(5 / 5)
Carly Pearce releases her highly anticipated fifth studio album “Honest Woman” in a few days. If you’re not familiar with Carly’s work, she is a Platinum-selling, CMA award-winning, singer, songwriter and producer from Kentucky, whose authentic country charm and heartfelt, narrative lyrics have seen her achieve global success.
In the UK, regular touring and spots at high profile festivals like C2C (Country To Country Festival) have seen Pearce’s stature as a live performer rise exponentially. During her most recent tour of the UK and Ireland, she headlined Highways Festival at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall, where, in 2025, she performed as part of the groundbreaking Opry 100 show.
On the other hand if, like me, you’ve been following Carly’s career closely; you’ll know this journey has been quite the emotional rollercoaster. Her third album “29: Written In Stone” was a breakout success, documenting the highs and lows of navigating a high profile divorce.
The follow up “hummingbird’ [styled lowercase] in 2024 brought us out of the storm into sunnier times and was full of hope for the future. This time around we’re healing our inner child, breaking generational trauma cycles and shamelessly chasing what’s meant for us.
When this album landed on my desk to review, I was giddy! We’ve seen many women in country release personal and introspective projects this last year. Kelsea Ballerini’s EP “Mount Pleasant” catalogued her people-pleasing tendencies and fear of missing her chance for a family, while Kacey Musgraves’ latest album “Middle of Nowhere” was an unfiltered look at her dating life, leaving no stone unturned. These stars of the genre have hit their thirties, untethered themselves from external pressures and are taking no prisoners. With”Honest Women”, Carly joins their ranks.
The 14 tracks are produced by Carly and longtime collaborator Ben Wes.Nine of the 16 songs are co-penned by Carly. Other writers include Tofer Brown, Lauren Hungate, Emily Weisband, Carter Faith, Ashley Anne, Seth Ennis, Jordan Reynolds, and Olivia DaPonte. Sonically, Carly is sticking true to her country and bluegrass roots that have always been what she calls her ‘North Star’ since she started her career.
Her vocals are sublime throughout, strong and self-assured. Speaking of making this record, Carly said “I found myself rediscovering who I am and why I wanted to be a country music singer in the first place. This album takes me back to the beginning of my story, where the sounds of classic country and bluegrass music shaped who I am. I’m so proud of this body of work, and I truly feel like it’s my best yet.”
Picking a highlight is tough! The sultry “You Can Have Him” has clear Loretta Lynn influences, and the album features appearances from country stars Riley Green, Molly Tuttle and Dan Tyminski. “How Long” and “Leave My Heart Alone” are edgy and high energy that are sure to light up arenas when they’re played live. The eerie “WWJD” will be popular with fans of Taylor Swift’s “no body, no crime”. Jennee Fleenor’s fiddle solo on this track is exhilarating; in fact, the fiddle performances are outstanding throughout, cutting through harder than any electric guitar could.
The narratives are deeply personal as you’d expect with any of Carly’s work, touching on deeper and perhaps more divisive topics. The opener “Dream Come True” is mellow and stripped back, giving a glimpse behind the curtain at the loss that comes with chasing success; the harbouring guilt of knowing what loved ones have sacrificed for you too.
“Church Girl” might feel familiar to those who loved “Next Girl” from “29”, but Carly is going deeper and deconstructing her religious upbringing and eldest daughter tropes. It’s a brave stance to take for a country music star, especially one from the South.
“She Don’t” is my personal favourite, written by Matt Rossi and Bryan Simpson. It has that glorious anthemic country sound with lyrics that sum up the whole album for me: never settling for less than you deserve, be brave and chase what you want and have integrity in everything you do.
Carly, this album is magnificent. An absolute must listen for anyone coming of age and ready to trailblaze their own path, or for those figuring out their next move.
By Fran Parry / Photo by Dove Shore
(1 / 5) ‘Dull Zone’
(2 / 5) ‘OK Zone’
(3 / 5) ‘Decent Zone’
(4 / 5) ‘Super Zone’
(5 / 5) ‘Awesome Zone’
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