By choosing to start her new album with the killer line: ‘country music made do it and I’ll do it til I die’ followed by the sound of a fiddle, Carly Pearce is making it clear to country fans: she’s in this genre for the long haul.
Her last album, 29 was her most country sounding record and also her most vulnerable lyrically – this combination worked wonders for her career, winning her both commercial and critical acclaim (and a Grammy). Carly continues on that strong streak on ‘hummingbird’, sounding ever more comfortable and confident in her musical choices and songwriting – even producing the album herself.
Inspired by a mix of bluegrass, pop and 90s country, Carly has carved out her own style with the help from her co-producers Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne. Now that Nashville is in a traditional country phase she’s found her sweet spot and songs like ‘truck on fire’ and ‘still blue’ are just a blast to listen to: who doesn’t love catchy hooks, handclaps and fiddle? These two need line dance routines pronto.
The stand out song on the album is ‘heels over head’ – sounding like a retro classic country hit. What’s even nicer to hear is just how much fun Carly sounds like she’s having here (don’t be fooled by the serious look she has on the cover). Another one in this vein is the perfect Fault Line – a fun metaphor used so perfectly that Dolly would be proud of this one. So much fantastic fiddle from Jenee Fleenor all throughout this record too.
Having Chris Stapleton duet on ‘We Don’t Fight Anymore’ adds some vocal gravitas and proves that Carly had some soul in her voice too. They sound good together, even if he does have a tendency to overpower her softer style. Another gorgeous ballad is ‘Oklahoma’, with a nice pun on the idea of being ‘ok’. Some may think there’s one too many ballads in the middle section (the album is fourteen tracks long) but there’s still something interesting in what she’s doing, like on ‘things I don’t chase’ where she turns typical country music tropes on their head.
Closer ‘hummingbird’ is a kind of Civil Wars sounding moment of darkness, inspired by her bluegrass roots. This is one of the most interesting songs on here and suggests there’s even more depth to her songwriting and style yet to come.
Carly Pearce is one of the leading lights in mainstream country music – showing that hard work and perseverance can bring you not only success but a little more artistic freedom. ‘hummingbird’ is a lightly optimistic, heartfelt summer listen that feels fresh and fun – what more could a country fan ask for?
Highway Queens 
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