That's How Rumors Get Started - Margo Price: Review
is a Nashville based country singer who first broke out as a signee to Jack White's Third Man Records. This is her third record and her first since leaving Third Man Records, which is produced entirely by Sturgill Simpson.
Review By Lav:
I love Margo Price's debut album Midwest Farmers Daughter to this day and I was extremely excited for her future. While her sophomore record wasn't quite as much of a hit with me and I was skeptical about why she separated from third man records, hearing that Sturgill Simpson has such a big hand in this record made me more confident it wouldn't be an attempt at going commercial. Now that the album is here for the most part I enjoy it, and it avoids pitfalls that can make modern country so agonizing.
The record a few singles of which I only disliked one, Stone Me. The track is a piano ballad without much poise to it and an insultingly basic hook that really didn't do much for me in between boring verse passages. Heartless Mind is another song I didn't love and it stands out big time on the record although not in a particularly good way. It has a much more driving and direct instrumental but the mix is really flat and the resulting sound is a track that's just pretending to be excited, its strange and I'm not really a fan. The last track I had much of any problem with was Good To Stay even though it is fine from a songwriting perspective. Margo just doesn't give as much vocally as I would like her to and the mix sort of overpowers her which doesn't really work well for a bouncy country flavored rock song.
That's pretty much all the complaints I have though from this point the record is nothing but hits starting with its singles. Letting Me Down is a more uptempo song with some swinging guitar work and some simple but effective storytelling from Margo. While the bridge is just kind of an extension of the chorus the instrumental doesn't let up and is dense and effective enough to carry the second half of the song. Twinkle Twinkle was a single I loved and it is still probably my favorite song on the entire record. The Sturgill Simpson production is at its clearest on this track with a rousing rock instrumental but Margo is up to the challenge. She brings a swagger filled lead vocal performance to the track with a simple but sly hook that rounds out the best track the record had to offer.
One of the most surprising influences that comes through really really clearly on a few tracks here is Fleetwood Mac. That's How Rumors Got Started is the opener and mirrors FM with the charismatic lead vocals to the bouncy piano instrumental. Even though the song never has one single point that is its peak dramatic climax it does continue to intrigue me throughout. Hey Child is a much grader ballad that once again feels like it pulls heavily from Fleetwood Mac but once I'm once again pretty happy with the results of a pretty compelling song. When the soaring hook comes around I'm sold on the song every single time.
What Happened To Out Love? kicks off with some 70 psychedelic guitar that is very welcome. This track turns into a huge dramatic ballad with soaring lead vocals and angelic backing vocals. The respect for classic rock is clear on the song and everybody performs it well for another major highlight. Prisoner Of The Highway is the albums country classic wanderin song. She isn't really doing anything on here that hasn't been done before instrumentally or vocally but she does bring a nice touch. She has free-spirited lyrics and charming vocals with a choir backing that is a really nice touch. I'd Die For You is a swelling closing ballad that is decent but honestly doesn't achieve a sound as consequential as some of the other tracks here. Her calls of "I'd die for you" are still very compelling my only issue is that it may have not been the right final moment for the record.
That's How Rumors Get Started is a great return to form from Margo Price. Even the record has a much more electric sound and debt to rock and roll than her debut the songwriting and performances come just as poignant and rousing. Sturgill Simpson's production routinely bursts out of the mix in the records most dramatic moments and the result is one of the best country fusion records you'll hear in 2020 and a reason to carry on paying attention to Margo indefinitely. 7.5/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
In the nicest way possible this is like white girl Pinterest photo shoot. While I don't think this concept is revolutionary, having done and seen photoshoots similar for years, I think it's an okay cover. It has a nice balance of composition and I appreciate the constant color palette. I enjoy the font of the artist's name but I think the title could've had a little work done to it. It seems like it was an afterthought. It just gets the job done. 5/10
For more pseudo country check out my review of Ray LaMontagne's Monovision here
