Maren Morris is distinguished as the most played female singer on country radio over the last two years. It’s a major accomplishment for a woman these days when country radio is dominated by ‘bro-country.’ Morris is on a roll as a solo artist with her monster hit songs “My Church,” “Girl,” and “I Could Use a Love Song.” She crossed over to dance-pop music in collaboration with Zedd and Grey with their song, “The Middle.” Morris has accumulated awards from the Country Music Association, Billboard Music, APRA Music, the Academy of Country Music, iHeart Radio, and the Grammy Awards to name a few.
She has embarked on a career project as a member of the Americana supergroup, The Highwomen, along with Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, and Natalie Hemby. The group just released their debut album and one knows people are listening when a hitmaker like Dierks Bentley takes the time to do a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ reading of song lyrics of your first single, “Redesigning Women” on YouTube.
Morris is on her headlining tour “Girl: The World Tour” at the top of her game and she made a stop at the Mesa (AZ) Ampitheatre on September 12th. The outdoor venue was filled to near capacity with a predominantly young crowd. Backed by a five-piece band set on a stage that featured a large video board and a machine that blew smoke across the stage, Morris delivered a 90-minute performance that was designed as a showcase for the new album. She started her set with “Girl” to screams and overwhelming applause.
The Texas native’s music pays homage to Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, and Katy Perry as she writes about female empowerment and equality. The women in the crowd were listening to every word said.The personable artist spoke to her fans several times during her show about her experiences, good and bad, with her love life. It’s easy to see why she resonates with women so well. “I have gone through a ringer of relationships. I would say that I’m like a weird serial monogamous relationship (person). There are not a ton of people in my life but just enough to write about. I remember thinking, five years ago, I was with a guy who was my first love and I really didn’t know what a relationship was. It was the same time I released my first single. My career was starting to do this and he couldn’t be happy for me. Thank you. I think I’ve punished him enough from my music,” reflected Morris.
She introduced “A Song For Everything” as a song about time travel. Most music represents a certain time in the past. “What’s your time machine, is it Coldplay or Springsteen?”
Ten songs in the set were from her album, Girl. “All My Favorite People,” had a very familiar melody to a previous hit song from years gone by: Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”Morris mentioned that, “Could Use a Love Song,” was her first No. 1 country hit, noting how special it was to her after working without much success as a songwriter for other performers. She paired her song “Second Wind,” with Beyoncé’s “Halo.” Her performance of Grammy-nominated electro-pop collaboration song, “The Middle” garnered the biggest sing-along of the night.
The night would not have been complete without a shout out and a song from The Highwomen’s new album, “Crowded Table.” It was a stripped-down acoustic version that remained faithful to the album. Of course, Morris sang her anthem, “My Church,” which wrapped up the set. This was an energetic show with something for everyone. The tour continues through December 5th.
