Ashley McBryde Songs Are Giving Country Music a New Badass Edge

It doesn’t take much time listening to Ashley McBryde songs to realize why she has received unanimous praise from various notable outlets covering country music. 

McBryde’s entry into the country music scene is even tough to beat. With just a single major label release to her name, she quickly gained a moving truck’s worth of nominations and prizes – not only Grammy nominations but also trophies from the ACMs, CMAs, and CMT Awards sitting on her shelf.

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Today, Ashley McBryde has become an indispensable addition to the modern country canon. So, without further ado, we’re giving you her greatest hits so far. Keep on scrolling below and enjoy.

1. “A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega”

McBryde was having the worst day of her life when she wrote the song, but the welcoming atmosphere of one discreet café at Dahlonega, Georgia, changed everything. It goes to show how powerful local, small businesses are – being more than enough to brighten up its patrons’ lives.

2. “Girl Goin’ Nowhere”

This one is actually autobiographical. It tells the tale of a girl making her dreams come true despite what other people say. It was inspired by the time McBryde’s algebra teacher said that she’d never be successful in music and that her dream of moving to Nashville was stupid.

While the album earned a Grammy Award for Best Country Album, its title track was nominated for Best Country Album.

3. “Shut Up Sheila”

Perhaps the most ferocious among McBryde’s catalog, “Shut Up Sheila,” is about that one person in your family that you dream of smacking in the face and telling them to shut up. After all, there will always be that nosy busybody casting holier-than-thou judgment in the members. But McBryde’s got to admit, “We don’t always get to ball that fist up and go, ‘Shut up!'”

4. “Never Will”

McBryde describes the title track of her fourth studio album as a ballad she hopes will make people drive too fast whenever they listen to it or, in other words, not to be distracted by what the other people say. Because no matter what you do or whoever you are, someone will always say a thing or two. At the end of the day, you can never please everyone.

5. “Sparrow”

McBryde noted that this is the most personal song on Never Will, which she sings “as if it comes from inside my bones.” It’s dedicated to all the hardworking individuals who make a living and put themselves out to succeed in exchange of seeing their family and miss out on many special gatherings.

6. “One Night Standards”

The dramatic lead single finds McBryde hooking up with a man in a hotel – but she makes her message clear, laying out the ground rules that she doesn’t want anything complicated and any trick of long-term potential.

7. “Radioland”

McBryde reminisces the impact music has had on her life in “Radioland” as she continues to share snapshots of her life in the rural south. In this song, she recalls that while her mother played songs by the Police, her father blasted some Townes Van Zandt, and her five-year-old self would use a hairbrush as a microphone.

8. “American Scandal”

McBryde sings about John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe’s good old-fashioned romance in “American Scandal,” wherein she begs for someone to “love me like Kennedy and Monroe.”

9. “Andy (I Can’t Live Without You)” 

Meanwhile, McBryde showed her vulnerabilities in “Andy (I Can’t Live Without You),” which she wrote for her best friend and guitar player, Andy – someone who gets under her skin from time to time, but she, even so, loves without any conditions.

10. “Martha Divine” 

While most songs feature the perspective of the person doing the cheating or the person being cheated, McBryde wrote the daughter’s perspective whose father is cheating with the titular Martha Divine.

11. “Bible And A .44”

“Bible And A .44” generated a buzz when country star Eric Church asked McBryde to join him on stage during one of his tours to duet the song. The video went viral, and McBryde’s career was given a massive boost.

12. “The Jacket”

The song introduces us to the man McBryde admires so much – and that’s no other than her father. The autobiographical track tells the tale of her father’s favorite denim jacket, which he eventually passed on to her.

13. “Fat and Famous”

Remember the mean girls who made fun of you back in your high school days? Well, McBryde did and sang to them, “You got fat, and I got famous. Ain’t that funny how it changes?”

14. “Hang In There Girl”

Filled with a message of encouragement, McBryde said this song was inspired by a young girl she saw while driving on a remote highway nearby her home. She reminded McBryde of her younger self, who seemed to be frustrated with the world.

15. “Voodoo Doll” 

“Voodoo Doll” gives intricate details to a woman pained by the thought of a former lover’s newfound love that she senses physically.

More Of Ashley McBryde Songs Perfectly Blending Traditional and New-Age Country

Indeed, McBryde’s bold charge forward resulted in a compelling collection of songs covering a wide range of emotional territory. Check out some more of her best songs below.

Ashley McBryde songs absolutely prove that she’s here to stay!