A sparkly, shiny, honest, funny and elevated album that I can’t get enough of.
Today, Megan Moroney released her sophomore studio album Am I Okay?, which is a collection of breakup songs, songs about loss, fun, upbeat tunes about having fun with you friends, with a real depth to each one that I was hoping she’d deliver.
On the one hand, it’s girly, feminine and fun, but it’s also reflective and downright sad a lot of the time too. If you ask me, that’s pretty much a perfect combination.
We knew after she released her debut Lucky last year that Meg is a superstar with an impressive knack for writing and an incredible wit that makes her unique brand of country stand out, in a way that I really haven’t heard since Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert first came onto the scene in terms of the mainstream part of the genre.
Am I Okay? just feels so elevated, and I’d say that probably comes with the amount of life she’s lived in the past year and her whirlwind of a career since releasing her aforementioned debut. And of course, that style of very southern, sassy writing always resonates with me so I love having an artist like her doing it so well.
Her twangy, gritty vocals deliver these songs straight from the heart, and Meg shared a statement on Instagram about the release, saying:
“There’s love and heartbreak and strength and loos and friendship and I Hope these songs find a home with you. From the day I released ‘Lucky,’ I was told over and over my sophomore album would be hardest to write.
I thought that might be true untilI did what I’ve always done… I felt deeply and unapologetically and & wrote songs when my heart needed… ‘Am I Okay?’ feels more honest and vulnerable than anything I’ve released, its because you guys make me comfortable enough o do that.
I can’t thank you enough for being on this journey with me. Songwriting and making music really does light up my soul and I’m so grateful for each and every one of you.”
She released four songs in the lead up to today, including “No Caller ID,” “28th Of June,” “Indifferent” and “Man On The Moon.”
It is true that people often say that sophomore albums are the hardest, especially when you have such an impressive debut like Megan did. The thought is that it’s hard, if not impossible, to emulate that “lightning in a bottle,” so to speak, but I’ve never agreed with that sentiment.
In some cases, that can be true, but when you have the talent that she does I’ve never once questioned that she’d be able to deliver even more than she did the first time around.
After hearing Am I Okay? a few times over, I feel confident in saying that not only did she deliver, but this album feels so much more mature, while still incorporating a range of songs that cover so many topics. There’s a lot of heartbreak and I’m more than okay with that… it’s kind of the entire experience of being a 20-something year old woman.
And I think it’s probably because we’re the same age and at similar phases of life, but I really feel like Meg is one of those rare artists who doesn’t miss and has such a unique perspective and way of writing that will make her an important voice in country for years to come.
While maybe every song is not completely relatable for every person because it is about her experience as a 26-year old woman navigating life and heartbreak, there’s a little something for everyone on the 12-song tracklist and that makes it a winner.
She really has it all, and even if she’s not totally okay in this era as the album title suggests, she’s the next big thing in country and a truly talented artist with a lot to say and a special way of saying it that people need and want to hear.
“Am I Okay?”
Written by Meg along with Luke Laird and Jessie Jo Dillon, the title track finds Meg getting over a breakup and “playing less Black Keys,” which is a good indicator that she’s finally moving on. Of course, it helps when a 6’2 man walks in the way he did for Meg, who doesn’t play games, means what he says, is funny and smart and good in… well, you get the point.
It’s super catchy and a really fun way to start the record, and as a side note, I also love her reasoning for not including the word “bed,” which she talked about in an interview with Kelleigh Bannen on Today’s Country Radio on Apple Music Country:
“I just feel like sometimes you don’t have to say it. You knew what I was talking about.”
I think the best songwriters know when to say certain things, and almost more importantly, when you don’t even need to:
“Miss Universe”
This one is definitely reminiscent of Pageant Material era Kacey Musgraves, which obviously made it an easy standout for me.
Megan wrote it alongside Liz Rose and AJ Pruis, as she grapples with the fact that while her guy left her for another girl and took away her whole word, it hurts a little less knowing he left her for “Miss Universe”:
“I Know You”
I think this one has become an early fan-favorite purely based on the teasers, and for good reason. Written by Megan along with Ben Williams, David “Messy” Mescon and Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Meg calls out an ex for trying to play her when she knows good and well what he’s really up to with other girls.
Unfortunately, I think it’s something a lot of ladies can relate to, and I think it will continue to be a standout on the record:
“The Girls”
This one is certainly for the girls. For any 20-something, but hell really for women of any age, it’s incredibly important to have equally strong, kind and confident ladies around you to make life worth living, honestly.
Written by Meg with frequent collaborators Ben Williams, Michah Carpenter and Mackenzie Carpenter, it celebrates the female friendships in her life and how meaningful they are in getting through the good times and the bad. It’s one of my personal favorites too and I love the sentiment behind it:
“Heaven By Noon”
Easily one of the saddest moments on Am I Okay?, “Heaven By Noon” was written by Megan Moroney, Jessie Jo Dillon and Matt Jenkins. It finds Megan mourning the loss of someone very close to her, thinking she had all the time in the world with them when in reality they’re no longer walking the Earth.
She takes some semblance of respite knowing that they’re “walking streets of gold” in Heaven where there’s no time, heartbreak or pain anymore. Megan’s uncle tragically passed away during the 9/11 attacks, and she says it’s a way to honor him and her aunt as well:
“Hope You’re Happy”
And lastly, “Hope You’re Happy” is a very sincere, heartfelt song that Meg wrote alongside Luke Laird and Shane McAnally.
Clearly not totally over a breakup and still in love with someone who has moved on, Megan knows that it’s probably for the best and she just hopes they can find happiness in all the things they love and that all of their hopes and dreams one day come true.