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Sunny Sweeney, a genre-bending, songwriting spitfire who has spent equal time in the rich musical traditions of Texas and Tennessee, returns with Married Alone, the celebrated singer-songwriters fifth studio album and the follow-up to 2017s critically acclaimed Trophy. Co-produced by beloved Texas musician and larger-than-life personality Paul Cauthen and the Texas Gentlemens multi-hyphenate Beau Bedford, Married Alone is Sweeneys finest work yet, bringing together confessional songwriting, image-rich narratives and no shortage of sonic surprises for a loosely conceptual album about loss and healing. Married Alone began as most of Sweeneys projects do: with a visit to her deep vault of unreleased songs. Since debuting with Heartbreakers Hall of Fame in 2006, Sweeney has been a prolific writer, writing whatever is on her heart rather than with a particular project in mind. That habit afforded her a rich well of material for Married Alone, some of which is over a decade old. I have a lot of older songs that still make the cut of like, Am I gonna put this on a record? And I always start with those songs, songs that have been important to me for whatever reason. And then I try to build around that. It doesnt necessarily have to be around a theme, but sometimes it turns out to be that there is one. Opener Tie Me Up declares that, despite its loose theme, Married Alone is not a somber record, with Sweeney in full spitfire mode and cheekily declaring to a would-be suitor, You can tie me up, but baby you cant tie me down. Cauthens and Bedfords production especially shines on the track, which would sound at home at a roadside juke joint or in front of thousands of fans at a festival. Cauthen joins Sweeney on A Song Cant Fix Everything, one of the albums rawer moments. That song cant bring my mother back to life, Sweeney sings at the songs start, before recounting the many ways that music may be able to transport us to the past but can never fix it. Want You to Miss Me is an honest take on the complexities of a difficult breakup, with Sweeneys nimble vocal wavering between defiance and doubt. Easy as Hello is Sweeneys writing at its finest, channeling the heartache that comes with the end of a treasured relationship, for a track that recalls  vocally and lyrically  the work of Stevie Nicks. Someday Youll Call My Name reads as a break-up kiss-off  and its a great one, at that  but the song, pulled from Sweeneys vault, was originally inspired by her early days as a musician, longing to be recognized by major country institutions like the Grand Ole Opry. She and co-writer Brennen Leigh reworked their 10-year-old version of the track to better fit Married Alone, and that session helped set the tone for what would become the full album. read more
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