Brittney Spencer - My Stupid Life
My Stupid Life rides the rollercoaster of emotions life offers, finding new angles of storytelling that mainstream country doesn’t always highlight.
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Brittney Spencer - My Stupid Life
Label: Elektra Records
Producer: Daniel Tashian
Release Date: January 19, 2024
Tracklisting:
1. New To This Town
2. I Got Time
3. Night In (Phone Call)
4. Night In
5. Bigger Than The Song
6. My First Rodeo
7. The Last Time
8. Deeper
9. First Car Feeling
10. Desperate
11. If You Say So
12. My Stupid Life
13. Reaching Out
We’ve been waiting for Brittney Spencer’s debut album since a tweet of her singing The Highwomen’s 'Crowded Table' went viral in 2020. Now, not only is she considered a Highwoman herself, but on My Stupid Life, Spencer has found her own voice in country music, giving herself time to create a thoughtful and curated collection of songs.
With influences spanning the likes of The Chicks, Jazmine Sullivan, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, it’s rare to find a talent who can incorporate all these influences in such a neat way. She’s brought musical stylings from her various inspirations together to create a unique sound, one that remains quintessentially country.
She has an incredible way of telling her stories. Take the last twenty seconds of 'My First Rodeo'; the music fades, and we’re left with Spencer repeating, ‘It’s always been you’, almost like an affirmation or prayer. It shows listeners the extraordinary breadth of all that country music storytelling can – and should – be.
My Stupid Life demonstrates the rollercoaster of emotions life offers, while exploring new angles of storytelling that mainstream country doesn’t always highlight. For instance, what’s a more universal feeling than being nervous about making friends? Or not wanting to go out? Or just celebrating the incredible songs of women artists who inspire you?
Spencer excels at showing these ebbs and flows: on 'New To This Town', we’re told of her nervousness about forging new relationships. Two tracks later, we hear a phone call with those great friends she made. She channels this into romance, too. On 'My First Rodeo', we hear a sultry, confident love song; when we reach the contrasting heartache of 'The Last Time', it feels all the more devastating.
It’s this back-and-forth volleying of feelings – this representation of the "stupidity" of life – that makes My Stupid Life such a success. Spencer’s ability to tell a diverse array of stories in such a cohesive and personalised way makes this a very strong debut album.
8 / 10
Brittney Spencer's new project, My Stupid Life, is out now via Elektra Records.
For more on Brittney Spencer, see below:
