The Balladeer
2020

It almost feels like shortchanging Lori McKenna to call her a singer/songwriter. Storyteller doesn’t seem quite sufficient either.

She is both of those things, of course. But McKenna…has long written songs that paint more vivid, more detailed, more dynamic pictures of daily existence than just about anyone else. Perhaps it’s more accurate to call her a documentarian of humanity, or an interpreter of the human experience. Put simply, she is one of Music City’s most in-demand songwriters precisely because of her priceless ability to write about people in a way that appeals to people. McKenna showcases that skill all over her 11th solo album, The Balladeer.” - Paste