The Blade (Ashley Monroe album)

Last updated
The Blade
TheBlade.jpg
Studio album by
Ashley Monroe
ReleasedJuly 24, 2015 (2015-07-24)
Genre Neotraditional Country
Length46:40
Label Warner Bros. Nashville
Producer Vince Gill
Justin Niebank
Ashley Monroe chronology
Like a Rose
(2013)		The Blade
(2015)		Live at Third Man Records
(2016)
Singles from The Blade
  1. "On to Something Good"
    Released: March 9, 2015

The Blade is the third studio album by American country music artist Ashley Monroe, released on July 24, 2015, through Warner Bros. Nashville. [1] The album was produced by Vince Gill and Justin Niebank [2] and includes the lead single "On to Something Good." [3] The album made numerous "Best Albums of 2015" lists and was nominated for Best Country Album at the 58th Grammy Awards. [4]

Contents

Promotion

In support of the album, Monroe toured with Little Big Town throughout the summer of 2015. Monroe then embarked on a headlining tour, "The Blade Tour," in the fall of 2015. [5]

Promotional appearances in the media included a live performance of "Winning Streak" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on July 27, 2015, "The Blade" on ABC's The View on August 6, 2015 and "I Buried Your Love Alive" on Conan on August 26, 2015. [6] [7] [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.8/10 [9]
Metacritic 86/100 [10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
The A.V. Club A− [12]
Billboard Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Nash Country Weekly A− [15]
Paste 8.9/10 [16]
Pitchfork 7.5/10 [17]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]
Spin 7/10 [19]
Uncut 8/10 [20]

The Blade received acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 86 out of 100, which indicates "universal acclaim" based on 14 reviews. [10]

Rolling Stone 's Will Hermes gave the album four stars believing "The Blade dials it back...[for] You won't know whether to whoop or weep...It's a beautiful thing." [18] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album four and a half out of five stars and states: "She rolls easy, luxuriating in that exquisite sound, her soft touch making the heartbreak and the humor seem equally alluring." [11] The four out of five star review Jewly Hight delivered for Billboard was for Monroe's ability to "sing these songs, many of which she co-wrote, with exquisite, bruised sensitivity." [13] It was Spin's "album of the week," and in a seven out of ten rating Alfred Soto writes: "A couple of wooly moments aside, Monroe's third album, The Blade, continues a remarkable hot streak for writers Luke Laird, Jessi Alexander, Chris Stapleton, and Monroe herself." [19] Robert Ham for Paste rated the album an 8.9 out of ten, succinctly sums-up the album, for being a "heartfelt and engaging" affair. [16] This album got an A− from Nash Country Weekly , Tammy Ragusa realizes the release cements Monroe "as one of the premiere and rare female neo-traditionalists in the format." [15] Sam C. Mac, gave the release an A− rating on behalf of The A.V. Club , informs the listener, "The majority of Monroe's superb third album hunkers down with heartache and struggle." [12] Judging the album to be a B+ release, Glenn Gamboa writes for Newsday , asking a hypothetical question: "Monroe is still sorting out her own sound, but who can complain when that process is so compelling?" [21] This album got an eight out of ten stars rating by PopMatters, Dave Heaton reminds it's not how many questions of pain with regards to the release, rather in hearing them, "they sound splendid." [22] The release got a 7.5 out of ten from Pitchfork, Stephen M. Deusner marginally derides, "The Blade could be stronger if it was more streamlined and sequenced with some kind of overarching narrative in mind, but that's almost beside the point when the album sounds so damn good." [17]

Meet-Country.com praised the album, in particular the title track, stating "“The Blade” is the crown jewel on the whole album. Although not penned by Ashley herself, she still took command on this one and sings it as if its one of her own. On the flip side, the narrator is the one who is still in love with someone who isn’t in love with them." [23]

Accolades

YearAssociationCategoryResult
2016 Grammy Awards [4] Best Country Album Nominated
PublicationRankList
AllMusic N/AAllMusic Best of 2015 [24]
N/ABest Country Albums of 2015 [25]
American Songwriter 18Top 50 Albums of 2015 [26]
Nashville Scene 3Best Country Albums of 2015 [27]
NPR N/A50 Favorite Albums of 2015 [28]
Paste 37The 50 Best Albums of 2015 [29]
PopMatters 38The 80 Best Albums of 2015 [30]
1The Best Country Music of 2015 [31]
Rolling Stone 3850 Best Albums of 2015 [32]
540 Best Country Albums of 2015 [33]
Time 1Top 10 Best Albums of 2015 [34]

Track listing

[35]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."On to Something Good"Ashley Monroe, Barry Dean, Luke Laird 3:50
2."I Buried Your Love Alive"Monroe, Matraca Berg 3:14
3."Bombshell"Monroe, Steve McEwan, Gordie Sampson 3:17
4."Weight of the Load"Monroe, Vince Gill 3:59
5."The Blade" Marc Beeson, Jamie Floyd, Allen Shamblin 3:27
6."Winning Streak"Monroe, Jessi Alexander, Chris Stapleton 3:10
7."From Time to Time"Monroe, Justin Davis, Sarah Zimmermann 4:03
8."If Love Was Fair"Monroe, Alexander, Steve Moakler3:48
9."Has Anybody Ever Told You"Monroe, Tyler Cain3:52
10."Dixie"Monroe, Davis, Zimmermann3:26
11."If the Devil Don't Want Me"Monroe, Alexander, Stapleton3:40
12."Mayflowers"Monroe, Brendan Benson 3:40
13."I'm Good at Leavin'"Monroe, Alexander, Miranda Lambert 3:14
Total length:46:40

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic. [36]

Musicians
Featured artists
Technical personnel

Chart performance

The Blade debuted at number 30 on the US Billboard 200 chart and number 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with 12,000 pure album sales during its first week of release. [37] As of June 2016, the album has sold 38,600 copies in the US. [38]

Album

Chart (2015)Peak
position
UK Country Albums (OCC) [39] 3
US Billboard 200 [40] 30
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [41] 2

Singles

YearSongChartPeak
position
2015"On to Something Good" US Country Airplay 53 [42]

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label
United StatesJuly 24, 2015
 Warner Bros. Nashville

Related Research Articles

<i>Wrangled</i> 2017 studio album by Angaleena Presley

Wrangled is the second solo studio album by outlaw country singer and country music trio Pistol Annies member Angaleena Presley. It was released via Thirty Tigers Records on April 21, 2017.

<i>American Love</i> 2016 studio album by Jake Owen

American Love is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released on July 29, 2016, through RCA Nashville. It includes the #1 single "American Country Love Song".

<i>Hell on Heels</i> 2011 studio album by Pistol Annies

Hell on Heels is the first studio album by American country girl group Pistol Annies. The group consists of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley. They released their single, "Hell on Heels," in May 2011 and released their debut album on August 23, 2011. Pistol Annies debuted at Number 1 on Billboard’s Country Album Chart with their introductory album, Hell On Heels. With more than 44,000 albums sold in the first week, with little to no promotion, the group landed at Number 5 on the Billboard 200 Chart. As of June 5, 2013, the album has sold 488,000 copies in the United States.

State of Grace (song) 2012 song by Taylor Swift

"State of Grace" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, and was first released on her fourth studio album Red (2012). Big Machine Records released the song as a promotional single for digital download on October 16, 2012. Swift produced the track with Nathan Chapman. "State of Grace" is an arena rock song that includes chiming guitars and dynamic drums; it is the opening track of Red and is about the tumultuous feelings evoked by the first sights of love, setting the tone for an album about lost romance.

<i>Platinum</i> (Miranda Lambert album) 2014 studio album by Miranda Lambert

Platinum is the fifth studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Miranda Lambert. It was released on June 3, 2014, by RCA Nashville.

<i>The Big Revival</i> 2014 studio album by Kenny Chesney

The Big Revival is the sixteenth studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released in September 2014 via Blue Chair and Columbia Records on September 23, 2014.

<i>Bringing Back the Sunshine</i> 2014 studio album by Blake Shelton

Bringing Back the Sunshine is the ninth studio album by American country music singer Blake Shelton. The album was released on September 30, 2014, by Warner Bros. Nashville. The album was produced by Shelton's longtime producer Scott Hendricks. "Neon Light," the album's lead-off single, was released on August 18, 2014.

<i>Ripcord</i> (album) 2016 studio album by Keith Urban

Ripcord is the ninth studio album by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on 6 May 2016 via Hit Red and Capitol Records Nashville. The album produced the singles "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16"; "Break on Me", "Wasted Time", "Blue Ain't Your Color", and "The Fighter". It also features duets with musicians like Carrie Underwood, Pitbull, and Nile Rodgers. Just like his previous album Fuse (2013), Urban co-worked with multiple producers on this one, this was also busbee's final album as a producer before his death in 2019.

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

Hero is the major label debut studio album by American 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>The Weight of These Wings</i> 2016 studio album by Miranda Lambert

The Weight of These Wings is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released on November 18, 2016, via RCA Records Nashville. The album consists of two discs, with Disc 1 titled The Nerve, and Disc 2 titled The Heart. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and No. 3 on the all-genre US Billboard 200 chart, and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In addition to winning Album of the Year at the 2017 ACM Awards, it is considered by several music publications as one of the best albums of the year. In 2020, the album was ranked at 480 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

<i>Road Less Traveled</i> (Lauren Alaina album) 2017 studio album by Lauren Alaina

Road Less Traveled is the second studio album by American country music artist Lauren Alaina. The album was released on January 27, 2017, by Mercury Nashville and Interscope Records. It includes the number one single of the same name.

<i>Heart Break</i> (Lady Antebellum album) 2017 studio album by Lady Antebellum

Heart Break is the seventh studio album by American country pop trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on June 9, 2017, through Capitol Records Nashville. The album serves as the "spiritual follow-up" to 2010's Need You Now and is their first release since 2014's 747, with its three-year gap being the longest between two albums by the group to date.

<i>Unapologetically</i> 2017 studio album by Kelsea Ballerini

Unapologetically is the second studio album by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini. It was released on November 3, 2017. Ballerini announced the album's title and release date on July 25, 2017. In August, the album's track listing was first revealed to fans during a four-day check-in event over the mobile app Swarm.

<i>Girl Going Nowhere</i> 2018 studio album by Ashley McBryde

Girl Going Nowhere is the third studio album and major label debut by American country music artist Ashley McBryde. It was released March 30, 2018, through Warner Bros.Nashville.

<i>Sparrow</i> (Ashley Monroe album) 2018 studio album by Ashley Monroe

Sparrow is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Ashley Monroe, released on April 20, 2018, through Warner Bros. Nashville. The album is produced by Dave Cobb and recorded in the iconic RCA Studio A.

<i>Ticket to L.A.</i> 2018 album by Brett Young

Ticket to L.A. is the second studio album by American country music singer Brett Young. It was released on December 7, 2018, through Big Machine Label Group. Its lead single, "Here Tonight", was released in September 2018. The track listing for the album was released on September 10, 2018.

<i>Interstate Gospel</i> 2018 studio album by Pistol Annies

Interstate Gospel is the third studio album by American country supergroup Pistol Annies, and their second with RCA Nashville. It was released on November 2, 2018. It is their first album since 2013's Annie Up. It was nominated for Best Country Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards. It is their very first Grammy nomination. In 2019, Rolling Stone named Interstate Gospel as one of their top ten albums of the decade, ranking it at 9.

<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".

<i>Never Will</i> 2020 studio album by Ashley McBryde

Never Will is the fourth studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Ashley McBryde. It was released on April 3, 2020 via Warner Music Nashville. The album is McBryde's second major label release and was preceded by the lead single "One Night Standards". McBryde launched the One Night Standards Tour in support of the album on January 30, 2020.

<i>Stand for Myself</i> 2021 studio album by Yola

Stand for Myself is the second studio album by English singer and songwriter Yola. It was released on 30 July 2021, through Easy Eye Sound and distributed by Concord Records. The album debuted at number 196 on the Billboard 200 chart and at number 46 on the UK Albums Chart chart, being her first entry on both charts. The album was nominated for Best Americana Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

References

  1. ↑ Thompson, Gayle (June 3, 2015). "Ashley Monroe Shares Cover Art, Title Track of Upcoming Album, 'The Blade' [LISTEN]". The Boot. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  2. ↑ Parker, Eric T. (June 2, 2015). "Ashley Monroe Previews Tracks on 'The Blade'". MusicRow . Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  3. ↑ Thompson, Gayle (May 6, 2015). "Ashley Monroe Announces Details of Sophomore Album". The Boot. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Cadden, Mary (February 16, 2016). "List: Who won what at the 58th annual Grammys". USA Today . Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  5. ↑ Dukes, Billy (July 27, 2015). "Ashley Monroe Announces 'The Blade' Tour". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media . Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Ashley Monroe Performs "Winning Streak" on "The Tonight Show"". Nash Country Weekly . American Media, Inc. July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  7. ↑ "'The View': Ashley Monroe Performs on 'The View'". AOL . Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Ashley Monroe "I Buried Your Love Alive" 08/26/15" . Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  9. ↑ "The Blade by Ashley Monroe reviews". AnyDecentMusic? . Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "Reviews for The Blade by Ashley Monroe". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  11. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Blade – Ashley Monroe". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  12. 1 2 Mac, Sam C. (July 24, 2015). "Ashley Monroe's superb third album hunkers down with heartache". The A.V. Club . The Onion Inc. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Hight, Jewly (July 21, 2015). "Country Singer Ashley Monroe Goes Adult Contemporary With 'The Blade': Album Review". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Ashley Monroe: The Blade". Mojo (266): 96. January 2016.
  15. 1 2 Ragusa, Tammy (July 20, 2015). "The Blade by Ashley Monroe". Nash Country Weekly . American Media, Inc. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  16. 1 2 Ham, Robert (July 21, 2015). "Ashley Monroe: The Blade Review". Paste . Wolfgang's Vault . Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  17. 1 2 Deusner, Stephen M. (July 21, 2015). "Ashley Monroe: The Blade". Pitchfork . Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  18. 1 2 Hermes, Will (August 12, 2015). "The Blade". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  19. 1 2 Soto, Alfred (July 24, 2015). "Review: Ashley Monroe's Songcraft Stays Sharp on 'The Blade'". Spin . Buzzmedia . Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Ashley Monroe: The Blade". Uncut (223): 75. December 2015.
  21. ↑ Gamboa, Glenn (July 24, 2015). "'The Blade' review: Whole latitudes of country from Ashley Monroe". Newsday . Cablevision . Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  22. ↑ Heaton, Dave (July 20, 2015). "Ashley Monroe: The Blade". PopMatters . Sarah Zupko. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Ashley Monroe Cuts Through the Rest on "The Blade" – Album Review". 5 October 2015.
  24. ↑ AllMusic staff (December 11, 2015). "AllMusic Best of 2015". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  25. ↑ AllMusic staff (December 22, 2015). "Best Country Albums of 2015". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  26. ↑ American Songwriter (November 23, 2015). "American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums Of 2015". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  27. ↑ Nashville Scene (January 28, 2016). "16th Annual Country Music Critics' Poll". Nashville Scene. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  28. ↑ NPR (December 7, 2015). "NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2015". NPR. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  29. ↑ Paste Staff (December 2, 2015). "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Paste. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  30. ↑ PopMatters Staff (December 7, 2015). "The 80 Best Albums of 2015". PopMatters. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  31. ↑ Dave Heaton and Steve Leftridge (December 2, 2015). "The Best Country Music of 2015". PopMatters. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  32. ↑ Rolling Stone Staff (December 1, 2015). "50 Best Albums of 2015". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  33. ↑ Rolling Stone Staff (December 8, 2015). "40 Best Country Albums of 2015". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  34. ↑ Time Staff (December 1, 2015). "Top 10 Best Albums". Time. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Updated with Tracklist & Writing Credits: Ashley Monroe - Upcoming Album Cowrites!". Windmills's Musical Musings. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  36. ↑ "The Blade - Ashley Monroe - Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  37. ↑ Cantor, Brian (August 3, 2015). "Ashley Monroe's "The Blade" Debuts with 12K Sales; Alan Jackson Claims #1". Headline Planet. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  38. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (June 27, 2016). "Top 10 Country Albums: June 27, 2016". Roughstock. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company.
  40. ↑ "Ashley Monroe Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  41. ↑ "Ashley Monroe Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
  42. ↑ "Ashley Monroe Album & Song Chart History - Country Airplay". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved August 4, 2015.
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.