When Grace Morrison releases her upcoming album, “Maybe Modern,” it will be a collection of candid open-hearted songs that reveal a deeper portrayal of her life experiences.
Her fourth full-length since 2017, “Maybe Modern” is the result of years of honing and exploring her songwriting skills, giving listeners an honest depiction of topics such as mental health, substance abuse, and abusive relationships.
This Friday, February 24th, Morrison will drop the single, “Wasted,” along with her only scheduled area performance – a show at Cranberry County House Concerts in North Carver, MA, at 7 p.m.
A resident of Wareham who spends a good deal of time in Nashville, TN, Morrison recorded “Maybe Modern” in Austin, TX, with songwriter Walt Wilkins. The project began as a couple of songs but they were spontaneously inspired to expand it to a nine-song record that resulted in “Maybe Modern.” The full album will be released on April 14th with two more singles to be released before then for the songs “Broken Things” and “Caught Up in Your Blue.”
“It was magical,” Morrison says of the recording experience. “This album felt like it wanted to exist. It wasn’t my intention to record a full record, but it felt so right that we just went with it.
“Walt is one of the most amazing songwriters I’ve ever heard,” she says. “He’s very honest about music, so to have his stamp of approval on these nine songs is pretty amazing.”
With “Maybe Modern” Morrison is providing listeners with something familiar but something new – her traditionally rich melodies and her contemporary country pop will be addressing subject matter she hasn’t explored previously.
“This whole album is about looking inward, assessing why we make the choices that we make and trying to make better ones moving forward.”
Morrison was able to meet Wilkins in person when she was a participant in the “Songwriters Serenade” competition in Austin in September of 2021. Wilkins’ advice to her was a boon.
“He gave me validation for my melodies but he encouraged me to be more clear about the things I was saying, to be more succinct with what I mean. It was a huge shift, and it really improved me as a songwriter. Some of the topics are things I’ve been afraid to talk about in the past. I’m finding that the more I lean into who I am and my truth, the more it’s connecting with people. That’s what I’m most excited about with this record.”
“Maybe Modern” was funded entirely through Kickstarter – it took five days for her to raise more than $10,000. She hopes to raise even more money for her follow up record.
If you’re an admirer of Morrison’s songwriting you can enjoy her live online performances that she does every Monday evening at 7 p.m. EST, available on Facebook and YouTube. Most nights she will play seven or eight songs. Morrison will be playing tour dates around the nation in the coming months, but her schedule is limited to less than a dozen shows a month in order to spend time with her son Brayton, who recently turned one.
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