Strays [B&N Exclusive] [Baby Pink Vinyl]

by Margo Price

Overview

Margo Price begins Strays by declaring that she's been to the mountain and back, a proclamation she pairs with a stylized, amorous throb that's equal parts new wave and classic rock. That statement and that sound make it clear that Strays finds Price continuing to wander far afield from the traditional country of her 2016 debut Midwest Farmer's Daughter, developing a distinctive synthesis of a variety of styles that can't quite be pegged as Americana. Sharp, incisive songwriting remains at the heart of her music, allowing Price to weave different sounds and rhythms into her probing, emotionally open songs. Certain lines strike the air as possibly autobiographical but she's kept the confessions to her memoir, Maybe We'll Make It. Here, she's telling stories, slightly emphasizing atmosphere over individual tracks. Which isn't to say that the songs on Strays blend together: they're distinct creatures that are interconnected. After launching the album's journey with "Been to the Mountain," she slides into the road-weathered "Light Me Up" with the assistance of Heartbreaker Mike Campbell whose solos help give the song some grit. Sharon Van Etten takes an opposite tactic on the subsequent "Radio," allowing Price to accentuate hooks that would've been radio-ready in the glory days of AOR. Price often circles this classicist sound, modernizing the retro vibe with precise, shimmering production along with a subtle reliance on groove; the album flows so well because it has a palpable, soulful pulse. Everything changes with "Lydia" and "Landfill," a pair of searching, nocturnal, neo-folk songs that serves as a kind of epilogue at the end of the album, concluding Strays on a somewhat uneasy note that is ultimately a sign of Price's confidence: Sometimes a melancholy finale suits a good time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	01/13/2023
Label:	Loma Vista
UPC:	0888072475069

Tracks

1. Been to the Mountain
2. Light Me Up
3. Radio
4. Change of Heart
5. County Road
6. Time Machine
7. Hell in the Heartland
8. Anytime You Call
9. Lydia
10. Landfill

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Margo Price   Primary Artist,Bells,Shaker,Vocals,Cowbell,Maracas,Percussion,Tambourine,Guitar (Acoustic)
Ny Oh   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Jonathan Wilson   Primary Artist,Bells,Percussion,Tambourine,Featured Artist,Guitar (Acoustic),Bells,Piano,Chimes,Guitar,Timpani,Castanets,Mini Moog,Moog Bass,Percussion,Tambourine,Slide Guitar,Yamaha Keyboards,Guitar (Acoustic),Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Timpani,Castanets,Mellotron,Moog Bass
Mike Campbell   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric),Guitar,Vocals,Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Sharon Van Etten   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Lucius   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Buck Meek   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Dexter Green   Drums
Micah Hulscher   Organ,Piano,Celeste,Keyboards,Wurlitzer,Harpsichord,Synthesizer,Farfisa Organ
Christine Kim   Strings
Dillon Napier   Drums,Vocals,Percussion,Drum Machine
Jeremy Ivey   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (12 String Acoustic)
Holly Laessig   Vocals
Andrew Bulbrook   Strings
Jess Wolfe   Vocals
Lily Elise   Vocals
Zach Dellinger   Viola
Jacob Braun   Cello
Kevin Black   Bass,Vocals,Keyboards,Guitar (Bass)
Alex Munoz   Guitar,Vocals,Resonator,Pedal Steel,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background),Guitar (12 String Acoustic),Guitar (12 String Electric)
Rita Andrade   Strings
Jamie Davis   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Wynton Grant   Violin,Strings
Andrew Bullbrook   Violin
Grant Milliken   Vibraphone
Anna Bowery   Vocals

Technical Credits

Dexter Green   Engineer,Producer,Recording,Musical Producer,Additional Production
Frankie Fingers   Assistant Engineer
Adam Ayan   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Dillon Napier   Composer
Parker Cason   Engineer,Recording
Jeremy Ivey   Composer
Carrie Smith   Art Direction
Sharon Van Etten   Composer
Chris Phelps   Photography
Mike Campbell   Composer
Jonathan Wilson   Recording Producer,Mixing,Producer,Recording Producer,Mixing,Producer
Alysse Gafkjen   Photography
Michael Harris   Engineer,String Engineer
Drew Erickson   Arranger,String Arrangements
Lawrence Rothman   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Additional Production
Christopher Houston Denney   Composer
Margo Price   Composer,Producer,Liner Notes,Musical Producer,Recording Producer,Additional Production
Joe Trentacosti   Engineer,Recording,Assistant Engineer
Grant Milliken   Engineer,Recording
Anita Agoyan-Miu   Assistant Engineer
Louis Rememapp   Engineer,Recording
Liv Painter   Assistant Engineer
The Pricetags   Arranger