Riser House Records

Release Date: June 25th 2021

Reviewed by: Joshua Andre

Meghan Patrick– Heart On My Glass (Amazon mp3/iTunes)

Track Listing:

1. Heart On My Glass
2. Goes Good With Beer
3. My First Car
4. Never Giving Up On You
5. Mama Prayed For
6. Better Story
7. Where You Drink
8. Cool About It
9. Belong In Boots
10. Liar Too

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 artists 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 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, and her third full length album Heart On My Glass, which released this past week, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and am appreciative that right now I am listening to her for the first time.

I figured out pretty quickly, moving down to Nashville and all that, nobody really cared about what I’d already done in Canada. It was kind of just irrelevant to them — and, honestly, almost a bit of a stigma… and so I accepted pretty quickly that if I was going to really pursue a career in the U.S. that I was starting basically from square one.

What I learned as an athlete in training [when I was a snowboarder] — resilience and commitment and dedication and mental toughness — all of those things I feel like really, really have benefited me as an artist. There’s a lot of similarities there, too: Things can change so quickly in sports or in music, for better or for worse … and there’s not a lot of money in it … [so you’re] staying and doing it for the passion and the love of it … I mean, I’ve had some tough coaches in my life, whether it was snowboarding or gymnastics, and they had no mercy; and neither does the music industry.

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 Spotify playlist from Jon that I was listening to at work while I was cleaning up the café. 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. So shall you all take a chance and listen to Meghan’s third album, and then backtrack through the rest of her career? I’d say the answer should be ‘yes’ and let me tell you why.

Album opener and the title track is a no-holds-barred drunken admission of possibly unrequited love, as the persona tells her male friend of her feelings for him, and her displeasure of him always going back to his abusive ex. And as far as openers go, this 3-minute pop/country tune is a joy to tap your toes to. With Meghan’s passion and enthusiasm exemplary here, this melody encourages us to go after the things we want, be it a potential romantic partner or otherwise- and for this reason for the song potentially being a catalyst for us to act and not be lazy in what we want to see happen in our lives; Meghan’s recorded a superb song to grab our attention with. “Goes Good With Beer”, a rock/country melody, is next and speaks about the importance of beer in your life to enhance a Friday night of partying- and while I don’t agree that beer is essential to have fun, I do commend Meghan as she sticks to her guns and delivers a song championing her beliefs and values. It’s a catchy song but ok at best… yet thankfully the rest of the songs are all on point.

“My First Car” the album’s first single, may on the surface be a nothing song with Meghan singing praises to her first car, however a deeper listen reveals that it’s a nostalgic and sentimental look back at the past with fond memories, and a deep appreciation for everything in her life that has helped her get to where she is today; while “Never Giving Up On You” is a sweet, innocent and beautifully recorded ballad that highlights the importance of a true love as depicted in the song. Which is this- that the persona reveals they go through phases of likes and dislikes- but then concludes they their only one obsession and love that will not change is the person they are in the relationship with. With a heartfelt and emotional music video that rivals Thomas Rhett’s “Marry Me” or “Remember You Young”, Meghan’s song is bound to resonate and move us all, as we are encouraged to cultivate and make time for our relationships that we deem important to us.

The big-hearted country ballad “Mama Prayed For”, a booming melody that would be right at home on country radio, is one of my favourite songs on the album, as Meghan earnestly declares her love for her significant other, and then subtly apologises to her future mother in law for not being up to her standard of what a daughter-in-law should be like. As Meghan relays that you ‘…can’t tell a heart what it can’t do, love’s gonna love who it wants to, I’m yours, and baby, you’re all mine, you fell for rough around the edges, got a thing for wild and reckless, probably not what she had in mind, but God knows you’re the man I was made for, even if I ain’t the kind of girl your mama prayed for…’; this song rings true in the sense that you can’t help who you fall for… but also in the sense that we all have to give up our plans of what we want to see happen and when. Because there are always curveballs, and rolling with the punches during this time of COVID-19 is all we can do to live and survive.

The heartbreaking and emotional piano ballad “Better Story” has Meghan speaking about a bitter ex who spins lies and half-truths about her, and is a gentle reminder to rid ourselves of toxic people in our lives who just want their fifteen minutes of fame; while “Where You Drink” is a timely reminder that it takes time to get over heartbreak, and moving on quickly isn’t that simple, with Meghan going so far to conclude that she can’t drink in the same bars as her ex because it has so many memories attached to it- similar in theme to Lauren Alaina’s “Bar Back”. “Cool About It”, also about Meghan’s ex, is another reminder that it takes a while to get over someone and be ‘cool about it’, about them dating again; while the low point of the album (apart from “Goes With Beer”) is the somewhat unnecessary “Belong In Boots”, a rocker that shows Meghan’s kinky side of having a fetish for guys in boots. Heart On My Glass then ends with the confessional ballad and admission of guilt in “Liar Too”, whereby Meghan kindly berates her ex for lying to her multiple times, and then chides herself for falling for his lies. It’s a song that can resonate with any who are hurting because of a broken relationship because of abuse and toxic behaviour- and with that track ending the album, Heart On My Glass is as vulnerable and honest as can be. And though this album on the whole might be uncomfortable to listen to, I reckon it’s necessary for any of us to listen to so that we can move on from a toxic relationship or friendship with our pride, dignity and soul intact.

A big part of [getting into country music] for me was the exposure to the fans, and just the whole atmosphere around country music. I was like, ‘I love these people. These people are awesome. This is a great vibe. These are my kind of fans and my kind of people’ … So I kind of, like, tried everything on first and landed in country music, and it just fit like a glove.

I don’t have any anxiety or doubt or anything. I feel very appeased and very proud of what we made, and it feels like, truly, a really authentic, all-encompassing representation of me as an artist. It feels like a very clean-slate kind of next chapter evolution of my music, so I’m really proud of it.

Meghan Patrick isn’t a household name, but Heart On My Glass is sure to get her noticed by listeners and critics alike. Though I didn’t resonate with all of the tracks (because I haven’t been in a relationship before!), 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. Objectively, this album is pretty great, and with many topics covered (but mostly heartbreak and how to get over someone!), Meghan is only getting started. She is in a committed relationship, so could it be that these songs about heartbreak are inspired by someone else’s journey? Regardless, Heart On My Glass is a gem and a treasure to listen to. And even if you don’t resonate with much like myself, I’d say still listen. Listen to “Mama Prayed For” and “My First Car”… 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: My First Car, Never Giving Up On You, Mama Prayed For

Score: 4/5

RIYL: Carrie Underwood, Lady A, Maren Morris, Tenille Arts, Tenille Townes, Jennifer Nettles, Jimmie Allen, Keith Urban, Kylie Morgan