When I moved to Nashville in 2014, the local music scene was overflowing with talented singer-songwriters seemingly on the cusp of greatness. Artists like Margo Price, Kelsey Waldon, Cale Tyson, Erin Rae, Joshua Hedley, Nikki Lane, and Andrew Combs unexpectedly became some of the representative voices of “hip East Nashville.” 10 years ago, that neighborhood was still going through gentrification, a transformative period echoed in the nostalgic nods to classic country and folk sung by the city’s young artists.
A decade later, East Nashville is now seemingly home to more Teslas than local venues, and each of those artists have cultivated strong careers for themselves that stretch far beyond the city’s traffic-filled highways. One of that era’s biggest commercial and artistic successes is Price, whose 2016 solo album Midwest Farmer’s Daughter earned widespread acclaim from both critics and music fans eager for something familiar yet vastly different from modern pop-country.
In her albums since, Price has evolved that retro-inspired country sound, embraced 70s alt-rock psychedelia, and continued to travel a career path exclusively on her own terms. With the release of her latest single, “Too Stoned to Cry,” the Illinois native gives a nod to her past while kicking off a new creative chapter.
She’s joined by friend and fellow multi-talented musician Billy Strings on the gut punching track, which dropped earlier today (Sept. 11). “Too Stoned to Cry” was penned by fellow longtime Nashville transplant Combs, who previously recorded the stirring story-song for his stellar 2012 album Worried Man. (Combs is also fresh off the release of a new album, Dream Pictures, which I highly recommend.)
“It was such a joy to work with Billy on this song,” added Price. “He really nailed the vocals and laid down a beautiful lead. I have wanted to record this song for years now, ever since I heard the writer Andrew Combs sing it.
My buddy Beau Bedford and I had been in the studio together working on an Orville Peck track, and I asked him to produce this single for me,” she continued. “He put together a really great band – Beau and I, plus my husband Jeremy Ivey played acoustic, Aksel Coe on drums, Misa Arriaga on Bass, Russ Pahl on pedal steel, Joey McClellan on electric. Once we got Billy to add his guitar and singing, I knew this song was gonna be a special recording.”
The pair’s rendition builds off the haunting soundscape of Combs’ original gem, with Billy Strings stepping in on the perfected harmonies originally provided by Heidi Feek. Longtime fans of Price will immediately recognize the old-school country sound that became a trademark of her early releases, offering a reminder of both what’s changed and what’s stayed the same through the years.
“When I first came on the scene, I was a countryfied, hard-headed, whiskey drinkin’ nobody who was pissed off at the establishment,” Price shared in a statement. “All of that’s still true, except for the whiskey drinkin’ part. If anything, now that I’ve lived for a while inside of the establishment, I’m even more pissed off. I’ve let some people go. I’m still fighting with others to let me be myself, but I know I’m gonna make this next record the way I want to make it, no matter what it takes.”
Watch the official lyric video for “Too Stoned to Cry” below:
