Country music is dominating the mainstream American charts with the top three artists all crossing over from the genre. Sadly the problem remains that it is still only male artists up there riding high, selling out stadiums, getting the all genre accolades. Why isn’t a talent like Ashley McBryde at the same level? She has everything that a Luke Combs or a Eric Church has. Yet she remains a support on these tours, without the hits, probably doing twice the work of these guys to get less than half as far. It’s a baffling, eternal problem for women in the genre.
Thankfully Ashley doesn’t seem to have let this reality hold her creativity back at all. Much like the model set for her by Miranda Lambert she’s powered her own path releasing brilliant rock leaning country records Never Will and Girl Going Nowhere, while also spending time working with others (on the collaborative project Lindeville) all of which showcase her inventive vocal talent, witty lyricism and understanding of what makes good country music.
Her last solo album Never Will went hard rock, with songs of revenge, murder, cheating alongside the beautiful ballads which she delivered with quiet power. Her debut Girl Goin’ Nowhere was a rootsy and heartland rock take on mainstream country. The Devil I Know seems to blend the styles of these two previous albums, continuing her hot streak of consistent, quality songwriting and singing.
Opener ‘Made for This’ is a barnstorming rock song, revelling in the joy of being out on the road. You wonder if the refrain of ‘you got to be made for this’ is a way to create energy for themselves, and to convince themselves that the grind is worth it.
When she softens a little and leans into the country side of her style like on ‘Coldest Beer in Town’ she sounds equally comfortable in her skin – embracing the two sides of herself. This record definitely feels like she’s trying to leave her previous persona of being an underdog, with a something-to-prove mentality behind her.
In fact ‘Light on in the Kitchen’ is probably the softest and sweetest song she’s ever recorded. Much of it is sage advice from her an elder family member, and while some of it seems to jar a little with her tough as nails image that ‘trust yourself’ refrain really sells the song.
I was lucky enough to hear Women Ain’t Whiskey Iive last year and it sounded fantastic, letting her dial up the energy, with a straight rock vocal in the chorus. I like the way the metaphor works and even though it’s somewhat of a genre cliche, in this case it sounds cathartic.
Another interesting song is ‘Learning to Lie’ which has her looking back on her childhood, giving us an honest take on her family’s faults. This one stands out because it exposes the flaws that run through her blood.
‘The Devil I Know’ continues with the quiet/loud musical style that has worked so well on the rest of the songs, and this one also uses her family as a central theme.
Despite her hard rock heart, Ashley shows she can deliver a classic country love song on ‘Single at the Same Time’. Maybe this one could have worked as a duet as well. ‘Cool Little Bars’ honours those dive bars and listening rooms at threat from gentrification – a worthy protest song considering how Nashville increasingly looks nowadays.
‘Whiskey and Country Music’ nicely honours the best of the genre, but more adventurous is ‘Black Betty’ which goes the hardest rock of the whole album.
Final song ‘6th October’ is a real country beauty, a reminder to not be ‘afraid of our scars’, offering some thoughtful advice of how to ‘live in the rhythm’. It’s a quieter moment to end, and there’s always something interesting lyrically when Ashley takes a breather and looks inward.
The Devil I Know tells you in the title that this isn’t going to be some kind of sonic or artistic experiment but nevertheless this consolidation of her first two albums makes for a really enjoyable listen. Ashley McBryde knows what works for her out on the road and this album continues to showcase why people should see her anywhere she plays.
BUY: https://store.ashleymcbryde.com
TOUR: https://www.ashleymcbryde.com/tour
Highway Queens 
Leave a comment