E.P. Review: Margo Price – Weakness

Don’t be fooled by the title of this new E.P. by Margo Price. Weakness only proves how powerful a performer she is and these four songs are brimming with musical confidence and conviction.

Margo’s talent, life story and her willingness to be open and honest in her songs, interviews and social media has won her many fans (some of them pretty famous). There’s also a cool which oozes from her core and that can’t be bought or made, no matter how hard people try. That’s why she would be no good in country music mainstream – she is too rock and roll for that shit.

Nashville may not have embraced her but thankfully she’s not turning her back on country music. Weakness, the title track of this EP is as traditional as anything she’s done. There’s twang, steel and a kind of reckless joy in its honky tonk sound. There’s no doubting her musical genre, style and vision. It’s as if she’s saying loudly to anyone listening: if you’re lookin at me, you’re lookin at country. The honest quality of these lyrics, much like Anxiety by Jason Isbell, only add to the authenticity.

Just Like Love came from a wish to write from a more universal place and take stock of the upheavels in the world itself. This has a slower, more spaced out feeling to the music. I’m not sure this style entirely suits her voice but the lyrics are as on point as ever. The next song, Paper Cowboy, feels more of a comfortable home for her vocal talents. This is a song that branches out in so many directions, merging into a brilliant kind of psychedelic country soul stomper.

The final song here, Good Luck,  is a tribute to musician Ben Eyestone, who recently died. It wasn’t a song written explicitly about Ben or death but it came to take on significance in the face of losing their friend. The lyrics are about chasing dreams, imagining possibilities, how time can cause separation. The sky is filled with UFOs and stars/I hope that you can seem em where you are. In a way this song reminds me of an idea from Slaughterhouse Five – no one is ever really dead, they are just somewhere else in the space time continuum. So it goes, I guess.

Even though she is a solo artist, this EP also showcases the talents of her band and songwriting partner Jeremy Ivey. On the evidence of Weakness you just know that Margo Price is only going to go from strength to strength.