Rosegold by Ashley Monroe | Album Review
Monroe switches gears on her fifth studio album going in a much more pop centric route with her country sound.
As of late, it seems that the only way you can get anywhere in Nashville as a female country artist is to go completely pop. Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, and Kelsea Ballerini are all prime examples of female country artist whose career’s have blown up since their pop crossover. The male centric “bro-country” that has absolutely captured the charts has forced those who want a successful career to take on this route in order to maximize radio play and streaming. Ashley Monroe is another artist to go this route by adding in hip-hop, R&B, and pop production into the songs that make up her fifth studio album Rosegold.
We open with velvety sounds of “Siren”. I am not the biggest fan of the production here. The guitar work, breathy percussion, and vocal process just feel far too on the nose for a country/pop cross over song. Ashley acts as this siren character lulling her partner into this reality she’s conjuring up, “Can’t you see it/ A little white housе and a wildflower garden/ Make it look good/ Wе’ll make it look so good.” There is a sultriness to her allure that works well with the character she’s playing to. I just wish the sound matched the sweet seduction that Monroe is playing to.
Compared to the opening track, I do quite like the milky textures of “Silk”. Monroe’s vocals beautifully glide over dreamy acoustic pop landscape. It reminds me of some of my favorite aspects of Kacey Musgrave’s Golden Hour. Ashley seeks to find security in this relationship, “You are the silk and the honey/ Cool as a mornin’ river runnin’/ Ever, flowin’/ Yellow (Glowin’)/ And something tells me to/ Hold on to you.” The lightness of the song really gives emphasis to this sense of safety that she finally feels with her partner.
The biggest detractor I have from “Gold” is the over used snaps that have proliferated Nashville modern country. While I feel some of the production such as the subtle hip-hop beat and minor backing vocal whistles are a bit cheesy, I can’t help but find this to catchy. Monroe told Apple Music the song holds a special place for her:
“‘Gold’ was the first song Nathan Chapman and I had written in years, and it came so easily. It was really personal to me, too. Ruby is my son’s birthstone. I have ‘love me tender’ tattooed on my back, and that’s a line in it, too. And my husband likes Egyptian things. And I think it’s kind of cool, too, that I have ‘pharaoh’s face’ in the song, too.”
There is a palpable feeling of affection that comes through Ashley’s words, “You’re the light in the morning/ The glitter on a wave/ A buried treasure/ A pharaoh’s face/ You’re a 50s record.” It’s all these special things to Monroe all wrapped into her partner’s essence.
“See” brings back some of the dreamy pop sounds that I think work best against soft structure of Ashley’s voice. There are some interesting additions, such as a steel drum, that give some dynamics to the track. The meaning to the song has some relationship to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”. While completely different sonically, lyrics Monroe’s more simplistic lyricism has a similar theme of wishing your partner could feel the emotions she has for them. It’s a nice calming moment of contemplation.
The lead single “Drive” was one of the first songs that really grabbed me. While the song has the iridescent vibe of Golden Hour, the driving drum beat and Monroe’s vocal cadence bring a Taylor Swift pop energy to the song. I appreciate the song having this arrangement. This song is the most sexually charged on the album. Ashley compares their sexual union to being driven like a classic car, “Drive me like your classic/ You just have to have it/ Feels so good to have your hands on the wheel (Hands on the wheel).” It’s a very catchy track. While the metaphor has been done before, I do like Ashley’s interpretation. It’s a definite listen off the album for me.
“Flying” is our first ballad on the record. The openness of the piano melody and slide guitar really play to this sense of floating through mid air that Ashley sings on. Monroe’s euphoric elation over this love she has comes across beautifully, “I’m flying/ Without even trying/ Words can’t describe/ The way you move/ But I’m alive, on a different high/ Cause loving you.” This is a highlight off the album due to how well the ideas mesh together here.
We step back into the pop sphere with “Groove”. I think the song would have more impact if the funky bass and drum beat were more forward. As it stands, the feels a bit too lost in the mist to give the song much bite. The subject matter of the song has already been covered in both “Gold” and “Drive”. The seductive edge of her lustful appreciation of her partner has fun teasing side. I just think more could have been done with this song to make it stand out against the rest.
Monroe takes us back to the psychedelic acoustic-pop sound with “Til It Breaks”. The song has this pastel floral nature to it. I like the calm vibe that Ashley’s layered vocals give over the subtle backing instrumentation. Monroe told Apple Music that conversation with a friend helped inspire the themes behind the song:
“I was partially thinking of a friend of mine who was going through kind of a dark time. I don’t remember who, I don’t think it was me, but somebody in there said, ‘Sometimes it doesn’t come together until it breaks.’ It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, how hasn’t that been written before?’ It probably has, but I hadn’t heard it before, so I didn’t mess with it.”
I do like the space she gives you in order to finally heal, “You’re in a crowd but you’re all alone/ Come on baby, lose control/ A heart can’t breathe when it’s turned to stone/ Let it melt away.” I really appreciate the both the meaning and tonal shift this has on the record. It’s another highlight for me.
“I Mean It” brings in trap beat against the dramatic rise and fall of synth strings, piano, and guitar. What could have made for a rather odd pairing gives a welcomed sense of motion against the silken quality of the rest of the track. I do wish she the theme of wanting to make sure a lover understands how deeply you care about them came off stronger. As it stands, this track covers the same territory that “See” already discussed. While I think this is stronger than “See”, the repetition of themes keeps it from being one of my favorites.
Ashley ends the album soft drama of “The New Me”. The song has a waltz sway to it which is accentuated by slightly gritty sound of the electric guitar. Monroe’s spoken lines in the song’s bridge and dark cast of the backing strings make for an interesting listen. This song pairs really well with “Til It Breaks”. Monroe allows her self to love again after putting to bed her past hardships and failures, “Now that I am ready to love/ Let the old pass away/ I shattered my life and left all the pieces behind me/ Come find me/ Ooh the new me.” I really like how this song closes out the album with a sense of acceptance and positivity.
Having no prior knowledge to Monroe’s solo work, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the cotton-like softness of this pop-country crossover. After listening to some of her prior work, I think the sound really complements Ashley’s soft twang. While there were moments of generic country-pop standards, like snaps & glossy guitar, I think the overall daydreamy nature of the album was joy to listen to from start to finish. Nothing over stays its welcome. Nothing on the album clocks much over 3 and half minutes. Aside from “Siren”, I liked what Monroe brought to the table. I do wish some of the themes of love and affection had a bit more variety to them. As it stands, that can become a bit redundant. That said, this is the perfect spring time listen. It just has that cool and colorful quality that a clear April day has. I think if you liked Kacey Musgraves’s Golden Hour, then you’ll like this. My overall thoughts on Rosegold:
Loved it: “Silk”, “Drive , “Flying”, “Til It Breaks”, & “The New Me”
Liked it: “Gold”, “See” & “I Mean It”
Disliked it: “Siren” &“Groove”
My overall rating: 6.5 out of 10.
