The Blade
by Ashley Monroe
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
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  1. 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 every song on it. Pure country gold.
  2. 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 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    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 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    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best Album of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. Mojo
    Dec 14, 2015
    80
    Diverse yet cohesive. [Jan 2016, p.96]
  2. 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]
  3. 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.
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