{"id":315027,"date":"2026-02-24T17:01:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/315027\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T17:01:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:01:11","slug":"megan-moroney-cloud-9-album-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/315027\/","title":{"rendered":"Megan Moroney: Cloud 9 Album Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

If an enduring trait of the bro-country continuum involves the self-sabotaging, toxic man who seeks pity for his inability to manage romantic relationships, then Megan Moroney<\/a> is here to tell the other side of the story. The girl he cheated on? She\u2019s on the phone with her mom venting about how she was out of his league to begin with. He got home at 4 a.m. drunk again? Her bags are already packed, buddy. And she might just see what his friends are up to tomorrow.<\/p>\n

After bursting on to the scene in 2022 with \u201cTennessee Orange<\/a>,\u201d a heartwarming singalong that has gone triple platinum in SEC bars, Moroney was quickly embraced by Nashville\u2019s upper echelon. Her 2023 debut, Lucky, announced her as both a rising star and songwriter in pop-country. Her sand-blonde hair and silver tongue drew comparisons to Dolly Parton<\/a> and Loretta Lynn<\/a>, and her writing displayed qualities that fall in line with some of country music\u2019s greats: tight, humorously self-aware narratives and an embedded use of place (her home state of Georgia, in particular). Her third album, Cloud 9, solidifies her as a mainstream country star who hasn\u2019t entirely submitted to the machine.<\/p>\n

No score yet, be the first to add.<\/p>\n

That being said, a strong push from the commercial country music industry comes with certain concessions. This is big business: Moroney has a Target partnership in place and an upcoming arena tour to sell out. There are moments on Cloud 9 when the production is forced to take on a bigger sound than it needs (see the Camp Rock-esque guitar riffs on \u201cChange of Heart\u201d and \u201cStupid\u201d), and, at times, her writing loses her stamp due to overgeneralization (\u201cTable for Two\u201d). To Moroney\u2019s credit, she avoids the trappings of an exhaustive tracklist\u201415 songs compared to the 25-plus that is becoming standard. And her first real use of features\u2014with A-listers Ed Sheeran<\/a> and Kacey Musgraves<\/a>\u2014offer back-and-forths with chemistry rather than cheap duets that sound like they\u2019re fulfilling an obligation to boost Spotify streams.<\/p>\n

Megan Moroney is at her best when acting out one of two roles: a sweetheart with razor-sharp fangs or a neurotic who questions every text she sends. \u201c6 Months Later\u201d is a trademark Moroney track, as she sings in her raspy Southern twang about karma coming for a guy who ghosts her then tries, six months later, to patch things up. She\u2019s over him by then but, just for the fun of it, decides to toy with him. \u201cWish I Didn\u2019t\u201d follows suit, issuing some advice to a potential beau while flashing a smile and gripping a knife: \u201cI\u2019ve heard all of the horror stories\/Your graveyard of girls before me\/If you play dirty\/Hmm, how do I say this?\/Hell hath no fury.\u201d<\/p>\n

Things start to fall off the rails when she paints with broader strokes. \u201cConvincing\u201d is radio-ready fodder about a beach-trip fling that a hundred other country singers could pull off; \u201cWedding Dress\u201d stretches an already thin clich\u00e9 about never getting over your ex with barren production that leaves her stranded with some of the album\u2019s weakest writing. During \u201cLiars & Tigers & Bears,\u201d a letter of advice to her younger self, Moroney matter-of-factly acknowledges the beast she\u2019s in the belly of: \u201cStay in your lane but evolve and get better\/If you sell your soul, we\u2019ll help you break records.\u201d It\u2019s safe to say that she\u2019s not there yet, and for now, her music is all the better for it.<\/p>\n

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