Full Review

Carly Pearce, 29 Review

Carly Pearce is back with a new album called 29 via Big Machine Records. Produced by Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Jimmy Robbins, seven songs fill the set. The seven songs measure the realizations, hopes, and letting go that comes with becoming an adult in full. It also marks a new grounding in a deeper kind of Country music, something that reaches down into the roots of what Carly grew up on. Pearce explains, “Losing busbee was such a moment of upheaval,” explains the woman American Songwriter calls “the Kentucky native with the fiery voice” of her creative hub. “He had believed in me…carried me… brought me through everyone getting deals around me… because he knew something I couldn’t see: that it would happen.”

“And then as we’re doing Lee Brice’s vocal on ‘I Hope You’re Happy Now,’ he has that first seizure, and my creative world started to unravel. It’s scary being out there on your own, and I think the response to the song… going platinum, being nominated for Song of the Year… That was a little bit of him telling me to stand tall, to walk forward, to know my life and my writing would carry my voice and my dream forward.”

“The best songs come from the moment, from real creative spark – and Josh and Shane bring it out of me,” Carly marvels. “I was unsure where my music would be without busbee. They both know where my musical heart is, and they understand how to capture exact details for much larger truths. The more specific they write, the more people I think can see themselves in the songs.”

Bottom Line: Pearce is singing with charm, style, and an authentic country flair. “Next Girl” is a fun song with beautiful singing. “Should’ve Known Better” shows Pearce’s vocal range and technical command. “Liability” is a solid pop-country song that has a broad appeal. Pearce’s vocal coloration for the emotion of each song is lovely. The production and playing are outstanding; 29 is stunning from start to finish. That’s the short of it!