Most people think that modern country music feminism is an oxymoron.
Those people haven’t been paying attention to Margo Price. It is nearly impossible to separate the two in her music.
It’s been said that the most daring thing one can do in country music right now is to actually play country music. If that’s the case, Price is daring to her core. The title of her debut album alone harkens to country music royalty—Midwest Farmer’s Daughter—it’s just steps from Loretta Lynn’s coal mining kin. And her sophomore album, American Made, continues to follow in Loretta’s trailblazing footsteps—while Lynn took on birth control, a hot issue of her day, Price has a song on her latest album taking on the pay gap between women and men. She does not shy away from politics—or calling bullshit.
Price’s self-penned songs are biographical and lyrically raw. She pulls from the pain of her father literally losing the farm, sleeping with a married man, losing a child and turning to the bottle—and that’s just one song. Even better—all of the hard-luck stories are set to the tune of throwback honky tonk with just a touch of old timey gospel. And yes, there is pedal steel. This is real country music.
Price’s The State Room show last year was one of the best shows that came through Salt Lake last year, and I thought for sure she’d never play a stage that small again. I was wrong. She’s back Friday night, and you should beg, borrow and steal to get into the sold-out show.
After all, what would Loretta do?
Margo Price plays the State Room Friday, February 23. Try your luck on the ticket exchange here.
