Review by Booklist Review
A country-music ballad of almost a century of male domination in the industry gets a much-needed update in Nashville-based journalist Moss's stunningly crafted debut book. Moss takes an inside look at the feminine revolution in country music via three of the genre's current working artists: Mickey Guyton, Maren Morris, and Kacey Musgraves. Their journeys breaking into--and out of--the country-music mold are Moss' focus as she makes a point of highlighting race, sexuality, and other factors that have impacted women's success in the industry. Moss interlocks her subjects' stories for a captivating structure, jumping between them to effectively create a cohesive narrative of feminist uprising in "the good ol' boys club." This must read for music fans displays Moss' extensive knowledge of Nashville's Music Row scene; she's been writing on women in country music for years, and she speaks of the genre's ebbs and flows with an authoritative, assertive voice. As she writes in her introduction, "This book is the story of how country's women fought back against systems designed to keep them down." Her Country speaks (sings, really) volumes about the rise of female artists in country music, and how far they still have to climb.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Music journalist Moss debuts with an exuberant deep-dive into the careers of three country music stars who "opened up a window to a musical world where women are in charge." Offering a spirited cultural history of country music over the last 25 years, Moss traces how it went from being a space where singers like LeAnn Rimes and the (formerly Dixie) Chicks reigned supreme in the late '90s, to becoming a rigged system hell-bent on silencing its women: by 2020, Moss notes, "women only played on country radio 16 percent of the time." However, women country artists such as Mickey Guyton, Maren Morris, and Kacey Musgraves would challenge "what was thought to be a rule," Moss writes. Here she traces how they broke molds in the "good ol' boys club" to forge an inclusive genre. It wasn't until Guyton realized she had "too many white men making decisions for me" that she went on to "be instrumental in underscoring" the deep connection "between Black and queer artists in country radio." Similarly, it was six-time Grammy winner Musgraves's "set the ground rules" with Capitol Records in 2011 that helped her find success on her own terms. Throughout, Moss also shines a brilliant light on other trailblazing artists who've transformed the industry--among them Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, and Shania Twain. This is the unapologetic celebration fans have been waiting for. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Nashville journalist Moss argues that women performers are never seen as "country enough" for a genre that has been dominated by the "good ol' boys" ever since President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which resulted in conglomerates making decisions about who got played on radio airwaves. Still, Moss notes, women have continued to claw their way onto the country music scene and to lead the way for the next generation of singers. Her book explores the careers of many female country singers but zeroes in on three in particular: Maren Morris ("The Bones"; "I Could Use a Love Song"), Mickey Guyton ("Black Like Me"; "Better Than You Left Me"), and Kacey Musgraves ("Follow Your Arrow"; "Rainbow"). Moss illustrates how these artists have carved out spaces for women, including women of color and LGBTQIA+ people, who are even less represented in the country music field. Moss's clear and accessible writing is a delight, deftly capturing the lyricism of the genre. VERDICT A must for anyone interested in country music and how the genre reflects on the United States as a whole.--Bree Jennrich
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Part coming-of-age tale, part hard-hitting documentary of country music's antagonistic history with women artists, this story is a page-turner even if you know how it turns out. Best known for her stories in Rolling Stone about country music's toxic culture of sexual harassment and discrimination, Moss focuses her first book on the rise of three current female stars in an era dominated by men: Kacey Musgraves, Mickey Guyton, and Maren Morris. The author begins by recounting the relevant issues and explaining how the industry's ostracizing of the Dixie Chicks was about much more than their outspoken stance on the Iraq War. That controversy, Moss writes, "was almost a secret relief to some within [Nashville's] Music Row--finally, there was something to point to when trying to explain to a new artist why it was vital for them to conform, to not speak up: 'You don't want to get Dixie Chicked!' Later in their careers, Mickey, Maren, and Kacey would hear it constantly. Everyone would. It was a neat and easy way to say 'shut up.' " Further discrimination against women country artists was crystallized in 2015 via what has become known as "Tomato-gate," when a radio consultant declared, "women were the tomatoes in the salad of country music airplay--in other words, men were the lettuce, which you want a lot of, and tomatoes were for sprinkling sparingly." With Tomato-gate as a backdrop, the stories of female success become even sweeter, especially for Guyton, who also overcame racial discrimination to build an audience for her hits, including "Black Like Me." While some of the author's arguments would have been blunted if she focused on the biggest female stars of the era she chronicles--Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood--the struggles and eventual payoffs she captures are inspiring even for readers who may be unfamiliar with the superstar careers of her book's heroines. The author's reporting and storytelling shine as brightly as her subjects. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
