Country star-in-the-making Megan Moroney dropped her debut album “Lucky” yesterday, and it’s already one of the best projects to come out this year.
I had some high expectations for this record, and as usual, Megan knocked it out of the park. The Georgia native is still brand-new to her music career, so I would’ve cut her some slack for a song or two that fell short…but I didn’t have to. There wasn’t a song that missed the mark. Not one single skip.
“Lucky” is full of a lot of hurt, which Megan admitted herself in the handwritten note she posted on Instagram ahead of the record’s debut. She also added “nothing has healed my heart like songwriting has,” as she went on to thank her fans and her team, and explain what the album means to her.
The overall songwriting of “Lucky” immediately impressed me, and Megan managed to keep the entire thing sounding plenty country – a major win in the genre today. She stayed away from being too “mainstream” or too “pop-country,” but still maintained the unique sound and style established with previous releases, and her 2022 EP, “Pistol Made of Roses.” It’s so clear that she took time in hand-selecting all 13 of the tracks on her debut album, because they fit together perfectly.
The viral hit “Tennessee Orange” makes an appearance as one of the album’s 13 songs, followed by the title track and already-released “Girl In The Mirror” and “I’m Not Pretty.” In addition to these four, the record also features nine new tracks.
Nine songs are a lot to listen to, so I did the work for you and rounded up the best three, along with a couple of honorable mentions below. (You’re welcome.)
Why Johnny
Along with “God Plays a Gibson” and “Sad Songs For Sad People,” “Why Johnny” is one of the slower tracks on the album, but damn it’s a good one. Megan drew inspiration from the turbulent relationship of Johnny Cash and June Carter here, sharing with fans “Johnny Cash ended up changing for June but he definitely screwed up a lot in the process (look it up lol) so that’s what this song is about.”
If you’ve been following Megan for a while, then you know “Why Johnny” has been a fan-favorite for a couple of years. It reminds me of “Fix You Too,” arguably my most played Megan Moroney song, so it’s an easy 10/10 in my book. It even impressed fellow country artist Carly Pearce, who showed her love for the song and praised Megan in a Tweet on Friday night.
Traitor Joe
Another must-listen. It’s one of the more upbeat and high energy tracks on the album, and so well written. If I had to sum it all up into one sentence, it’d be this: an updated, country-fied take on Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” (It’s even better in my opinion, but I’ll let y’all be the judge of that.)
Kansas Anymore
Megan’s a Georgia gal and proud of it – so don’t go thinkin’ for a second this song is actually about Kansas. Its another heartbreaker, written about the “beginning of the end” of a relationship, when one person’s feelings begin to change for the worse. The phrase “not in Kansas anymore” feels synonymous to “not in love” or “not in this anymore.” The song cuts deep right off the bat, as Megan sings “What do you say when you leave? / I’ll start with, ‘It ain’t you, it’s me’.” It continues to hit hard through the last lines of the chorus, “Everything’s changin’, my heart is breakin’ / ‘Cause baby, we ain’t in Kansas anymore.”
Megan teased “Kansas Anymore” on TikTok almost a year ago and received such a positive response from fans, so it’s no surprise this one made its way onto the album. Another easy “10.”
Some more can’t miss tracks on the record include “Another on The Way” (which exudes MAJOR early 2000’s Miranda Lambert energy) and the catchy, witty, “f*** you” song, “Sleep On My Side.”
Overall, the album is the perfect balance of personal yet relatable. Megan Moroney absolutely killed it with this debut (to no one’s surprise) and has successfully shown us once again that the “emo cowgirl” is one to watch.
Listen to “Lucky” here: