CARLY PEARCE EMERGES FROM 29 WITH CRITIC & FAN PRAISE

Feb 23 2021

Credit L Rucker

NASHVILLE, TN (February 23, 2021) – Opening her heart fully and embracing the musical traditions of her Kentucky roots, CARLY PEARCE sings about what she lived on 29. She penned the seven-song collection (Big Machine Records) with collaborators closest to her to express a pivotal year with lean writing that captures the moment. Having mined two PLATINUM-certified, No. 1 hits with “Every Little Thing” and “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” the CMA Award winner shoulders tough truths the way those who inspired her – Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood and Patty Loveless – have done for years before.

“With the release of what is essentially a divorce diary — granted, Pearce stipulates, with some artistic license — she knows she is making a risky move, opening herself up to possible criticism and judgment. But she’s taking her cue from the public response to ‘I Hope You’re Happy Now,’ the platinum-seller that earned four CMA nominations and one win, for musical event of the year,” considers People.

More traditional-leaning than many of her contemporaries, these songs showcase the burn in her torchy alto, a natural talent she began honing as a 16-year-old performing full-time at Dollywood. Carly marks a new chapter coming of age with a classic candor recorded alongside producers Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.

Upon release and for the days following, the universal appeal of 29 echoed across the iTunes all genre and Country charts commandeering the top spot. “We’ve known for a while now that Carly Pearce has the heart, and the history to become something special in the country mainstream,” states Saving Country Music. “This isn’t a breakup record with all the attitudinal and revenge-filled posturing that you so often get in the mainstream that works like a female version of Bro-Country. There’s a reflective thoughtfulness that’s more mature and meaningful here…” Other critics have also been quick to praise the vulnerability and strength in Carly’s latest effort.

“Already bolstered by the musical warning shot of Pearce’s current single ‘Next Girl,’ the exquisite seven song collection continues to lift more of the black veil off of one of the most life-altering periods of Pearce’s life.”
American Songwriter

“See-sawing between despair and hope, swagger and sorrow, Pearce co-wrote all the songs on the album — fearlessly mining her own life”
Billboard

“Her Most Powerful Music Yet”
E!

“with the title song as its heart-wrenching centerpiece. […] It may well stand as the most pathos-infused divorce song since Tammy Wynette’s ‘D-I-V-O-R-C-E’”
People

“Pearce’s ‘Liability,’ off her just-released 29 EP, is filled with the kind of ugly truths you can only find in a broken relationship. […] The lyrics take on a sharper edge when you realize what the 30-year-old has been through in the last year”
Entertainment Weekly

“Pearce crafted a batch of songs at once uncomfortably personal and universally relatable. The project’s opening track ‘Next Girl’ is a spicy, uptempo warning about a guy who knows ‘how to say all the right things’ very much in the vein of Loveless or McEntire”
Rolling Stone

“she reflects on the time of transformation and truth, channeling some of her favorite female artists in a powerful new collection.”
Entertainment Tonight

“29 is the product of Pearce’s own growth, evolution and strength, and it also owes a debt of gratitude to the inspiration she takes from the generations of female country artists who came before her.”
Country Now

“One of the most heartbreaking and tear-jerking moments of 29, which Carly admitted would be the most difficult to sing live, is the title song, ‘29.’”
Hollywood Life

“emotionally edgy”
ABC News Radio

“a truly remarkable offering that delivers luscious acoustic string arrangements, and striking lyrical stories that are rooted in classic country styles with a 90s edge and a modern-day twist making it a fantastic, standout record that sets the benchmark for albums this year.”
Music & Tour News

Intimate concert event with a live Q&A, Carly Pearce: 29 Live, premieres on YouTube tomorrow (2/24) at 6:01P CT and will be available for 29 hours only. As the siren warnings of “Next Girl” climb into Top 30 at Country radio and her catalogue bursts over 1 billion streams, fans can experience the new music as it was written – in black and white.

Resolute in honoring the past while progressing the genre, Carly make her 80th appearance at of the Grand Ole Opry this Saturday (2/27) at 7:00P CT. She will return to her homestate on March 4 as the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum unveils an exhibit, which includes items from special Opry performances.

Throughout the month of March, Carly will celebrate Women’s History Month as host of an hour-long special on select Country radio stations nationwide and multiple airings on Big Machine Radio (more details here). Artists such as Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Brett Young, Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini, Lady A and more will share stories about the women in their lives who have influenced and inspired them.

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