In the world of country music, a female voice is few and far between. Even as I write this I can’t recall hearing a woman artist on the radio during my commute to school. Because of this short supply of strong female singers in country music, many of the pre-existing women have banded together to start a revolution. Maren Morris has embraced the movement with her new album Girl.

Morris released Girl as her second studio album on Mar. 8 which happened to coincide with International Women’s Day. For this, I give her marketing team major props. The album features a total of 14 songs.

First up on the album is the song the album is named after: “Girl.” This tune starts with simple plucks of guitar strings before Morris’s voice comes in nice and soft, almost as if she’s talking to herself. With lyrics such as “all up in my head again/ I don’t feel myself right now, maybe I should just lay down” and “I don’t like myself right now, gotta find a way out” in the opening verse, it is clear Morris feels lost and is determined to change that. As the lyrics progress Morris’s voice grows stronger signifying the build in confidence she is experiencing. This song is a poetic way of empowering women to love who they are rather than compare themselves to others. Because of the powerful message, I can see this song being the anthem for women all across music genres.

If I only listened to the song “Girl” I would think the whole album was about being a strong independent woman, but I would be wrong. “The Feels” starts with more upbeat guitar picking which is different for a love song but works for Morris’s sound. This ballad, if I can even call it that, is all about how her love interest makes

her feel. Don’t get me wrong the song reminds me of the butterflies one gets when talking to their crush with the lyric “feels like the tickle of the bubbles in a bottle of cheap champagne,” but it’s not the sound I was expecting.

The next song on the album “All of My Favorite People” is a bit of an ode to the rowdy country crowd featuring the kings of rowdy Brothers Osborne. This is a fun little care-free song you could jam out to over the summer cruising around town.

Morris pleasantly surprised me with the ballad “A Song For Everything.” This is the one song I feel everyone can relate to. The chorus “one danced you through love/ one rocked you through lonely/ mixtaped your heartbreak and made you feel holy/ for the hits and the misses/ for the fire and the rain/ close your eyes and listen/ ‘cause there’s a song for everything, yeah/ there’s a song for everything” struck deep inside me.

Morris has another song in which she is searching for herself called “Common” featuring Brandi Carlile. At first I was confused if Morris was talking about trying to find herself in a relationship that just isn’t working, but as I really listened to the lyrics I realized she’s searching in a society that is plagued with troubles.

“Flavor” spiced up the album a bit as a song where Morris is unapologetically herself. The country-pop singer won’t take no bull from anyone when she says she “ain’t gonna water down my words or sugar up my spice/ sometimes the truth don’t always come out nice/ just gonna do me and you don’t have to listen.” Morris certainly won’t do as she is told with the lyric “shut up and sing?/ well, hell no, I won’t.” Under no circumstances will she sit back quietly.

When I really listened to the album it was well crafted and told a story of Morris’s emotions. Despite this, I found myself straining to pay attention to this album. I often found myself spacing out and have determined this would a good album to put on when you need background noise.

3/5