Cry" are hints of the comedy that's going to woven into this record, it's going to be a fabulous album.
Country traditionalists will bash this song for being 'not country' enough, but when it comes to Morris, that argument is barely valid. Morris is her own sound, and she's better than a lot of what's on country radio right now. And she's insanely talented and deserves all the success she's getting. Mark my words, in a few years Morris isn't going to need compensation from an ex-boyfriend to be rich.
Overall rating: 4 ½ crowns
The chorus is a lyrical and comical masterpiece, ending with "Every promise you made me would have some real value / cause all the little lies rolling off your lips / is money falling from the sky / shit, I'd be rich." If this is and "Drunk Girls Don't Cry" are hints of the comedy that's going to woven into this record, it's going to be a fabulous album.
Country traditionalists will bash this song for being 'not country' enough, but when it comes to Morris, that argument is barely valid. Morris is her own sound, and she's better than a lot of what's on country radio right now. And she's insanely talented and deserves all the success she's getting. Mark my words, in a few years Morris isn't going to need compensation from an ex-boyfriend to be rich.
Overall rating: 4 ½ crowns