Megan Moroney
pulls off a tricky feat with her 2023 debut
Lucky
: by reviving the sounds of the past, she sounds thoroughly of the moment. Some of this is due to
Moroney
knowing how such relatively recent sounds as
Shania Twain
's overblown country-pop are part of country tradition, so she can thread that shiny boogie into "Lucky." Some of that is due to her gift for wordplay; she revels in internal rhymes and sly punch lines, not to mention her delight in such knowing aural puns as "Traitor Joe."
usually doesn't push her cleverness to the forefront, choosing to wield it as a surprise in closely observed stories where it's one element of a larger picture.
's colorful production makes its debt to traditional country seem vibrant and fresh, but it's the unexpected twists and turns within
's songs that give the album life and heart. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine