Michaela Anne: #9 on Stereogum’s Best Country Albums 2019

[Stereogum]

9 Michaela Anne – Desert Dove (Yep Roc Records)

It’s so hard to pigeonhole Michaela Anne — there’s a strong singer-songwriter thread, a well-versed instrumentalist, an Americana faithful, and a true lover ’90s greats (Shania Twain, for one). It gives her a perspective so uniquely her own on Desert Dove, an album that paints a story of a life lived on her own terms (“By Our Design,” a song sure to spark your own longing for a personal rulebook), of a woman who won’t take any of your shit (“If I Wanted Your Opinion”), and of the importance of being kind to those that are suffering (“Be Easy”). Anne’s vocals make the lessons go down easily, and her writing makes them impossible to forget.