Tennessee Lightning is Asley Monroe’s sixth studio album–a 17-song ensemble described by the artist herself as a “patchwork quilt” of her life

Tennessee native Monroe has been a fixture on the Nashville music scene for many years now. Starting as a songwriter, she developed a solo career and has seen significant success in the A-list country music scene. She has had many successful collaborations, perhaps most notably with Miranda Lambert and Angaleena Presley in the no-nonsense ‘supergroup’ The Pistol Annies

However, all this ground to a halt in 2021 when she was diagnosed with lymphoma. She said, “I stopped writing, I stopped hearing melodies, I stopped thinking about songs at all”. Happily, the treatment was successful and the cancer went into remission. The music came back to her, “like a flood, just this rush of inspiration”. A vision for the album that would become ‘Tennessee Lightning’ started to form. “I realised I wanted to have an album that embodied … all the different sides of me as an artist”

The album marks a profound creative resurgence following her successful recovery from lymphoma, channelling her experiences—loss, survival, motherhood, spiritual longing—into a broad stylistic tapestry that spans country, folk, soul, pop and gospel. Along the way, Monroe collaborates with a stellar roster: T Bone Burnett, Marty Stuart, Brittney Spencer, Brendan Benson, Karen Fairchild, Armand Hutton, and others

A Diversity of Sounds

The album is all over the place musically, shifting from solo acoustic moments to high-octane rock-country, dreamy pop and gospel-inflected prayer songs—marrying wide-ranging influences under Monroe’s singular vision

Emotional and Story-Driven

Themes of heartbreak, nostalgia, identity and renewal weave through original compositions like Risen Road, Magnolia, My Favorite Movie, and Moon Child. Her covers -including Leonard Cohen’s That’s No Way to Say Goodbye, Penny & the Quarter’s You and Me, and Jeff Lynne’s Blown Away – underscore her interpretive depth and emotional range

Standout Tracks

• I’m Gonna Run (feat. T Bone Burnett): a moody, stripped-back opener that immediately draws you into Monroe’s world
• Risen Road: a powerful, autobiographical track confronting grief and addiction (“pain‑killer queen”) with raw honesty and emotional heft
• Magnolia, My Favorite Movie, Moon Child: showcase her strength as a songwriter—tender, intimate, and deeply affecting
• Bitter Swisher Sweet (feat. Brittany Spencer): a bold, stylish fusion of pop sheen and country soul
• The Touch (feat. Marty Stuart & Shelby Lynne): rich harmonies and vintage Nashville romanticism, born in a literal lightning storm, metaphorically tied to the song’s creation

At 17 tracks, the album might feel sprawling. Are the covers all needed? Pruning the album to 12–13 tracks might have yielded a tighter narrative and experience. A few mid-album tracks lean toward mainstream country-pop and don’t necessarily reveal the emotional depth found in the strongest pieces

That apart, Tennessee Lightning is a courageous, ambitious record: a deeply personal, genre-spanning statement from an artist reclaiming her voice. When it’s strong – especially on tracks like Risen Road, Magnolia, and Moon Child –it hits profoundly. While its length and mixed sonic directions may test focus at times, its highs truly resonate

Tennessee Lightning is released on August 8, 2025