Riser House Records
Release Date: May 5th 2023
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Meghan Patrick– Greatest Show On Dirt (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- She’s No Good For Me
- Ours
- Truck Breaks Down
- Greatest Show On Dirt
- Who Would I Be
- Red Roses and Red Flags
There is a time in your life when you discover an artist for the first time. That, in my opinion, is a very special time. You’ve been sleeping on ‘so and so’ for whoever knows how long, and for one reason to another you’ve decided to take a chance on the artist because of one song you heard on the radio that resonated with you the other day. It’s a song that gets you going, gets you motivated and inspired, and all pumped up to conquer anything. And so, you smile, and dive deep into the discography of this ‘newish’ artist (or many ‘newish’ artists!) only to discover that some have more albums released than you realise. At some point you think ‘it might’ve been better if I listened to this artist at the time of them releasing their albums, than all at once right now, because I feel slightly overwhelmed!’… but let me tell you this- I reckon a lot of fans of any artist would want to be in your position- to re-listen to hits and classics of this artist, for the first time. Listening to anything for the first time is special- but even more so when you know that the artist has a bright future ahead of them; or has had an illustrious and respected career. And this leads me into semi-established Canadian country artist Meghan Patrick. She released her third full length album Heart On My Glass in 2021, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and am appreciative that right now I am listening to her for the virtually first time.
A Canadian snowboarder turned country music singer; Meghan Patrick is well known in Canada. However, she is less well known in the U.S., and as is the case with any musician wanting to conquer the U.S.; Meghan had to start from ground zero. Yet from her already released music and lyrics, let’s just say that Meghan has a head start- she already has had plenty of heart-warming, and musically and lyrically impressive songs released to the public, and if she stays true and authentic to her previous style… it’s almost guaranteed that U.S. listeners will love her. As for me in Australia, I first was introduced to Meghan through a country Spotify playlist from Jon that I was listening to in early 2021. Songs were on shuffle and a number of them were from Meghan… and the rest is history as I dived into a discography of one of the most vulnerable, emotional, and honest artists in country music. We reviewed Heart On My Glass and we loved it very much… and so, here we are now in 2023. In 2022, Meghan released her wedding single “My Left Hand”, and now that 2023 has rolled around, there is a brand new EP, called Greatest Show On Dirt.
Opening with the melody “She’s No Good For Me”, we are met with an empowering, freeing and explosive anthem about saying goodbye to our old self and stepping into the new (kind of similar in theme to “Welcome To The New” by MercyMe). It’s a song that inspires us to keep growing and keep on learning something new about ourselves; while the EP continues with “Ours”- a song about how the person you think you love actually treats their current lover the same way they treated you. It’s a track similar in lyrical content and theme to “Next Girl” by Carly Pearce, and with these two songs being quite different in theme yet still equally powerful and poignant, Meghan’s versatility is evident, as well as her burgeoning and rising popularity in country music.
The rest of the EP showcases Meghan’s impressive vocals and her skillful song-writing skills as she emphatically delivers heartfelt melodies and sings about relatable topics. “Truck Breaks Down” is a powerful and emotional melody about the persona wishing her partner’s truck would break down because she knows he’s about to dump her; while the title track eloquently speaks about young love, with Meghan singing about a probable fictitious (or real life) scenario where the persona and their significant other are so in love, so much that they praise each other’s vocations, with Meghan through the persona declaring that her lover and his character and demeanour is ‘the greatest show on dirt’. Is Meghan singing indirectly about her husband Mitchell Tenpenny? “Who Would I Be?”, the penultimate track, is a compelling piano ballad, where Meghan cleverly uses the motif and imagery of a song and of a movie when wondering about how relationships pan out, singing out ‘…if you were writin’ a story, who would I be? Would I play the hero where you get saved by me? Am I on the last page or the heartbreak somewhere around chapter three? If you were writing the story, who would I be? … yeah, I’ve got questions, ’cause my heart is falling hard you had me at hello, do I make it to your endin’, kissin’ in the rain when the credits roll? Yeah, I just wanna know…’. Greatest Show On Dirt then ends with the track “Red Roses And Red Flags”, where the persona gives an ultimatum to her partner- make an effort to change or risk losing her forever as she walks out the door in half an hour.
Meghan Patrick isn’t a household name, but Heart On My Glass as well as this EP, is sure to get her noticed by listeners and critics alike. Though I didn’t resonate with “Ours” and “Red Roses And Red Flags”; both “Who Would I Be” and “She’s No Good For Me” will resonate with probably all of us- in particular “She’s No Good For Me”, with any who have that flaky friend- and then realise that we can sometimes be that flaky friend. And the fact still remains that she’s a force to be reckoned with vocally in the country industry; and she can provide healing and comfort to many people. This EP is pretty encouraging and inspiring (save for the savage takedown that is the last song on the EP!), and Meghan is only getting started. And so even if you don’t resonate with much of these songs, I’d say still listen. Listen to this EP and tell me you feel pride and happiness and you don’t have a smile on your face! Meghan is taking the world by storm- so jump on the bandwagon pronto!
3 songs to listen to: She’s No Good For Me, Greatest Show On Dirt, Who Would I Be
Score: 4.5/5
RIYL: Carrie Underwood, Lady A, Maren Morris, Tenille Arts, Tenille Townes, Jennifer Nettles, Jimmie Allen, Keith Urban, Kylie Morgan