The Blade
by Ashley Monroe
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. The A.V. Club
    Jul 24, 2015
    91
    The majority of Monroe’s superb third album hunkers down with heartache and struggle.
  2. Country Weekly
    Jul 20, 2015
    91
    The Blade further serves to position her as one of the premiere and rare female neo-traditionalists in the format.
  3. AllMusic
    Jul 20, 2015
    90
    A diverse set of songs but the key to Monroe's appeal is that she seems neither showy nor calculating when she expands beyond her classic country roots. She rolls easy, luxuriating in that exquisite sound, her soft touch making the heartbreak and the humor seem equally alluring.
  5. Paste Magazine
    Jul 21, 2015
    89
    Heartfelt and engaging.
  6. Mojo
    Dec 14, 2015
    80
    Diverse yet cohesive. [Jan 2016, p.96]
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  7. Uncut
    Oct 27, 2015
    80
    Her elegantly emotive voice locates the dark matter in these songs about the complexities of love, lighten by sweet melodies and a stirring concoction of pop-country and honky-tonk. [Dec 2015, p.75]
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  8. Rolling Stone
    Aug 12, 2015
    80
    Her third LP imagines a 2015 mainstream by reflecting what it once was--Loretta and Dolly in the Sixties, sure, but also Emmylou in the Eighties and Reba in the Nineties.
  9. No Ripcord
    Aug 5, 2015
    80
    She knows what it is to crave whiskey, to lust after men, to flout the petty hypocrisy of small-town country life and then cry and ask Jesus for forgiveness. This time she wove this narrative of Southern womanhood into The Blade and, by forgoing judgment and flaunting all its incoherent complexities, made it universal.
  10. Boston Globe
    Jul 23, 2015
    80
    It’s definitely more expansive sonically than Monroe’s previous work, which doesn’t mean it sounds disjointed; rather, it comes across as presenting different sides of the same artist.
  11. The New York Times
    Jul 22, 2015
    80
    In 2013, she released the elegantly scarred “Like a Rose,” a striking album that showed her to be a sly, progressive songwriter and a nimble, tradition-minded singer. At its best, The Blade, her follow-up, continues that arc.
  12. Billboard.com
    Jul 21, 2015
    80
    Monroe sings these songs, many of which she co-wrote, with exquisite, bruised sensitivity.
  13. PopMatters
    Jul 20, 2015
    80
    It’s less a question than a cry of pain. The Blade is full of them, and they sound splendid.
  14. Pitchfork
    Jul 21, 2015
    75
    Like so many country albums, especially recent ones by Monroe's friend and bandmate Miranda Lambert, The Blade could be stronger if it was more streamlined and sequenced with some kind of overarching narrative in mind, but that's almost beside the point when the album sounds so damn good.
  15. Spin
    Jul 20, 2015
    70
    A couple of wooly moments aside, Monroe’s third album, The Blade, continues a remarkable hot streak for writers Luke Laird, Jessi Alexander, Chris Stapleton, and Monroe herself.

Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best Album of 2015

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 26
  3. Negative: 2 out of 26
  1. Bleat0124
    Sep 27, 2015
    7
    When you meet Ashley Monroe on "Like a Rose" there is a confidence about her that comes from experience. You get the feeling that this is aWhen you meet Ashley Monroe on "Like a Rose" there is a confidence about her that comes from experience. You get the feeling that this is a person that has been through allot but somehow she made. Thus, Like a Rose hits on a human level that you forget how talented she is. Like a Rose feels like a one on one conversation.

    On the Blade you find a confident Ashley Monroe that knows how good she is and how good she can be and she holds no punches. Thus, The Blade feel like a talent show and a very good one. The production is bold and the vocal performances are bold. At time, its hard to find something to hold on too for a long period of time and the album can feel overwhelming. Which is strange because, unlike Like a Rose, like album is more of a concept album about break-up and relationships (the two sides of relationship).

    She could have bundled the heartbreak songs and separated those from the lighter songs but obviously I am just fishing for something to complain about as one has to in a review. Bottom line, Monroe is a great songwriter and a great singer and the Blade is a showcase of that. There are some songs on this album that will stay with you for a very long time, the title track, I'm Good at Leavin', and "If the Devil Don't Want Me" are my favorite songs.

    I wish Monroe would make a non-country album but no pop or pop-rock; maybe a blue rock or a bluegrass album just to see if she can do it, but the fans always wish for things like these and then complain. Just will be just fine with country. 85/100    … Full Review »
  2. guits13
    Aug 21, 2015
    10
    Ashley is such a good songwriter, her voice is so beautiful too. This album truly blew me away by its quality and I can relate to almost everyAshley is such a good songwriter, her voice is so beautiful too. This album truly blew me away by its quality and I can relate to almost every song on it. Pure country gold.… Full Review »
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