Monroe goes for the "Rosegold"
Monroe released the video for the first single "Drive," which was co-written with Niko Moon and Mikey Reaves, who co-produced the song with Monroe, on Friday
"I had this chorus and idea when I went in to write with Mikey Reaves and Niko Moon on Sept. 10 (my birthday)," said Monroe. "I told them my dad/other angels always send special songs on my birthday. It didn't take long into the session until we knew we were on to a special one. I always imagine me singing this while driving on a desert highway."
Written and recorded over the past two years, the record finds Monroe went in a new direction with layered vocal harmonies, synthesized soundscapes and beats.
Rather than make demos of songs that appear on "Rosegold," Monroe tracked and co-produced the album a-song-at-a-time, bringing ideas into writing sessions and inviting her collaborators — Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift, Lady A), Mikey Reaves (Maren Morris, Needtobreathe), Jake Mitchell (Ashley McBryde, Luke Bryan), Jordan Reynolds (Maddie & Tae, Dan + Shay), Ben West (Maddie & Tae, Lady A), and longtime producer/co-writer Tyler Cain (who co-wrote "Has Anybody Ever Told You" with Monroe) — to help build and produce full tracks in the studio.
"Every move we made was instinctive," said Monroe, "but it was also intentional. I found myself wanting to see how drastic the change from a verse to a chorus could be or looking for places where the beat could drop out and then give you chills when it comes back in."
The record was mixed by engineer Gena Johnson (John Prine, Jason Isbell).
"I've always been good at writing sad songs because I've experienced a lot of sadness in my life," Monroe said. "When my son was born, though, it was like some sort of innocence got plugged back into my heart. I'd never really felt that kind of joy before, and I wanted to find a way to make it last. I told everyone I was working with that I didn't want even a hint of sadness this time around. I wanted to embrace all the light and love in my life and find ways to share it with people."
The track list is:
1. Siren
2. Silk
3. Gold
4. See
5. Drive
6. Flying
7. Groove
8. 'Til It Breaks
9. I Mean It
10. The New Me
More news for Ashley Monroe
- 07/17/24: Monroe rides with "Hot Rod Pipe Dream"
- 07/03/24: Monroe has "Hot Rod Pipe Dream"
- 05/17/24: Monroe rides the "Risen Road"
- 03/29/24: Like Eaglesmith, Monroe proclaims "I Like Trains"
- 12/15/21: Monroe completes chemo
- 09/30/21: It's going to be a "Hell of a Holiday" for Pistol Annies
- 07/13/21: Monroe discloses she has blood cancer, expects recovery
- 02/15/19: FGL, Monroe, Bingham, The Long Ryders drop new music
CD reviews for Ashley Monroe


©Country Standard Time • Jeffrey B. Remz, editor & publisher • countrystandardtime@gmail.com
About • Copyright • Newsletter • Our sister publication Standard Time