Cloud 9 is more pop than country in total, and includes a few full-blown pop songs. But the country influences here are inescapable, almost curious in frequencyand for actual country fans, refreshingly welcome.
Contemporary Pop Country (#530) with some Traditional Country (#510) on the Country DDS. Megan Maroney’s Cloud 9 is in many ways illustrative of where mainstream country music is at the moment. It’s a little more country than in previous eras, unafraid to allow a steel guitar in the mix, even when the melody resides soundly in pop. It’s songwriter-driven, putting the song first before everything else. Though there are happy moments, it’s the sad ones that define the experience, with the more honest and vulnerable you can be, the better. And lastly, singing ability is often secondary to everything else, where in previous eras it was vice versa. With pink and pastel, lace and shimmer dominating everything you see in an effervescent froth, there’s no mistaking that this former beauty queen and model is from the pop world when it comes to the front-facing imagery of Megan Moroney—and much of the music too. But in 2026, even the pop world is country, just like how in the Bro-Country era, even country was hip-hop. Cloud 9 is more pop than country in total, and includes a few full-blown pop songs. But the country influences here are inescapable, almost curious in their frequency—and for actual country fans, they’re refreshingly welcome. Yes, two artists that are considered more pop than country these days make guest appearances: Ed Sheeran and Kacey Musgraves. But these two songs are the most country of the entire 15-song album. Fans of country music should be cheering for an album like Megan Moroney’s Cloud 9, because it pushes the boundary of the genre back toward country’s conventional definition, back toward songs written in first person by their singer about their own experiences, and does so in a way that’s entertaining, infectious, and widely appealing. If this defined the pop edge of country, it would be a major victory. And in many respects, Megan Moroney is doing this very thing.
One of the major critiques though is the same one that has plagued Megan Moroney from the beginning: she’s just not a strong singer. The mild to outright mediocre performances at high-profile awards shows and other opportunities have exposed Megan Moroney as a songwriter first and foremost, with a limited range, and penchant towards pitchy moments. At least she doesn’t lip sync or use Auto-tune like many in her position would often do to cover their tracks—again emphasizing the surprisingly organic nature of this otherwise saccharine experience, even if producer Kristian Bush foolishly chose to use programmed drums on a couple of tracks. But weak vocal performances remain an issue, and help color the experience of listening to Cloud 9, and not in a billowy pink hue. But it’s not just the success of neotraditionalists like Zach Top, or independent artists like Tyler Childers, or even bluegrass Gods like Billy Strings that is defining this moment as more positive for country music. It’s country pop stars like Megan Moroney that keep insisting their personal stories are more compelling than songs spun up by four professional songwriters, and that the sound of country has an underlying twang to it that are helping country be more country. Most importantly, Megan Moroney has been majorly successful while doing all of this. Young people are listening. They’re digging the steel guitar, and dissecting the lyrics that go deeper than the surface. The music is relevant to younger audiences, but still mature. Country music is a copycat business. Success begets success, and trend chases trend. We should be on Cloud 9 that Megan Moroney is what pop country is defined by in 2026. 7.7/10 – – – – – – –Stream/Purchase Megan Moroney’s Cloud 9
1. “Cloud 9” – Autonomously, this song is pretty pedestrian, pretty pop, and pretty forgettable for an opening song and title track. It belies Moroney’s signature heartbreak. But “Cloud 9” also plays an important role in the album’s greater narrative, starting from a place of positivity in a relationship that erodes in the album’s subsequent tracks, speaking to the smarter way Moroney writes her songs, and sequences them in her albums. 2. “Medicine” – This is a fun country pop tune, and carries the narrative of the album into the phase of the communication breakdown that usually precedes the actual breakup of a relationship. The fourth song “Stupid” does a similar thing. This is also one of the few songs where you hear Megan Moroney’s Georgia accent surface. 3. “6 Months Later” – This is the album’s big radio single, reaching #2 in country, and #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also sounds like it. Though the reshaping of a common colloquialism for the lyrical hook is clever, even if you’re a Megan Moroney apologist, it’s okay to proclaim this as an unequivocal pop song, full of mostly empty calories. Every mainstream album is going to have one of these, and “6 Months Later” is this one’s. 4. “Stupid” – This song is a good example of Megan Moroney’s “Pop songs with steel guitar” sound. It’s also probably the worst written song on the album, while one of her “stupid” lines in the bridge exposes the weakness of Moroney’s higher range. It’s easy to hear how some could find this song fun and catchy with the hand claps at the end and such. But it’s a stretch to call this a good song. 5. “Beautiful Things” – One of the better songs on the album, “Beautiful Things” figures out how to engage in self-affirmation, but do so in a way that doesn’t feel trite or syrupy. Is Moroney singing this to herself or someone else, or both? In the end, the message is the same. This is also her current radio single as the album is released, and a bold selection as one. 6. “Convincing” – This feels like a middle of the road track for the album. It may be very personal to Megan, but there’s not much that’s very compelling here, nor is there anything really offensive. On a 15-song album, you’re going to have a few of these pedestrian tracks. Many of Cloud 9‘s pedestrian tracks come at the beginning. 7. “Liars & Tigers & Bears” – This might be the best song on the album, even if it isn’t that country. It speaks to the difficult to impossible environment country stars must navigate, especially women where they’re held to a higher standard, and often given completely contradictory instructions. “Stay in your lane, but evolve and get better. You sell your soul, we’ll help you break records. Love everybody, aren’t you all friends? Even the one we’ve pit you against?” the song says. Though you wouldn’t necessarily label this a country protest song, it is definitely fair to say that it’s bold and risk-taking to to speak out about the contradictions and phony nature of the industry like this. It also feels very relevant to the kind of world Megan Moroney is forced to navigate.
8. “I Only Miss You (feat. Ed Sheeran)” – This is an excellent traditional country song, completely blindsiding you on this album, especially since it’s recorded with Ed Sheeran. It’s not just that it’s traditional country. It also very well-written, with Sheeran and Mackenzie Carpenter also listed in the credits. They resisted trying to popify the track in the production, and instead leaned into its rootsy, sincere aspect. And who knows, with Sheeran as a guest, maybe they even release it as a single. The only qualm with the song is you wonder what some better, more twangy or croony singers could have done with it. Having someone like Zach Top or Jake Worthington sing on it could have given the song more body. But Sheeran is who will bring attention to the song, this album, and Moroney. Apparently, Sheeran has been in Nashville recently writing and recording a country record himself. If “I Only Miss” is an indication of how it might turn out, maybe it won’t be half bad.
9. “Wedding Dress” – You can hear the Taylor Swift influence in this song, especially the way the very pop-like chorus develops. The writing and the premise for the song are very strong. But the “wedding dress” hook feels like it could have been just another verse as opposed to the centerpiece. That said, by the end of this song, you can feel Megan Moroney’s deep-seated anxiety. 10. “Change of Heart” – This is one of the songs on the album where a traditional country fan might question if they took a wrong turn somewhere. The two-part structure of the song doesn’t really illustrate the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Moroney’s shifting mindset as much as it just makes it difficult to really immerse yourself in the song with no real groove or flow. “Change Of Heart” isn’t bad. But you do question if a different approach wouldn’t have been better. It’s a little overthought. 11. “Bells & Whistles (feat. Kacey Musgraves)” – Another excellent, unexpected, and welcomed traditional country track on a pop country album. Unfortunately, the writing isn’t as good on the Ed Sheeran collaboration, but Kacey Musgraves has a voice so much better tooled for this material. Man, what do we have to do to convince Musgraves to start cutting more traditional songs like this again?
12. “Table For Two” – This is a sweet and simple song whose arrangement is much more pleasing than some of the more pop numbers, even if nothing is especially exceptional about it. Just because Moroney is known for her heartbreak songs doesn’t mean she can’t dabble in a little pleasant wistfulness. 13. “Wish I Didn’t” – Another focus track of the album, don’t be surprised if “Wish I Didn’t” gets released as a third single. It’s certainly produced for radio with its programmed intro, and barely if any twang or organic instrumentation. This is one of the weaker tracks on the album, which probably means it’s a hit. 14. “Who Hurt You?” – The difference between Megan Moroney and your average mainstream country music singer is that similar to Taylor Swift, she’s writing very personal stories taken directly from her life as opposed to committee-written songs just looking to get a rise from listeners. Though you hate to give into the gossipy nature of this business, “Who Hurt You? ” is clearly the most personal song on the album, and one with the most specificity. With lines like, “The devil went down to Georgia, then he crossed the ‘Bama line,” it’s led to speculation that the song is about Moroney’s brief relationship with Riley Green. Other songs on Cloud 9 might be about Riley as well. But this one is Moroney at her heartbroken best.
15. “Waiting On the Rain”– This is a really strong, bittersweet song to close out the album, showcasing Megan’s sad country sound and style better than most of the other tracks, relying on strings as opposed to synth to swell the emotion in the song. It’s a shame some more songs didn’t take this type of approach on the album since it works so well here. Fun fact: that’s Jamey Johnson singing harmony on this track.
I didnt know u reviewed barbie brunch country…..wow to get threw a whole hot mess album ……dont know how you do it
It’s “through,” not threw – and have you even listened to this album or are you just tossing out poorly worded insults to be annoying?
Ok spelling police my bad. hey everyone dads here and only one song on spotify the album hasnt been released yet.I have seen charley four times including 1st time at ryman..so fuck off
I was expecting Trig and most traditionalists to hate this album so am very pleasantly surprised by this review. As always, Trig shows a lot of insight into what makes a good album regardless of whether it’s to everyone’s personal taste.
MM is my mood-boosting guilty pleasure, and I think this is easily the best of her three albums. Not to generalize based on gender, but I think she speaks to parts of the female experience as few others do these days. Trig’s comparison to Taylor’s personal, resonant storytelling is right on point.
And it’s also true that neither Taylor nor Megan has the best (or sometimes even a mediocre!) singing voice 🙂 Normally that would bother me because I’m someone who values vocals really highly, but Megan’s voice generally works for me despite the fact that she often sounds like a slightly off-key Marge Simpson. Maybe it’s that I’m so sick of the high-pitched, “airy” baby talk cooing that singers like Sabrina give us that Megan’s husky rasp is a welcome change. Somehow Megan’s type of voice just feels like the right fit for the type of country (okay, let’s be fair, country POP) songs that she sings 🙂
I would love to hear people’s favorite songs on the album? Like Trig, I love both collabs, Medicine and Waiting on the Rain, but for me Who Hurt You is the album’s crown jewel. I could generally do without the title track (it’s so generic imo), Table for Two and Wedding Dress, though even those aren’t outright skips for me.
This review got my week off to a good start, and I’m hoping that other pop-country fans enjoy this album as much as I do, even if it’s just as a guilty pleasure 🙂
While it is flawed, I don’t think her singing is bad enough to get in the way of enjoying the writing and musical arrangements
Although using it in a different style, I don’t think Megan’s delivery is too far off from Lauren Watkins or Ashland Craft, two singers I really like
She kind of roams the neighborhood of the right notes, but that’s her style and it works. I hope it isn’t sacrilegious for me to make this comparison here at SCM, but underneath the pop-country gloss, I hear a bit of Lucinda Williams. I wonder if Megan’s even heard of her.
Overall, I liked this album more than I thought I would. Months of hearing “6 Months Later” on the radio, then hearing about this being an “era” complete with a signature color, had me thinking Megan was going full Taylor Swift and there’d be little if any country on the album. A pleasant surprise, probably more for people like me who appreciate pop hooks just as much as country hooks and aren’t looking for Hank or Waylon or Loretta or Tammy in every singer they hear.
Sorry to hijak, but I have a question. What Sirius station do you all listen to? I just got it this weekend. I listened to it 20 years ago and then Outlaw Country was great, but this weekend when I tuned in they were playing bands that I imagine are what Red Oak Revival or whoever sound like. I ended up on the Chris Stapleton channel and they played REK, and Sturgill, which was great. So is it basically Willie’s Place and Chris Stapleton these days?
For me, it’s mostly Stapleton, Prime Country and Willie’s Place, with occasional listening time for Outlaw and Highway to keep up with what’s current in both mainstream and alternative country music. The online-only “deep cuts” channel for Prime Country is excellent, too, and I often have it on at home for background music.
Cool, thanks.I gave outlaw another go last night and liked it a lot better. If I remember it correctly from 20 years ago shit gets a little weird on the weekends and I think that’s what happened. I miss the cowboy jack and alamo jones show though. I also figured out there were country channels elsewhere on the dial, not just around channel 60.
Megan Moroney isn’t my cup of musical tea and I still don’t think she can carry a tune, but my wife loves her so I’ve heard the album a few times through and gotta admit that a few of the songs are very catchy and enjoyable. That “poor, poor you – now who’s the fool” part on Medicine keeps playing in my head even when I want it to go away. Weirdly enough I think the song Cloud 9 is the worst song on the album Cloud 9. It sounds like a soulless bland AI robot’s idea of a pop song.
A buddy of mine used to play Ed Sheeran a lot so I thought I knew his voice well but I didn’t think it even sounded much like Sheeran on I Only Miss You. Did anyone else think he sounded different? In fairness, I’m older and my hearing isn’t what it used to be.
Ed Sheeran’s been exploring the Nashville scene and country music in general for several years. He’s especially close with Luke Combs, who recorded Sheeran’s “Dive” on the Spotify Singles EP in 2028. They performed the song together during Combs’ 2022 UK tour, a fine performance enhanced by Luke’s great road band. YouTube is your friend …
…for the record: there isn’t a bad megan moroney album. on stage, she still may come across like an amateur compared to the absolute top tier of her peers, but in a writer’s round and the studio with all its possibilities she sparkles and shines with all her bells and whistles. i just love this album front to back and the title track is as perfect a bond between country and pop as it gets. also for the record: check out your favorite artist and whether you’ll find a streak of three very good albums in a row in his or her catalogue. that much i say – george strait may not clear that bar. ms. moroney may still be a barely half bad performer on stage – in the studio she’s a princess in all her colorful glory.
I like a lot about Megan Moroney’s music, with the exception of the stupid “good in bed” implication in that one song that you know young kids are hearing. I think she has a unique voice that is pleasant and easy to appreciate. “Tennessee Orange” was the introduction for myself and others I know who like her music, and I have followed her career since then.
I didn’t like her lip-synching to a backing track on either an awards show in the last year or possibly the New Year’s Eve show she did–I can’t remember which. Hopefully the backlash was present enough to discourage such decisions in the future.
I can skip over the poppier stuff and appreciate the truly good country on this record. I think she’s a better singer than people give her credit for and songs like Medicine (which I think is more traditional than pop country), Bells & Whistles, I Only Miss You, Waiting on the Rain, and Table for Two are very welcome surprises. I was expecting her to go more full pop with this album but was pleasantly caught off guard.
“songs like Medicine (which I think is more traditional than pop country), Bells & Whistles, I Only Miss You, Waiting on the Rain, and Table for Two are very welcome surprises. I was expecting her to go more full pop with this album but was pleasantly caught off guard.”
You have superb taste, which is of course a way of saying that your taste happens to be very similar to mine 😉 Table for Two doesn’t wow me, but substitute that one for Who Hurt You and your list of favorite songs is identical to mine. I also agree that Megan Moroney’s voice really isn’t as bad as many make it out to be. Granted, I compared it to Marge Simpson’s in my post, but I think her rasp generally works well for the type of songs she sings and is a welcome reprieve from the unnaturally high pitched cooing “baby talk” that we’re often treated to from other popular singers these days.
I do not hate her music. I feel like I have been disappointed for years by mainstream/women in country. Maren, Kelsea, & yes, even Lainey have been force fed. I like LW, she seems really sweet,but her albums aren’t my thing. Megan needs more vocal practice, & seems to need to get more comfortable when she singing for the big shows.
Nobody has to like pop country in general or Megan Moroney in particular, but I’ve come to appreciate her as a ‘gateway drug’ for some pop listeners who would never have otherwise given country a chance. My niece would never have listened to any country if she hadn’t fallen for Megan’s first album, and now she listens to country as often as any other genre. It’s not always what most of us who lurk here would consider high quality country, but it’s an important first step!
And like someone else noted, Megan does write lyrics that tend to speak to women of all ages. Three females representing three different generations of women were all listening to Cloud 9 in the car this weekend. We can’t agree on ANYTHING these days, but for those moments we were connected, and that meant something.
In general Megan isn’t my type of singer (though unpopular opinion – Lainey’s vocals personally grate on me more) and even Megan’s look (what is with entertainers using gallons of self-tanner these days?!) isn’t my personal style, but I think she plays a valuable role in enhancing country music’s popularity and introducing it to pop listeners who might never otherwise seek it out.
Just the latest blond bombshell to be pushed by corporate country. Trouble is, she can’t sing and has proven that over several live disasters at awards’ shows.
I have never been a huge Megan Moroney fan, though Ive definitely appreciated some of her songs through the years. I first heard the song Hair Salon by her and loved it. It gave me some of that early Kacey Musgraves vibes and I figured by now she’d be on the same Kacey path of heading towards pop, but some of these songs have me listening over and over, especially the ones slathered with pedal steel. In fact maybe it’s appropriate that Kacey is on this album and will be the moment she takes a hard turn back to her early years. I am planning on going to see Megan live this Friday and am very interested how she is as a performer when she’s the headliner. Either way I will be singing along to a bunch of these new songs unapologetically. It’s a solid album!
Kacey is fascinating, and I think Universal was totally caught off guard by Golden Hour’s success. Obviously they pushed it hard, and it was an excellent album – side B in particular, but most of side A too. But they tried for two album cycles to turn her into an pop star, and relegated her back to relaunched Lost Highway after that project failed, which is probably where she belonged all along, having signed there in the first place. The majority of her collabs/one offs have leaned country recently – “I Remember Everything,” “Lost in Translation”, “Bells and Whistles,” “Lost Highway,” and even the Noah Kahan track she brings to life “She Calls Me Back.” I actually think now that she’s freed of the popstar track, we’ll get some strong work that plays to her strengths again on whatever her next record turns out to be. Fact is her voice is one of the best there is, and she’s extremely attractive so when radio wouldn’t play her they/UMG naturally tried to find a new audience via pop, but maybe that was a miscalculation.
I went into this album fully prepared to clutch my pearls and file a formal complaint with the Country Traditionalists Association (of which I am a lifetime, card-carrying member). Instead? I’m over here voluntarily hitting replay.
Her first album? Pretty solid. The second? Let’s just say we took a little detour down a gravel road I didn’t love. But this one surprised me in the best way. I was raised on a steady diet of Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, and George Jones. If it didn’t have steel guitar and emotional devastation, we didn’t play it. So when I say I enjoy Megan’s music, understand this endorsement comes with decades of honky-tonk conditioning.
Is it country to its absolute, dust-on-the-boots core? No. But it is authentic. She knows exactly who she is and doesn’t try to cosplay as anything else. In a genre where some folks are chasing vibes, she’s chasing songs. Big difference. Even when it leans pop-country, you can tell she knows the women who paved the way. I genuinely feel like she could rattle off every word to “Stand by Your Man” or “Coal Miner’s Daughter” without blinking. No teleprompter. No panic. Just muscle memory.
“I Only Miss You” was a surprise, given that Ed’s past country resume includes writing for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and Kenny Chesney, which… let’s just say weren’t exactly back-porch fiddle sessions. This one actually sounds traditional, and I love that! Other favorites on the album for me are: “Bells & Whistles,” “Medicine” (which I’d argue is sneakily more traditional than pop), and “Waiting on the Rain.”
There’s not a single song I find offensive to my ancestral country roots. A few, like “Stupid,” are more meh than marvelous. But nothing makes me reach for the skip button in outrage.
The album cover gives me strong “Heartbreaker” vibes and invoking Dolly Parton in any capacity is a win in my book. If you can channel even a whisper of Dolly, you’re doing something right.
Does Megan have the most technically flawless voice in the genre? No. Does it somehow work anyway? Absolutely. There’s character there. Personality. A little grit. And frankly, I’d take that over vocal gymnastics any day. I went in bracing for impact. I left with half the album stuck in my head for days.
Is not a strong singer really that much of a issue with some of the trash singers you have praised on here just cause writing?🤣🤣
It’s a fair accusation that I weigh songwriting over vocal performance. But I do feel like I’m very consistent about this irrespective of the artist. The reason an artist like Moroney gets criticized about it more is because she’s had some pretty high-profile performances that were less than stellar.
Pop Country has a home in Country – just be great, not crap. Heck, I don’t like to listen to crappy anything, even hard core ole school country. It’s fair to peck at the strength of the voice. It’s fair to peck at synth sounds too – a machine lacks any of the infliction provided only by a human hand on a string or horn or human voice trained to wreck a ship into shore. So yea, not my favorite stuff but I listened and hope I can share this music with my teenaged daughter as it is miles better than 90% of the tictok machine made noise she hears.
the lyrics man…i tried to listen,i just can’t…love the boy,merry the boy,the boy this the boy that..uhhh
I understand that youngsters pick up words and make it a part of their vocabulary. But I am REALLY ready for the word “era” to go away. Taylor did it, now everyone else has to say that word ad nauseam. Besides that issue, I have been to three shows where she performed. Less just say I was underwhelmed. Just because you are a descent songwriter doesn’t mean you are the next big thing.
There’s a clear opening for Moroney to take that next step to establishing herself with this album: especially with the way Taylor Swift has alienated even some of her longtime fans with her last two albums in how increasingly insular and detached their songwriting was…………but there remaining as much an appetite as ever for the kind of music Swift used to corner the market on.
And it’s easy to root for her with how much of herself she invests in her songwriting. Topically what she sings about may not be my thing personally and it can get a bit redundant……………but in the same breath I recognize as someone who is just burnt out on cohabitation/relationship-centric themes in music in general that I’m clearly the outlier, and also as a lyrics nerd I do respect and appreciate how she fleshes out emotional slices of life/scenes piece by piece: whether it be on “Stupid” where she mocks the subject for not knowing how to spell valedictorian and drafting handwritten letters for hours, or switch-on candles and Prisoner wine in “Table For Two”, or all of the spiraling anxiety at the core of “Wedding Dress”. It’s all those little descriptive brushstrokes that make the songs relatable and lend them character as well.
I too was pleasantly taken aback with how traditional the instrumentation gets at times throughout the album. I’d love to see her steep even deeper into these sounds from here on out, but I think these stylistic choices also help with the general arc and flow of the album as leaning too heavily on a shimmering sugary melancholic pop sheen ever so slightly alternating between mid-tempos and ballads would have made for a more monotonous listening experience where the peaks and valleys are not as well identifiable.
For me personally this isn’t the kind of album I see myself revisiting much because, again, I’m just burnt out on this oversaturation of cohabitation/romantic relationship and drama-themed songs and it’s just not my thing…………..but I can acknowledge that and in the same breath have an immense respect for Moroney’s care and craft infused into the songwriting throughout. It’s simply a net-positive for the genre as a whole for that reason.
Megan seems to be gunning for that slot that Taylor abandoned some 15 years ago. I just hope she’s not going to use this as a springboard to pop stardom like Taylor did. If she decides to hook up with Max Martin and Shellback all is lost.
It wouldn’t even make sense in this current landscape for Moroney to push in that direction given country’s continued run of composite chart dominance as evidenced by Langley clinching a #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 a week ago. If anything, Moroney would be best-served commercially going even more country from here on out.
But yeah: despite her continued chart dominance, make no mistake: Taylor Swift’s standing is at an all-time low presently among critics and even a substantial percentage of longtime Swifties. All those gimmicky sales tactics to push the album to record first-week sales as well as what we’ve seen this past week to get “Opalite” to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 does not obscure the fact that “The Life Of A Showgirl” has fractured her fanbase and is considered her worst album to date by many (I personally consider “The Tortured Poets Department” her worst but “TLOAS” is right there along with “Lover”) Swifties…………with many starting to look elsewhere for the kind of relatable, songwriting she used to deliver effortlessly. Moroney definitely scratches that inch for many from all I’ve observed.
“Though you hate to give into the gossipy nature of this business, “Who Hurt You? ” is clearly the most personal song on the album, and one with the most specificity. With lines like, “The devil went down to Georgia, then he crossed the ‘Bama line,” it’s led to speculation that the song is about Moroney’s brief relationship with Riley Green. ”
There’s an unwritten as yet song here; around the idea that you might -think- what you’re hearing is based on an actual relationship gone bad among People You Only Know Online but is completely made up. A clever writer could have fun with this theme.
I recall hearing her live album on a streaming platform and it was hard to hear her voice because of the fans screaming. They sounded young. I thought her previous 2 albums were ok although the second was much more pop than the first. I heard a few of the singles of this one and it was not on my list to listen to until I read your review. To me, this is much more pop with not much country. Or maybe it is ‘Taylor Swift country’. There are some good songs and it is listenable. Its not bad but I cannot see me listening to it again. Its not for me but then it is almost certainly aimed at a much younger age group. The next Taylor Swift?
Megan Moroney’s pop songs are very indicative of early Taylor Swift, who she cites as a direct influence. Her country songs like “I Only Miss You” are indicative of the most country of country artists you can imagine, which Taylor Swift never even came close to recording. Is the majority of Moroney’s music country pop? Absolutely. She also has some stone cold country songs. All that said, this won’t be for everyone. It’s pop country.
I agree, I cant think of anything Taylor Swift recorded anything like “I only miss you”. Some of her material is definitely country but less on this album than on her previous 2? She is moving towards a more pop sound overall? I don’t mind good pop music and this is better than a lot of pop music. Better than average songs. Its not bad but I think I prefer her previous efforts more.
Trigger, how much of Megan’s voice on her albums is authentic? Based on her live performances, it would seem as though she would need a lot of production help to sound decent in the recording booth. Perhaps her live performances are just anxiety getting the best of her, but it feels like her live performances are intentionally overproduced to distract from the vocals.
My read is that Megan Moroney’s voice is pretty authentic on her albums. All albums are going to go through a mixing/mastering process to sweeten the vocal signal. I’m not hearing excessive Auto-tune or anything else like you often hear on mainstream albums these days. Shaboozey and even Ernest have much more processed vocal signals on their albums compared to Moroney.
Megan Moroney is a little hit or miss for me but as other shave said she is a good entry into country for those coming from the pop genre. I’ll give this album a spin and I’m sure some songs will end up on one of my playlists. What I have heard from this album so far has some more upbeat tracks which is a good change of pace over her previous one which was well written but a bit of a downer.
I’ve seen Megan multiple times live, and she has always sounded good to me. Awards shows are not always the best place for artists to shine.
I have truly tried to get into her songs, her music. I just honestly can’t…her voice is just too off-putting for me. I do however think that she should stick to songwriting. 🤷🏽♀️
I gave this album a full listen the other day after catching “Beautiful Things.” It’s kind of all over the place but I was pleasantly surprised by the twang and occasional country instrumentation. I honestly wondered if “Bells and Whistles” was a cut track from Musgraves’ “Pageant Material.” Kacey is at her most country these days on duets and collabs like this one, so I’ll take it. And firmly agree that while a more country voice would have worked better than Ed Sheeran, he was a nice addition to this album and I won’t be sad if it means he’s entering country himself (would so prefer Ed Sheeran making a random appearance at the CMAs than BigXThaPlug).
Not going to lie, its not her BEST album but I liked it more than what most people are saying, but im a “gosh darn swiftie” so take that with you
I think she’s way underrated by SCM and country music in general. She isn’t top tier, like Morgan, or Luke Combs, but she’s also not lower tier either. Country music is always lacking in female artists and especially female songwriters so she has a very important role that few if any fill other than her in 2026 on a mainstream level. She’s a huge star, writes her own songs and is the link between the current era and the supernova sized hole left in country music when someone with the once in a lifetime talent of Taylor Swift leaves the genre. She isn’t on Taylor’s level and likely never will be but there’s been a need for that style of confessional diary style songwriting that Taylor has. And Megan has it. Whatever it is. I can picture teen girls especially finding comfort in her music and words in ways that male artists or some of the more party oriented female musicians don’t provide. The drama of teenage heartbreak, high school life, first loves, first heartbreaks, I can see a 16 year old sophomore young lady finding solace in Megan’s music similar to how they’d worship Olivia Rodrigo. Even if you are a married man in his 50s or a long since college graduated woman who’s now a lawyer and Megan’s confessional style doesn’t describe your life now, it’s important to have this sect of country music or niche or sub genre of country music be available for those who need it.
An underrated aspect of all this is she is very beautiful and a total bombshell. That has an impact on many things. Dudes who may view country music as dumb and not want to give it a chance, will be dragged by their girlfriends to Megan shows, become fans of the genre, and fall in love with Megan. You see similar things with the Castellows, Ella and Lainey. It brings eyes to the genre that may have not been there otherwise. If that brings more fans to our genre I’m all for it. The focus should be on the songs and songwriting and she has both but that she’s easy on the eyes to say the least isn’t a bad thing.
I think oddly she’s probably being taken less seriously because she’s attractive, by media and some in the public as well. So I guess it’s a double edged sword. Barbie and blonde bimbo are probably things she’s heard about herself and that’s got to feel crummy and it’s unfair overall because she’s intelligent and works on her craft and it shows.
Source: savingcountrymusic.com