Strays is the fourth studio album by American country musician Margo Price, released on January 13, 2023, by Loma Vista Recordings.[7] The album was produced by Price with musician Jonathan Wilson at his Fivestar Studio in Topanga Canyon, and features contributions from Mike Campbell (formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and whom Price recorded with for the second Dirty Knobs album, External Combustion), Sharon Van Etten, and Lucius.[7]
| Strays | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 13, 2023 | |||
| Studio | Fivestar Studio | |||
| Length | 46:15 | |||
| Label | Loma Vista | |||
| Producer | Jonathan Wilson | |||
| Margo Price chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Strays | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Guardian |   [1] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[2] |
| Mojo | [3] |
| PopMatters | 9/10[4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| Uncut | 8/10[6] |
The album was re-released as Strays II with nine additional songs on October 13, 2023. The nine songs were also released as "acts" in the weeks ahead of the re-released album.[8]
Promotion
editAlongside recording the album, Price completed a memoir, Maybe We'll Make It, released in October 2022 by University of Texas Press.[9][10] Price completed a book tour that ran through November 2022 and then opened the "'Til the Wheels Fall Off Tour" in December 2022, with plans to promote Strays through March 2023.[11]
The first single released from Strays was "Been to the Mountain". on August 25, 2022.[10] When Price announced the album in September 2022, she also released the second single, "Change of Heart".[7] Further, in November 2022, a third single, "Lydia", was released in promotion of the album, a song Price described as "a moving collection of words about bodily autonomy and women's rights" and noted was inspired by her passing a women's health clinic years earlier on tour in Vancouver, and recorded prior to the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.[12]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Margo Price and Jeremy Ivey, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Been to the Mountain" | 5:28 | |
| 2. | "Light Me Up" (featuring Mike Campbell) | 5:05 | |
| 3. | "Radio" (featuring Sharon Van Etten) |
| 2:49 |
| 4. | "Change of Heart" | 4:04 | |
| 5. | "County Road" | 6:08 | |
| 6. | "Time Machine" |
| 2:46 |
| 7. | "Hell in the Heartland" |
| 4:28 |
| 8. | "Anytime You Call" (featuring Lucius) | Ivey | 3:48 |
| 9. | "Lydia" | Price | 6:12 |
| 10. | "Landfill" | 5:34 | |
| Total length: | 46:15 | ||
Strays II
editAn expanded re-release of Strays was released on October 13, 2023, and promoted with three "acts" of songs. "Act I: Topanga Canyon" was released August 22, 2023.[13] "Act II: Mind Travel" was released on September 14, 2023.[14] The complete Strays II and "Act III: Burn Whatever's Left" were both released on October 13, 2023.[15]
All tracks are written by Margo Price and Jeremy Ivey, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Strays" | 3:09 | |
| 2. | "Closer I Get" (featuring Ny Oh) | 3:57 | |
| 3. | "Malibu" (featuring Jonathan Wilson and Buck Meek) |
| 3:37 |
| Total length: | 10:42 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Black Wolf Blues" | 3:59 | |
| 5. | "Mind Travel" | 3:54 | |
| 6. | "Unoriginal Sin" (featuring Mike Campbell) |
| 3:02 |
| Total length: | 10:53 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Homesick" (featuring Jonathan Wilson) |
| 4:28 |
| 8. | "Where Did We Go Wrong" | 4:31 | |
| 9. | "Burn Whatever's Left" | 5:26 | |
| Total length: | 14:25 | ||
Personnel
editMusicians
- Margo Price – vocals (all tracks); bells, maracas, tambourine (track 1); percussion (2, 4, 7, 8), acoustic guitar (3, 7, 9)
- Alex Muňoz – 12-string acoustic guitar, background vocals (all tracks); electric guitar (1–8, 10), baritone guitar (3, 10), acoustic guitar (4, 5), pedal steel guitar (5, 7, 10)
- Jamie Davis – acoustic guitar, background vocals (all tracks); electric guitar (1–6, 8, 10)
- Jeremy Ivey – acoustic guitar (all tracks), bass guitar (3, 8)
- Dillon Napier – drums (1–7, 10), drum machine (3), percussion (4, 5)
- Micah Hulscher – keyboards (all tracks), organ (1, 2, 4–7), piano (1–3, 5–8, 10), synthesizer (1–3, 5–7, 10), harpsichord (1, 2), celesta (6)
- Kevin Black – bass guitar (2, 4–7)
- Mike Campbell – electric guitar (2)
- Jonathan Wilson – Moog bass (3, 6, 8); guitar, timpani (3); bells, piano (6); acoustic guitar, castanets, tambourine (7); percussion (8, 10)
- Sharon Van Etten – vocals (3)
- Ny Oh – vocals (5, 10)
- Dexter Green – drums (8)
- Jess Wolfe – vocals (8)
- Holly Laessig – vocals (8)
- Jacob Braun – cello (9)
- Zach Dellinger – viola (9)
- Andrew Bullbrook – violin (9)
- Wynton Grant – violin (9)
Technical
- Jonathan Wilson – production, recording production, mixing (all tracks); engineering (3)
- Margo Price – co-production (all tracks); recording production, engineering (3); music production (6)
- Dexter Green – co-production (3, 8); music production, engineering (6)
- Lawrence Rothman – co-production, engineering (7)
- Adam Ayan – mastering
- Grant Milliken – engineering (1, 2, 5, 10)
- Parker Cason – engineering (4, 9)
- Joe Trentacosti – engineering (6), engineering assistance (3)
- Louis Rememapp – engineering (7)
- Anita Agoyan-Miu – engineering assistance (1, 2, 5, 10)
- Liv Painter – engineering assistance (7)
- Frankie Fingers – engineering assistance (9)
References
edit- ^ Kitty Empire (January 8, 2023). "Margo Price: Strays review – still country to the core". The Guardian. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ John Amen (January 13, 2023). "Margo Price frees herself with the eclectic Strays". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ Tom Doyle (December 20, 2022). "Margo Price Reviewed! Read MOJO's verdict on the new album by Margo Price, Strays". Mojo. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ Steve Horowitz (January 9, 2023). "Margo Price 'Strays' Down Many Musical Paths in Search of Meaning". PopMatters. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Jonathan Bernstein (January 10, 2023). "Margo Price Makes Her Own Evolution Part of the Story On 'Strays'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Bud Scoopa (December 8, 2022). "Margo Price - Strays". Uncut. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ a b c Evan Minsker (September 20, 2022). "Margo Price Announces New Album Strays, Shares Video for New Song "Change of Heart": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Madarang, Charisma (August 22, 2023). "Margo Price Goes Down the Psychedelic Rabbit Hole With Strays II". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ Nina Corcoran (August 25, 2022). "Margo Price Shares Video for New Song "Been to the Mountain": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Chris Deville (August 25, 2022). "Margo Price Shared New Song "Been to the Mountain": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ John Wirt (November 23, 2022). "Margo Price wraps book tour, but catch her music tour stop in Baton Rouge next week". The Advocate. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ Larisha Paul (November 10, 2022). "Margo Price Tackled Bodily Autonomy on New Single 'Lydia' Years Ago. Now It Feels Like a Premonition". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Allison Hussey (August 22, 2023). "Margo Price Announces New Album Strays II, Shares New Songs: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ Tom Briehan (September 14, 2023). "Margo Price – "Black Wolf Blues," "Mind Travel," & "Unoriginal Sin" (Feat. Mike Campbell)". Stereogum. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ Lorie Liebig (October 13, 2023). "Review: Margo Price Expands Her Mind and Sound with 'Strays II'". American Songwriter. Retrieved January 13, 2024.