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CRITIC REVIEWS
90
By drawing upon so many cross-currents, Hero belongs to the digital era but it's the songs -- smart, sharp, and hooky -- that make this a great modern pop album, regardless of genre.
70
Her debut album, Hero, showcases her honeyed vocals and preternatural sense of melody, with early singles like “80s Mercedes” and “My Church” as hook-laden as anything in Top 40 rotation.
An okay pop album, and not remotely country by any standards. It's frustrating how much acclaim the album is receiving as the new standard bearer for country music, and it's not a matter of stubborn curmudgeonliness -- stylistically, "My Church" is the only thing that even approaches country music sonically. As a pop album, Morris does often succeed in being fun and sassy, and there are flashes of songwriting inspiration, but it must be docked points for proudly proclaiming itself ... read more
1. Sugar 0.60
2. Rich 0.80
3. My Church 0.65
4. I Could Use a Love Song 0.70
5. 80s Mercedes 0.90
6. Drunk Girls Don't Cry 0.70
7. How It's Done 0.65
8. Just Another Thing 0.70
9. I Wish I Was 0.75
10. Second Wind 0.70
11. Once 0.80
Favorite songs: Rich • 80s Mercedes • I Wish I Was • Once
2. Rich 0.80
3. My Church 0.65
4. I Could Use a Love Song 0.70
5. 80s Mercedes 0.90
6. Drunk Girls Don't Cry 0.70
7. How It's Done 0.65
8. Just Another Thing 0.70
9. I Wish I Was 0.75
10. Second Wind 0.70
11. Once 0.80
Favorite songs: Rich • 80s Mercedes • I Wish I Was • Once
For her major debut, she demands that every possible access to her confident, country-pop tunes is tightly secured, leaving no free space for the listener to approach her.
END OF YEAR LISTS
| #7 | / | AOL Entertainment |
| #7 | / | Variety |
| #9 | / | Billboard |
| #10 | / | People |
| #13 | / | Rolling Stone |
| #14 | / | Uproxx |
| #16 | / | Variance |
| #36 | / | NPR Music |
| #40 | / | American Songwriter |
| #44 | / | Noisey |
| #47 | / | SPIN |
| / | AllMusic | |
| / | WIRED |
MISC LISTS
| #1 | / | Rolling Stone (Country) |
| #5 | / | Entertainment Weekly (Country) |
| #12 | / | Stereogum (Country) |
| / | NPR (First Half) | |
| / | Rolling Stone (First Half) |
Track List
- Sugar
- Rich
- My Church
- I Could Use a Love Song
- 80s Mercedes
- Drunk Girls Don't Cry
- How It's Done
- Just Another Thing
- I Wish I Was
- Second Wind
- Once
In Library (16)
![Maren Morris - Hero [Deluxe Edition]](https://cdn.albumoftheyear.org/album/thumbs/77126-hero-deluxe-edition.jpg)
Added on: April 28, 2016
