In a year of notable new releases by women, I was very excited to hear that my favorite of all — Miranda Lambert — will drop her tenth solo studio album in October.
Lambert is currently riding high on the success of Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas,’ the Billboard juggernaut that she co-wrote and produced. That song has a bit of a 70s feel, and it’s that decade Lambert is exploring on her new album, Crisco.
Nearly ten years have passed since Tift Merritt’s last album, 2017’s wonderful Stitch of the World.
Merritt stepped away from recording new music after her daughter was born, but she certainly kept busy. She has served as a Practitioner-In-Residence at Duke University, collected artist interviews on her podcast The Spark, is a board member for the Artist Rights Alliance, and has refurbished an historic boutique hotel in her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. The 18-room hotel, The Gables, is now booking rooms for the fall.
Given the outsized presence Phoebe Bridgers has in my household, I’m shocked that I’ve featured only two of her songs, one of which was a version of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas‘ posted on the holiday.
My daughters are huge fans of Bridgers, as a solo artist and as part of the duo Better Oblivion Community Center and the trio Boygenius. Given her similarities to, and appreciation of, Elliott Smith, she should be right up my alley, too.
Ariana Grande’s 2024 album Eternal Sunshine was her best in nearly a decade, producing two #1 hits and finding her in a delicious smooth pop groove.
Then came her celebrated appearances in two Wicked movies (one of which earned an Oscar nomination) and much concern about her emaciated physical appearance (warranted, in my opinion).
Now she’s back with new music, and first single ‘Hate That I Made You Love Me’ seems to tackle her relationship with fans and the media over the last two years.
I’ve spent the past couple of months digging into the past, so I figured I’d spend this week catching up on some of this year’s releases.
First up is the best new album I’ve heard in a long time, Olivia Rodrigo’s third studio release You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. I’m a fan of the 23-year-old Rodrigo’s first two albums — 2021’s Sour and 2023’s Guts — but I consider this one easily her best yet.
Meet Me In Montauk 