Immediately shooting to No. 1 on iTunes Country Chart upon release, Ashley Monroe's brand new critically-acclaimed album, The Blade, was released this past Friday to much excitement. Her second Warner Bros. /Warner Music Nashville effort, the album has been garnering universal praise since well before its release. Monroe begins a week of media visits in support of the new album with a performance of “Winning Streak” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tonight at 11:35/10:35pmCT on NBC.
“…impressive...music that answers only to itself, and to country’s varied history, not its narrow present…Her casually melting voice does real damage.” – New York Times
“The album sounds so damn good,” – Pitchfork
“Ashley Monroe hits her stride on The Blade…further solidify[ing] her as one of the genre’s defining female voices.” – Entertainment Weekly
“Restless and romantic, she slyly inverts Nashville sounds through the ages…Her confident, assured turn on The Blade not only provides a crucial reminder that country’s women are often the ones pushing the genre forward but offers a prime soundtrack for open-road adventures and whiskey-filled nights.” – Time Magazine
“The Blade aims to do more than start conversations; it’s here to win hearts en route to cementing Monroe’s status as a superstar.” – NPR
“The Blade” is “destined to be one of the year’s top albums.” – Rolling Stone
“…more than a rebel, she’s the most elegant country stylist of her generation.” – Billboard (4 out of 5 stars)
“…a wide-ranging survey of country cool.” - Newsday
“…modern country’s old soul.” – Paste (8.9 out of 10 stars)
Celebrating The Blade with a Nashville release party last week at The Basement East, the night was presented by Sirius XM who will re-broadcast select songs from the special event in the coming weeks. Monroe performed with friends and special guests including co-producer Vince Gill, Nashville band Striking Matches, and album co-writers Steve McEwen, Jessie Alexander, and Miranda Lambert.
The East Tennessee singer songwriter, who just announced her headlining "The Blade Tour" today (tour dates below), will appear on TBS’ “Conan” August 26th, and is also taking part in AT&T U-Verse’s unique “Women in Country” program on its Country Deep TV, online and mobile platforms. The singer shares stories and songs with viewers during the special 30-minute program. One performance, a cover of kindred spirit Dolly Parton’s “Tennessee Mountain Home,” debuted exclusively today on Rolling Stone and Rolling Stone Country.
Monroe has been teasing the album for month’s now, releasing six of the 13 tracks from the Gill- and Justin Niebank-produced album to rave reviews. The LP runs the entire complicated range of emotions, from the title track’s devastating heartbreak to the sunny optimism of debut single “On to Something Good.”
0 Comments