See Ashley Monroe’s Soothing ‘From Time to Time’ at Sun Studio
Ashley Monroe‘s album The Blade has no shortage of exquisitely sad songs, but even by her standards “From Time to Time” is a doozy.
Landing right in the middle of the Grammy-nominated collection, the sweetly lilting song alludes to the death of Monroe’s father when she was 13 years old. She assumes his voice throughout, consoling her with the notion that he’s never far away in her memory. “Someday, you’ll be fine/ Sweet as wine,” she sings, supported by warm harmonies. “But it’s alright to remember.”
Monroe recently gave a quiet, slowed-down performance of the song at Sun Studio in Memphis as part of Sun Studio Sessions, illuminating the persistent hope that weaves itself through even the song’s darkest corners. Surrounded by photos of the blues and country legends who recorded there and singing into one of the studio’s vintage microphones, Monroe’s measured performance shows she doesn’t need state-of-the-art studio polish to make an emotional connection.
The Blade earned Monroe a Grammy nomination in the Best Country Album category, where it is up against Sam Hunt’s Montevallo, Chris Stapleton’s Traveller, Little Big Town’s Pain Killer and Kacey Musgraves’ Pageant Material. Additionally, she’s nominated for a Best Country Duo/Group Performance for her Blake Shelton collaboration “Lonely Tonight.” While those recognitions are certainly cause for celebration, the morning nominations were revealed actually gave Monroe a scare.
“I didn’t think about it Sunday night. Then I woke up on Monday morning and I looked at my phone and I had 27 text messages,” she tells Rolling Stone Country. “I panicked because I thought something was wrong. My eyes weren’t focused and I couldn’t tell if it said granny — which I have a granny — or Grammy. I was like, either something’s really good or really bad.”
The 58th annual Grammy Awards will air live Monday, February 15th at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.