Girl (Maren Morris album)

Last updated
Girl
Maren Morris - Girl.png
Studio album by
Maren Morris
ReleasedMarch 8, 2019 (2019-03-08)
Recorded2017–2019
Genre
Length46:59
Label Columbia Nashville
Producer
Maren Morris chronology
Hero
(2016)		Girl
(2019)		 Maren Morris: Reimagined
(2019)
Singles from Girl
  1. "Girl"
    Released: January 18, 2019
  2. "The Bones"
    Released: May 20, 2019
  3. "To Hell & Back"
    Released: March 30, 2020

Girl is the second studio album by American country music singer Maren Morris, released on March 8, 2019 through Columbia Nashville. [6] It was preceded by the single "Girl". [7] The promotional single "Common", featuring Brandi Carlile, was released alongside the album pre-order on February 8. The track was later nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, while the album's second single "The Bones" was nominated for Best Country Song at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. [8] Morris embarked on the Girl: The World Tour in support of the album. [9]

Contents

Release and promotion

The album's lead single "Girl" was released on January 18, 2019, and was described as "an upbeat, optimistic single with a strutting, indie-rock guitar sound". The album's first promotional single "Common" features Brandi Carlile and was released on February 8. The collaboration was nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. [10] "The Bones" was released on February 22 as the second and final promotional single of the album. [11] On August 16, 2019, the song was sent to radios as the second single from the album. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Morris' highest charting solo single to date, as well as hitting number one on the Country Airplay chart of February 2020, becoming Maren’s third number one for that chart. The song went on to earn a nomination for Best Country Song at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. [8] Maren later teased fans on social media that from having another consecutive hit, that the album will be having another single. In March 2020 she released "To Hell & Back" as the third single from the album. [12]

In support of the album, Morris embarked on Girl: The World Tour, which began on March 9 and concluded on November 16, 2019. [13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 66/100 [14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Exclaim! 8/10 [16]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Paste 7.1/10 [18]
Pitchfork 6.3/10 [19]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [20]

Girl received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 8 reviews. [14]

Melissa Novacaska from Exclaim! said, "What's impressive about Girl though is how strong Morris's vocals have grown, along with the maturity and uniqueness of each song. It's clear that Girl isn't a sophomore slump, but rather an album worth investing in." [16] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Girl "bright, shiny, and big, an album designed to appeal to any imaginable audience", noting how Morris goes for a "pan-cultural pop" soundscape that draws from different genres and delivers straightforward messages that's backed by equally strong production. He concluded by finding criticism in the album's songwriting following that musical direction, "By foregrounding her lyrical intent and offering no room for interpretation, Morris winds up with songs that feel less imaginative than their execution, a flaw that is by no means fatal but does mean that Girl plays on a smaller scale than intended." [15]

Rolling Stone editor Rob Sheffield felt that fans of Morris's "scrappy attitude on Hero" will be oft-put by the "happy midtempo love songs" found in the album's second half but said that tracks like "All My Favorite People", "Flavor" and "Make Out with Me" will satisfy them, concluding that, "She might be on her best behavior on this LP, but the liveliest moments come when she gets out of line." [20] Laura Snapes of The Guardian felt the record goes for "neither gutsy grandstanding nor Vegas-adjacent pop" throughout its track listing, criticizing the "biographical sincerity ("Great Ones", "Gold Love", "Make Out with Me")" for lacking conviction and the misuse of Morris's "compellingly hardbitten voice" on songs that don't involve fractured romances, saying that Morris should take inspiration from fellow country artist Kacey Musgraves when recording her third album. [17]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for GIRL
YearOrganizationCategoryResult
2019Country Music Association AwardsAlbum of the YearWon
2020Academy of Country Music AwardsAlbum of the YearNominated
Billboard Music AwardsTop Country AlbumNominated

Commercial performance

Girl debuted and peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200 with 46,000 album-equivalent units, of which 25,000 were pure album sales in its first week. It is Morris' second US top-five album. [21] The album broke the record for the largest streaming week ever for a country studio album by a woman, with approximately 24 million streams in its first week. [22] On February 26, 2020, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units. [23] The album has sold 91,000 in traditional albums, [24] and has earned at least 636,000 equivalent album units as of April 2020. [25]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Tidal. [26]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Girl"
Kurstin4:10
2."The Feels"
3:07
3."All My Favorite People" (featuring Brothers Osborne)
  • Morris
  • busbee
3:19
4."A Song for Everything"
  • Morris
  • Robbins
  • Veltz
  • Morris
  • busbee
3:14
5."Common" (featuring Brandi Carlile)
  • Morris
  • Kurstin
  • Aarons
Kurstin4:05
6."Flavor"
  • Morris
  • Robbins
  • Veltz
  • Morris
  • busbee
3:16
7."Make Out with Me"
  • Morris
  • Julian Bunetta
  • John Ryan
  • Morris
  • busbee
2:16
8."Gold Love"
  • Morris
  • busbee
  • Morris
  • busbee
3:23
9."Great Ones"
  • Morris
  • Hurd
  • Reaves
  • Morris
  • busbee
3:41
10."RSVP"
  • Morris
  • busbee
3:34
11."To Hell & Back"
  • Morris
  • Jessie Jo Dillon
  • Veltz
  • Morris
  • busbee
3:15
12."The Bones"
  • Morris
  • Robbins
  • Veltz
Kurstin3:17
13."Good Woman"
  • Morris
  • busbee
3:31
14."Shade"
  • Morris
  • Hemby
  • Tyler Johnson
  • Morris
  • busbee
2:51
Total length:46:59
2020 rerelease
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."Just for Now"
  • Morris
  • busbee
  • Morris
  • busbee
4:00
16."Takes Two"
  • Morris
  • Aarons
  • Kurstin
  • Morris
  • Kurstin
3:33
Total length:54:32

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. [27]

Musicians

Technical

Imagery

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [40] Platinum80,000‡
United States (RIAA) [23] Gold636,000 [41]

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
VariousMarch 8, 2019 Columbia Nashville

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandi Carlile</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1981)

Brandi Marie Carlile is an American singer-songwriter. Her music spans many genres, including folk rock, alternative country, Americana, and classic rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Kurstin</span> American record producer and songwriter

Gregory Allen Kurstin is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Secret Sisters</span>

The Secret Sisters are an Americana singing and songwriting duo consisting of vocalists Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle. The duo's music has been compared to artists like the Everly Brothers.

<i>The Firewatchers Daughter</i> 2015 studio album by Brandi Carlile

The Firewatcher's Daughter is the fifth studio album by Brandi Carlile, released on March 3, 2015, on ATO Records. The lead single, "The Eye", was released in December 2014. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album at the 2016 awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maren Morris</span> American country singer (born 1990)

Maren Larae Morris is an American singer and songwriter. Rooted in the country genre, her music also blends elements of pop, R&B, and hip hop. Morris has won multiple accolades including a Grammy Award, an American Music Award and five Academy of Country Music Awards.

<i>Hero</i> (Maren Morris album) 2016 studio album by Maren Morris

Hero is the major-label debut album and fourth studio album by American country music singer Maren Morris, released on June 3, 2016, through Columbia Nashville. It marks Morris' first release on a major label and her fourth overall. The album debuted and peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 chart and was nominated for Best Country Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

<i>Life Changes</i> (Thomas Rhett album) 2017 studio album by Thomas Rhett

Life Changes is the third studio album by American country pop singer Thomas Rhett. Released on September 8, 2017, through Valory Music Group, Rhett produced the album alongside Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure, Julian Bunetta and Joe London. It includes the chart-topping singles "Craving You" with Maren Morris, and "Unforgettable". The album debuted at No. 1 with 123,000 album-equivalent units, giving Rhett his first number one album on the Billboard 200.

<i>By the Way, I Forgive You</i> 2018 studio album by Brandi Carlile

By the Way, I Forgive You is the sixth studio album by Brandi Carlile, released on February 16, 2018. "The Joke" was released as the album's lead single. The album was co-produced by Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings. The album art is an original painting by Scott Avett. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album in 2019, as well being nominated for Album of the Year.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2019.

"The Joke" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. It was co-written by Carlile, Dave Cobb, and Phil and Tim Hanseroth, and produced by Cobb and Shooter Jennings. It was released on November 13, 2017, as the lead single off By the Way, I Forgive You, Carlile's sixth album. With music inspired by "An American Trilogy" by Elvis Presley, the lyrics are intended to uplift people who are marginalized by society. The song received widespread critical acclaim, winning two Grammy awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girl (Maren Morris song)</span> 2019 single by Maren Morris

"Girl" is a song recorded by American country music singer Maren Morris for her second studio album of the same name. Morris co-wrote the song with Sarah Aarons and its producer Greg Kurstin. It was released to American country radio on January 18, 2019 through Columbia Nashville as the album's first single. The song has been certified platinum in the United States and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bones (song)</span> 2019 single by Maren Morris

"The Bones" is a song by American country music singer Maren Morris from her second studio album, Girl (2019). Morris co-wrote the song with Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz, and it was produced by Greg Kurstin. "The Bones" was released digitally as a promotional single on February 22, 2019, and was later serviced to hot adult contemporary radio on May 20, 2019, as the album's second single. The song became a sleeper hit, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2020. The song ended up being the second-biggest country song of 2020 in the US. It is certified four-times platinum in the US.

<i>While Im Livin</i> 2019 studio album by Tanya Tucker

While I'm Livin' is the twenty-fifth studio album by American country music singer Tanya Tucker. It was released on August 23, 2019, by Fantasy Records. The album was produced by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings. It is Tucker's first album in a decade, since 2009's My Turn, and her first album of original material since her 2002 album, Tanya. The album earned Tucker the Grammy Award for Best Country Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in addition to winning Best Country Song for "Bring My Flowers Now" which was also nominated for Best Country Solo Performance, and the all-genre Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Rolling Stone placed the album at number one on the publication's list of the 40 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2019 and number 24 on their list of the top 50 Albums of 2019. Tucker promoted the album throughout 2019 with the While I'm Livin' Tour and continued to support the album in the first quarter of 2020 on the Bring My Flowers Now Tour, a partnership with CMT's Next Women of Country. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the remainder of the tour to be postponed until July 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Highwomen</span> American country group

The Highwomen is an American country music supergroup composed of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires. Formed in 2019, the group's self-titled debut album was released on September 6 of the same year by Elektra Records and was produced by Dave Cobb.

<i>The Highwomen</i> (album) 2019 studio album by the Highwomen

The Highwomen is the debut studio album by country music supergroup the Highwomen, made up of band members Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires. It was released on September 6, 2019, by Elektra Records.

<i>Wildcard</i> (Miranda Lambert album) 2019 studio album by Miranda Lambert

Wildcard is the seventh studio album by American country music singer Miranda Lambert. It was released on November 1, 2019, via RCA Records Nashville. The album was produced by Jay Joyce, marking the first time Lambert has worked with the producer. It features the singles "It All Comes Out in the Wash", "Bluebird", and "Settling Down".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bring My Flowers Now</span> 2019 single by Tanya Tucker

"Bring My Flowers Now" is a song by American country music singer Tanya Tucker. The song was written by Tucker with Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth and Phil Hanseroth. It was released on August 16, 2019, as the fourth single from Tucker's twenty-fifth studio album While I'm Livin'. After 14 nominations throughout her career, the song earned Tucker her first Grammy Award. "Bring My Flowers Now" won Best Country Song in addition to being nominated for Best Country Solo Performance and the all-genre Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Rolling Stone placed the song at number 3 on their Best Country and Americana Songs of 2019 list, while Billboard ranked the song at number 27 on their list of the 35 Best Country Songs of the 2010s. The song peaked at number 47 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

<i>In These Silent Days</i> 2021 studio album by Brandi Carlile

In These Silent Days is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, released via Low Country Sound/Elektra Records on October 1, 2021. The album received critical acclaim, and the lead single "Right on Time" garnered Carlile three Grammy Award nominations in 2022, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The album earned Carlile seven more Grammy nominations in 2023, including Album of the Year and Best Americana Album, while the single "You and Me on the Rock" earned three nominations, including Record of the Year, and "Broken Horses" earned two nominations: Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circles Around This Town</span> 2022 single by Maren Morris

"Circles Around This Town" is a song by American country music artist Maren Morris. It was written by Morris, along with her husband Ryan Hurd, Julia Michaels and Jimmy Robbins. It was released on January 7, 2022, as the lead single from Morris' third studio album Humble Quest. The song received positive reviews from critics, earning two nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.

<i>Humble Quest</i> 2022 studio album by Maren Morris

Humble Quest is the third studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Maren Morris. The album was released on March 25, 2022, through Columbia Nashville. The album earned three nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, including for Best Country Album, while the lead single "Circles Around This Town" was nominated for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.

References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Girl - Maren Morris Review". AllMusic . Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Album Review: Maren Morris' 'Girl'". Variety. March 7, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Maren Morris Is the Future of Country Music". Time. March 14, 2019.
  4. ↑ Sheffield, Rob. "Review: Maren Morris Makes Her Bid for Top 40 Glory With 'Girl'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  5. ↑ Laffer, Lauren. "Maren Morris Announces Powerful New Single 'Girl' Sounds Like Nashville". Sounds Like Nashville. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  6. ↑ "GIRL by Maren Morris on Apple Music". Apple Music . Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  7. ↑ Hudak, Joseph (January 17, 2019). "Maren Morris on Her Women's Anthem 'Girl': 'We're Well Aware of What We're Up Against'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  8. 1 2 Leimkuehler, Matthew. "Grammy Awards 2021: Miranda Lambert, Ingrid Andress lead country nominations". The Tennessean. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  9. ↑ "Maren Morris Reveals Dates for Massive Tour Supporting New Album, 'Girl'". Variety . January 17, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  10. ↑ Freeman, Jon (February 8, 2019). "Hear Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile's New Duet 'Common'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  11. ↑ Freeman, Jon (February 22, 2019). "Hear Maren Morris' Optimistic New Song 'The Bones'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Future Releases for Country Radio Stations". All Access. March 10, 2020. Archived from the original on March 30, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ↑ Freeman, Jon (January 17, 2019). "Maren Morris Sets Dates for Headlining Girl: The World Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  14. 1 2 "Girl by Maren Morris". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  15. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Girl - Maren Morris". AllMusic . Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  16. 1 2 Novacaska, Melissa (March 6, 2019). "Maren Morris - Girl". Exclaim! . Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  17. 1 2 Snapes, Laura (March 8, 2019). "Maren Morris: Girl review – country or pop, or stuck in the middle". The Guardian . London. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  18. ↑ Johnson, Ellen (March 8, 2019). "Maren Morris: GIRL Review". Paste . Wolfgang's Vault . Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  19. ↑ Asaph, Katherine St. (March 9, 2019). "Maren Morris: Girl". Pitchfork . Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  20. 1 2 Sheffield, Rob (March 5, 2019). "Review: Maren Morris Makes Her Bid for Top 40 Glory With 'Girl'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  21. 1 2 Caulfield, Keith (March 17, 2019). "Juice WRLD Scores First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 With 'Death Race for Love'". Billboard . Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  22. ↑ Asker, Jim; Caulfield, Keith (March 18, 2019). "Maren Morris' 'Girl' Enters at No. 1 On Top Country Albums Chart With Record Debut-Week Streams". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  23. 1 2 "American album certifications – Maren Morris – Girl". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  24. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (March 10, 2020). "Top 10 Country Albums Pure Sales Chart: March 9, 2020". RoughStock. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  25. ↑ Trust, Gary. "Maren Morris' 'The Bones' Tops Another Chart & Sets a Record". Billboard. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  26. ↑ "Try the TIDAL Web Player". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  27. ↑ Girl (booklet). Maren Morris. Columbia Records. 2019. 19075-90186-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  28. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Maren Morris – Girl". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Maren Morris Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Maren Morris Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  33. ↑ "Maren Morris Chart History (Digital Albums)".[ dead link ] Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  34. ↑ "Top Album Sales". Billboard. March 23, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  36. ↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  37. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  38. ↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  40. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Maren Morris – Girl". Music Canada . Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  41. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (March 9, 2020). "Country Music's Most-Consumed Albums Chart: March 9, 2020". Roughstock. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.