Margo Price is here with her new album, Hard Headed Woman, and she is not messing around. A hearty mix of standing up for yourself and others and vulnerability, Price returns to her roots, her inspirations and Nashville, with the fundamental message: do not take shit from anyone. The first single and second song of the album, ‘Don’t Let The Bastards Get You Down,’ is a testament to this, with it’s ’70s outlaw sound, and an opening drumbeat that feels like the kicking down of a door, it’s a battle-cry, a message of pick yourself up and dust yourself off, and will crack a smile out of you. It’s a firecracker of an album with a little bit of cheekiness to it, and as I discovered when we chatted a couple of weeks prior to the release date, much like Margo Price herself.
As we start the conversation, it becomes immediately clear that Margo is very excited for people to listen to the album as a whole and experience the sassy social commentary, honky-tonk waltz, reflections, Americana and roots, and maybe even something a little more tropical. Like any good country album there’s songs to dance to, cry to, and think about life to. “I just wanted to go pick-up on all that good energy from the 1960s and 70s, there’s so many artists across those decades that just spoke to me, whether it was Dolly, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon, Willie, Billy Swan, the list goes on and on.” In addition, it’s a love letter to RCA Studio A in Nashville, where she recorded the album, reuniting with producer Matt Ross-Spang, and where all the greats recorded in the studio’s heyday. The album, and Price, looks back on the time that came before her while making it relevant to today.
Where the Waylon Jennings and ’70s outlaw influences are so clearly heard throughout Hard Headed Woman, it was unsurprising, but no less exciting to learn that the album’s finale, ‘Kissing You Goodbye,’ was given to her by Waylon’s wife, outlaw country queen Jessi Colter. Originally released by Jennings on his 1996 album, Right for the Time, the song was handed to Price by Colter when the two were looking for songs for Colter to sing on her Margo Price-produced album, Standing On The Edge of Forever, in 2023. “We were looking for songs for Jessi and she had so many good songs to choose from, and she was like ‘you need to sing this song’ because she knows I can be a little spicy,” laughs Price. “So, I’ve been waiting for years to cover that song and I love how it came out.”
‘Kissing You Goodbye’ is signature Jessi and Waylon, who were often playful when singing together in songs like ‘I Ain’t The One,’ or when Waylon sheepishly explained his cheeky lyrics to her on TV (“poetic license”). So, Colter chose well with Price, who not only honours two of her big inspirations, but also makes it her own. She’s charming and sassy, so much so you can almost see the naughty glint in her eye as she sings.
For those of you who don’t know Jessi Colter, get to know. She isn’t just Waylon Jennings’ wife or Ella Langley’s look-a-like, as comments sections of any picture of Colter are now flooded with comparisons. She is a legend in singing and songwriting in her own right, and the outlaw movement of the 70s wouldn’t be what it was without her. “I have been deeply influenced by her and Tanya Tucker, they’re like the pinnacle of outlaw country to me,” says Price on Colter. “Those two and Loretta really were influential on this album.”
Margo Price’s list of collaborators is extensive and impressive: Jessi Colter, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Billy Strings, Sierra Ferrell, Orville Peck and more, including some fresh faces on the new album with songs with Jesse Welles, Tyler Childers, and harmonies with “one of my favourite singers in Nashville,” Logan Ledger. “I feel like collaborating and being able to sing together really just makes our voices stronger when we’re all singing in harmony, and it’s a really cool community of people that are around right now making music,” smiles Price. “I feel very lucky.”
With a list of collaborators and friends like this, it must be difficult not to pinch yourself, especially when you can consider Jessi Colter as a godmother to your children and are on the Board of Directors of Farm Aid with Willie Nelson. “I don’t take a second of it for granted. It’s very surreal, life is such a psychedelic experience at times. How did I somehow, I don’t know, make this my career?” Ever-so humble, but all the names must make for an exciting Christmas card list. “I do! I do have a good rolodex,” grins Price. “I love to send out ‘thank yous’ as well – Dolly Parton sent me a thank you one time and I was like, ‘what a classy move’!”
Margo might not have sung with Dolly, despite her and Stevie Nicks being high on the wish list, but she has sung for her at Dolly’s 50th at the Opry. “When we met, we had a photo taken together and she put her arm around me, it was like meeting the Queen of England or something, you know what I mean?” she says, seemingly still starstruck. “Our dresses both had rhinestones and sequins and got stuck together, so we had to have someone come and separate us!” To be rhinestoned with Dolly Parton sounds like a dream come true, almost just as good as getting to sing with her. But maybe if we all wish hard enough, a Margo and Dolly number will happen…
Outlaw country is so synonymous with the 1970s; the singers, the sound, the themes, what was going on in Nashville at the time, that it can be hard to decide whether it still exists today. But in the past few months we’ve had Dylan Earl release his single ‘Outlaw Country,’ a criticism of the government and call for class solidarity, Tyler Childers’ new album Snipe Hunter is a musical middle finger to all those who want to pigeonhole him, and Charley Crockett openly criticised 25 years of bro country on a now viral Instagram post. Now, with Margo Price’s new album, it’s easy to say outlaw country is still here and defiantly thriving. “I think that anybody who chooses to make music their own way and write about real topics and, God forbid, speak your mind, then I think outlaw country is still alive and well.”
Crockett’s recent post criticising the industry’s need to pre-package and compartmentalising artists, as well as the battle of “authenticity,” are issues that seem to be on a lot of artists’ minds, as it was something Price touched on when we spoke, a good couple of weeks before Crockett’s post. “You’ve got all the same writers writing the same songs, and everything sounds all digital and autotuned and compressed and doesn’t sound good,” she says on what’s being played on the cliquey pop country radio stations. “So, they can keep their club to themselves, we’ve got plenty of people that are championing diversity and inclusion and real music.”
While Crockett says in his post that he doesn’t have a problem with Americana, he has a problem with being categorised by the business, it is funny that artists like him and Price are put under the umbrella of Americana, despite them taking more inspiration from and honouring the country music that came before them more so than most mainstream artists. “Anyone that’s making real country music will probably be labelled as Americana because… who knows why,” shrugs Price. Though she doesn’t seem to mind being labelled as Americana, if anything she’s grateful for the radio format of the Americana Music Association, noting that even mainstream is drawing from the success and strength of the artists under the Americana umbrella. Or trying to. “We’ve seen how even the mainstream pulls from that and kind of tries to homogenise the organic thing we do out here.”
She also finds that UK audiences tend to be a bit more curious when it comes to country music and its various subgenres. “I think really the UK has always been a little bit more open-minded and maybe more accepting of roots music, Americana, at least I feel like I’ve connected with fans in the UK from the get-go.” Price also appreciates UK audiences for their attentiveness. “I think that they listen very deeply and seem to be engaged. I think the UK does a really great job of listening.”
Though Price only made it to London this year, she has dreams for a bigger return. “I would love to do a whole tour of the UK, a lot of times I just come to London, but I would love to come play the whole country.” She would also love to come back to Country 2 Country, the last time being 2018 where she shared the bill with Emmylou Harris, Midland and Lukas Nelson. “I had a great time last time I was there, I got to hang out with Emmylou Harris!” Margo makes me gasp with second-hand starstruck. “Yeah, I hope they book me again.”
Now it’s out, don’t just listen to Hard Headed Woman, think about treating yourself to a physical copy. “Buy the record, because artists need it really badly right now, we all know how evil some of these corporations are that are streaming artists’ music.” Just like the album, Margo Price wears her heart on her sleeve and isn’t afraid to speak her mind.
