Humble Quest | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 25, 2022 | |||
Genre | Country pop | |||
Length | 37:28 | |||
Label | Columbia Nashville | |||
Producer | Greg Kurstin | |||
Maren Morris chronology | ||||
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Singles from Humble Quest | ||||
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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. [1] [2] 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. [3]
Morris is a co-writer on all eleven tracks, collaborating with Sarah Aarons, Julia Michaels, Ryan Hurd, Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose. Production was handled by Greg Kurstin. [4] [5] [6] In an interview by NPR, Morris explained the meaning and title of the project: [7]
"I always thought that was such an interesting word, because it does mean that you're grounded and you don't have a big head about something – but I think that for me, over the last two years, that word has changed. I think it means you're the closest to your compass that you've ever been. It's not for public consumption of how relatable you are. [...] I think taking that power back with that word is why I wrote the song "Humble Quest" – how it's going to be an ongoing conversation and journey and will probably never end. And I'm okay with that. We're all just awkwardly feeling our way through this weird world."
The song “What Would This World Do” is a tribute to Michael Busbee, the producer who worked on each of Morris’ previous records and died from brain cancer in 2019. [8]
The album's lead single "Circles Around This Town" was released on January 7, 2022. [9] "I Can't Love You Anymore" was released as the album's second single on September 26, 2022. [10]
On November 4, 2022, Morris released a companion album, Humble Quest: In Rare Form, featuring stripped-back versions of seven of the album's tracks. [11]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 81/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [13] |
Pitchfork | 8.0/10 [14] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sam Sodomsky by Pitchfork defined the album "creatively adventurous" pointing out that "the gentle approach of Humble Quest feels antithetical to the dominating trends of today’s pop music", because in the album "Morris sounds mostly pleased to be herself". [8] Writing for Consequence Mary Siroky find out that it is "a more organic record than its predecessor; [...] attributes both to the no-pressure timeline while writing the tracks and the distance from Nashville" and that the album "offers chances for longtime listeners to enjoy some of the things for which Morris has become so beloved" as of "authenticity, massive vocals, and a bit of lyrical playfulness". [16] Billboard wrote that the production is "intimacy permeates the often subtle" witch let the "listener into different corners of her world" becoming "her most inviting work". [17]
Year | Ceremony | Award | Result | Ref. |
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2022 | CMA Awards | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
2023 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Album | Nominated |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Circles Around This Town" | 3:15 | |
2. | "The Furthest Thing" |
| 3:53 |
3. | "I Can't Love You Anymore" |
| 2:49 |
4. | "Humble Quest" |
| 3:24 |
5. | "Background Music" |
| 3:34 |
6. | "Nervous" |
| 2:55 |
7. | "Tall Guys" |
| 2:43 |
8. | "Detour" |
| 4:07 |
9. | "Hummingbird" |
| 3:19 |
10. | "Good Friends" |
| 3:28 |
11. | "What Would This World Do?" |
| 4:01 |
Total length: | 37:28 |
Musicians
Technical
Visuals
Humble Quest makes the Guinness World Records for most first-day and first-week streams for a country album by a female artist on Amazon Music. [20]
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
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Canadian Albums (Billboard) [21] | 60 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [22] | 28 |
UK Country Albums (OCC) [23] | 3 |
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [24] | 24 |
US Billboard 200 [25] | 21 |
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [26] | 2 |
Country pop is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres like rock, pop, and country, continuing similar efforts that began in the late 1950s, known originally as the Nashville sound and later on as Countrypolitan. By the mid-1970s, many country artists were transitioning to the pop-country sound, which led to some records charting high on the mainstream top 40 and the Billboard country chart. In turn, many pop and easy listening artists crossed over to country charts during this time. After declining in popularity during the neotraditional movement of the 1980s, country pop had a comeback in the 1990s with a sound that drew more heavily on pop rock and adult contemporary. In the 2010s, country pop metamorphosized again with the addition of hip-hop beats and rap-style phrasing.
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 contributed to four songs which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100.
Brothers Osborne is an American country music duo consisting of brothers TJ Osborne and John Osborne. Born in Deale, Maryland, the duo signed a recording contract with EMI Records Nashville in 2012 and began releasing music the following year. Their 2015 song "Stay a Little Longer" became a top five hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, and their success led to the release of their debut studio album titled Pawn Shop the same year. Since then, Brothers Osborne have released the albums Port Saint Joe (2018), Skeletons (2020), and Brothers Osborne (2023).
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