Hear Ashley Monroe’s Plaintive New Song ‘Paying Attention’
The pairing of Ashley Monroe and producer Dave Cobb on the singer’s forthcoming LP Sparrow was bound to be a stellar combination, and her new song “Paying Attention” shows how it was also a gorgeously dramatic one. Recorded while Monroe was pregnant with her son, “Paying Attention” is a heartbreaking mediation on the permanent shadows love leaves behind once it’s forever out of reach. Shrouded by strings arranged by Kristin Wilkinson, it’s a modern take on the orchestral, countrypolitan tradition with Monroe’s vulnerable vocals at the core.
“You promised I’d miss you, when you walked away. You were right when you told me, I’d be sorry some day,” Monroe sings mournfully on the song first inspired by the loss of her dog, Rosie. Following the release of the sultry “Hands on You,” “Paying Attention” is the second song preview from Sparrow, an album dedicated to the beauty that can come out of hardship, and features Monroe collaborating with writers like Ryan Beaver, Brendan Benson, Kassi Ashton, Anderson East and Pistol Annies bandmate Angaleena Presley.
Sparrow is Monroe’s follow up to the Grammy-nominated The Blade, and will be released on April 20th via Warner Music Nashville.