In a year that, so far, has been pretty light on new music, Ashley Monroe’s solo debut Like a Rose remains one of the bright spots.

Monroe, one third of the Pistol Annies, has a lot of the wit and flair that have made her friend and band mate Miranda Lambert a big star. This album has received a ton of acclaim and performed modestly well on the charts, but I don’t know if Monroe will hit the mainstream (or if she even wants to).

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