Carly Pearce
grew up singing country music, heading to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee at the age of 16 so she could sing at Dollywood.
Every Little Thing
, her 2017 debut album, bears echoes not only of this polished professionalism but also the bluegrass of
Pearce
's native Kentucky, but it's all wrapped up in a shiny production courtesy of
busbee
. He performed a similar trick in 2016 when he gave
Maren Morris
'
Hero
a sterling progressive production, and if
is a more conservative songwriter than
Morris
-- she's less likely to explicitly play with R&B and hip-hop, for one --
still bears all the hallmarks of contemporary country production. It's crisp and nimble, using electronic and R&B as flair that accentuates the songs. So appealing is
's gleaming sound that the craft of
may be difficult to acknowledge at first. Working with a variety of heavy-hitters -- including
Natalie Hemby
,
Emily Shackelton
, and
Shane McAnally
--
co-wrote over half the album, and these songs, along with their companions, feel fresh in their melodies and observations. As appealing as the individual songs are,
works as well as it does because of its expert sequencing. Sliding from the woozy grooves of "Hide the Wine" to the urgent romance of "Careless" with ease, the album takes time for delicate ballads and stops at the precise moment for the stomping blues "Catch Fire." Through it all,
establishes her own identity: her showbiz and country roots are inextricably entangled, a singer with a feel for the past but an eye for the present. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine