Grammy Award-winning Maren Morris has finally released the long-awaited follow-up to her 2019 album, “GIRL”. The aforementioned album contained hits such as “The Bones” and the title-track, “GIRL”. Following the success of these singles as well as her appearance on Zedd’s triple-platinum single, “The Middle”, I wondered if Morris would lean more towards pop or stick to the country sound she is famously known for.
I think she rides the line between country and pop really well here. There’s a lot to like for fans of Morris, pop and country. “Humble Quest” was released on March 25, receiving positive reviews from critics and fans alike.
As I mentioned in the introduction, Morris does a great job of riding the line between country and pop. Much like her counterparts Thomas Rhett, Kacey Musgraves and Jordan Davis, Morris blends the genres well. Songs such as “Circles Around This Town”, “I Can’t Love You Anymore” and “Detour” all incorporate traditional country elements such as heavy inclusions of acoustic guitar, steel guitar and subtle percussion. On the other hand, songs such as “Nervous”and “Humble Quest” lean more towards the pop genre.
Morris sets the tone of the album incredibly well with “Circles Around This Town”; it’s my personal favorite on the record. I’m a sucker for songs reflecting on an artist's career. Morris references her earlier hits, “80s Mercedes” and “My Church”, in a humorous lyric about how her earlier hits were “about a car and a church”. The song also covers the struggles a young artist faces in Nashville. Morris is at her strongest when incorporating humor into her lyrics.
The clear lyrical standout on the album is “Hummingbird”. Morris co-wrote the track with the legendary Lori McKenna. McKenna has been mentioned in my reviews of Walker Hayes’ and Maddie & Tae’s albums. Everything she touches turns to gold, and “Hummingbird” is no exception. The stripped-back production, consisting only of an acoustic guitar, sets the lyrics and Morris’ voice front and center. The chorus, in particular, is easily one of the most beautiful sets of lyrics I’ve heard from any album this year.
“I Can’t Love You Anymore” is another standout on “Humble Quest”, easily sounding the most traditionally country-sounding on the record. The addition of steel guitar sounds so good. There’s a lot to like musically here. The subtle additions of piano, electric guitar and acoustic guitar that pop up throughout the song are mixed perfectly. Morris sounds incredible in harmony with her background singers on this track. The harmonies also evoke a sense of traditional country music that is severely lacking in the mainstream currently.
Songs such as the title-track, “Humble Quest”, “The Furthest Thing” and “Background Music” fade into the background. These are easily the most boring songs, both lyrically and sonically. “Humble Quest”, in particular, is the weakest song on the record. A particularly boring midtempo production coupled with lyrics such as, “I’m on a humble quest and damn I do my best”, feel weak on an otherwise solid album lyrically.
I also can’t help but mention “Tall Guys”. I don’t find it super interesting sonically, but I can’t help but love the lyrics. They’re super cheesy; however, there’s a charm to them. Given that I’ve heard a lot of the lyrics directed towards me, personally, I found it very funny.
Overall, Morris crafted a solid album that will please both pop and country fans. Her consistent writing room (all 12 tracks were co-written by Morris) shows throughout the well-balanced album. Though the title-track, “Humble Quest”, doesn’t live up to the rest of the record. “Humble Quest” as a whole is a very solid contemporary country album.
7/10
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