Pistol Annies leave high road for ‘Interstate Gospel’
They ‘triple-dog dare’ country radio to play it
The Pistol Annies are sitting in plush chairs at the top of a building on Music Row, discussing dirty laundry – the secrets their mamas told them to keep to themselves.
It’s two days before the trio’s first show in more than seven years – a soldout headlining gig at the “Mother Church of Country Music,” Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium – and less than two weeks before the drop date of its highly anticipated third album, “Interstate Gospel.” For the supergroup composed of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley, songs littered with episodes from their private lives have become a calling card.
“You know, the best way to solve a problem is never talk about it and never bring it up,” Presley says sarcastically, quoting her mother.
“You don’t air your dirty laundry,” Lambert sympathizes.
Theirs is a sisterhood of unflinching truth-telling that mirrors their lives and those of the women around them. Mothers, friends, aunts, grandmothers – everyone is fair game.
Out now, “Interstate Gospel” is rich with catchy melodies and songs that explore the dark corners of everyday life. The group’s first album in five years is a 14-track collection that shouts tattooed stories of cheating husbands, heartbreak and girl power from country music’s tallest bar stool.
“We have a lot of different female perspectives,” Presley says. “My mom is somewhere quilting a Jesus quilt as we speak. Miranda has a grandma that is still going to the casino boats. We go to Vegas, and she outparties every one of us.”
But what sets Pistol Annies apart could be a commercial country pitfall. Whether their new music will be heartily embraced amid a drought of female voices on the radio remains to be seen. From their comfy position atop the Row, the women issued a challenge.
“I double-dare radio to play us,” Monroe says.
“What about a triple-dog dare?” asks Presley. Sick with cold, her words are dulled by congestion.
“We’ve been playing hide and seek,” Lambert says. “It’s time to play truth or dare.”
‘I knew it was time’
Pistol Annies’ first single from the project – “Got My Name Changed Back” – is a toe-tapping talker, with lyrics including: “Well I wanted something new, then I wanted what I had/ I got my name changed back/ Well I’ve got me an ex that I adored/ But he got along good with a couple road whores/ Got my name changed back.”
Performing the song two nights later, Presley deadpanned that the ditty wasn’t about anyone in the band. Lambert, infamously divorced from fellow country singer Blake Shelton in 2015, shot back: “She’s full of (crap).”
But that day on Music Row, as they waited on an order from Jimmy John’s, the friends are less coy.
“In a nutshell,” Lambert says, “this record is based around our stats, which are two husbands, two ex-husbands, two kids, one on the way, and 25 animals.”
“So, suck it,” Presley adds, her shirt stretched over a pregnant belly.
“There’s a lot of fodder to choose from,” Monroe says.
The trio dates back at least eight years, and Monroe and Lambert’s friendship goes back even longer. The pair took Lambert’s Airstream on a songwriting trip and were listening to Presley’s music. Lambert didn’t know her, but Monroe insisted the three women should get together. They called Presley.
“She’s like, ‘Y’all are idiots,’ ” Lambert recalls. “Then we called her back and we’re like, ‘We’re serious.’ ”
The women auditioned for Sony Music Nashville, where Lambert was already signed to a recording contract. Their first album, “Hell on Heels,” came out in 2011 and went on to sell more than 500,000 copies. “Annie Up,” their sophomore album, home to songs including “Hush, Hush” and “Girls Like Us,” was released two years later.
Spreading the ‘Gospel’
“Interstate Gospel” started in April with a text. Lambert was midway through writing “When I Was His Wife,” a song on the new album. Lyrics include: “He’d never cheat, he’d never lie/ He’ll love me forever ‘til the day that we die/ He’ll never take me for granted/ I said that too when I was his wife.”
“I was like, ‘If this isn’t an Annies song, I don’t know what is,’ ” she said.
For the next couple of weeks, Monroe listened to the tape over and over again, each time getting chills.
“I was getting so excited,” she said. “I knew it was time.”
The rest of “Gospel” came together nearly as fast as that first song. Presley and Monroe joined Lambert to co-write while the Grammy-winning singer was on tour with Little Big Town. They wrote the album over five weekends.
“It’s fun to sing together and we get dolled up and it’s fun to do all of that, but when it comes down to it, we really are three girls who love songwriting, and we’re proud that we can do it well together,” Monroe said.
At the Ryman two nights later, ladies linked hands in the air and cheered during “Girls Like Us,” and everyone chimed in – singing louder than the trio – on new song “Best Years of My Life” and fan favorite “Lemon Drop.” Lambert strapped on a washboard for “Got My Name Changed Back” and received a raucous response.
Stripped down and straightforward. “No one shows up to Pistol Annies looking for pyro and acrobatics,” Lambert said. “We have humor and emotion – that’s what we offer.”