Morgan Wade – Obsessed

I recently saw Morgan Wade at a festival (Yacht Club in St. Paul, MN). I was vaguely aware of her – she made enough of an impression on me that I prioritized seeing her Friday afternoon set. I was blown away by that live performance. She was rockin’ country and the perfect appetizer for Joan Jett and Alanis Morissette, the more prominent names on the festival poster.

Morgan initially caught my attention because her first two albums were produced by Sadler Vaden (guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of Jason Isbell’s band, The 400 Unit). I am a big Isbell fan, and Vaden is a critical ingredient in The 400 Unit. If Sadler produced Morgan Wade, it would be worth listening to it.

I listened to the two Sadler-produced records, Reckless (2021) and Psychopath (2023), but neither album resonated with me. But the new album, Obsessed (2024), is clicking with me based on seeing her live, the album’s raw honesty, the stripped-down arrangements, and its Americana/alt-country sonics.

The background on Obsessed is that Psychopath was a bit of a flop. After the success of her debut, Wade had the traditional sophomore slump. Wade is quoted in Rolling Stone as saying, “My record wasn’t talked about, and that really messed with me.”

Instead of the typical Nashville co-writer approach of Psychopath, Wade wrote most of Obsessed alone and on the road. Her touring guitarist, Clint Wells, produced the album. Re-listening to Psychopath, I find it overproduced, and Wade gets lost in the production. After listening to Reckless again, I can see why it succeeded: it was a classic singer-songwriter Americana. Obsessed is a return to the straightforward Americana sound of Reckless with improved songwriting.

Obsessed has a theme: the album’s protagonist is on the road (weary, lonely, and homesick) clutching their sobriety and recovering from a romantic breakup. On paper, that sounds depressing, but the album is not; it is elevating because the bleakness (both sonically and lyrically) is so beautiful – it is classic country music “high and lonesome.” The album feels autobiographical, but I don’t want to make that assumption. The songs’ protagonist is raw and honest, with just enough hope that it feels like they will make it. This is a breakthrough album for Morgan Wade – she has found her voice – a voice that aspires to Rosanne Cash territory (deeply personal songs that blended country music with pop and rock). Morgan Wade’s vocals are twangy country, but with an indie-rock snarl – edgy and soft at the same time. There isn’t a wasted track on the album – all fourteen tracks are essential.

“Total Control” opens the album and is an excellent example of the Rosanne Cash vibe. The song sets the stage for the weary on the road theme:

“I’m tired out here on the road
I’ve spent too many nights on my own
Every way I turn just feels wrong
I’m tired out here on the road”

“Department Store” is a recollection of the narrator’s troubled teenage years. The song has one of my favorite lines on the album: “Your parents were gospel, they gave birth to rock and roll.”

In “Time to Love, Time to Kill,” the narrator recalls a breakup and the lie that they both agreed to move on, but in reality, the breakup was a significant setback for the narrator.

“Obsessed” is precisely what you would expect; the narrator is obsessed with a love interest. Here is another great line: “You’re my favorite story, won’t you give me a role? / Write all my lines, and I’ll do what I’m told / Keep me around until I’m good and old.”

In “Juliet,” Wade plays with the Romeo and Juliet trope – the narrator, who is not Romeo, is trying to seduce Juliet. “Romeo ain’t what you need / I think you should run away with me.”

“2AM in London” is a bleak song (both lyrically and musically) of loneliness and homesickness. In the past the narrator would have gotten drunk, but: “It’s a good time to get into trouble / But I don’t do that stuff anymore.” She doesn’t want a drink she just needs her lover by her side:

“I just need you to be here
I want two shadows on my wall
It’s 2 a.m. in London, baby
And I just wanna come home”

“2AM in London” is the best song on the album. It is beautiful sadness.

I had to remind myself of the “Hansel and Gretel” fairy tale: Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch who lives in a bread, cake, and sugar house. The witch, who has cannibalistic intentions, intends to fatten Hansel before eventually eating him. However, Gretel saves her brother by pushing the witch into her own oven, killing her, and escaping with the witch’s treasure. The song is about former lovers that can’t get back together. I am bewildered by the line: “Like Hansel and Gretel, we put kettle on the level / But we just won’t make it back.”

“Spin” is yet another song of regret of lost love. The narrator pines for the dizziness of love: “Spin me around once more.”

In “Reality” the narrator is begging their lover to stay the night “’Cause I don’t wanna face reality / Won’t you stay with me?” Wade’s voice is a gorgeous plea dripping with twang.

“Walked on Water” (feat. Kesha) is a raw breakup song. I don’t know why this is a duet. It is a great song. Kesha and Wade’s voices go together perfectly despite their different styles. Typically, two voices would be two characters in a song (or a bit of schizophrenia), but in this song, the two voices are the same person in the same mood. So again, I am not sure why Wade made this a duet.

“Halloween” is a recollection of the moment our narrator fell in love; ironically, that moment is after the break up has already happened (caused by the narrator’s career).

“I knew I loved you that Halloween
When I saw you and I got mad
You came in with someone that wasn’t me
And I’ve never felt pain that bad
So I cried in my car at the liquor store
And I almost relapsed”

“Crossing State Lines” is a song of unrequited love with a Stevie Nicks vibe. The narrator is devastated by the breakup, and the assumption is her love interest could care less:

“Now you’re crossing state lines
And I’m trying real hard to get over you
You never wanted me and I wanted you to”

The penultimate song, “Moth to a Flame” is a about the one that didn’t get away:

“And I wrote all the songs
About the ones that got away
Thank God I could finally write
The song about the one who chose to stay”

Although this might not be the healthiest relationship, as our narrator might be giving up her soul:

“And I gave up on dreams I thought would never come true
I’d trade in my Friday nights for life with you”

“Deconstruction” finishes the album on a positive note—the narrator has found a new lover. However, there is still some darkness, as the love interest lacks self-esteem, and the repeated line: “Where have you been?” has a sense of foreboding—will this love really last?

This is an outstanding album. Given that Wade straddles country, Americana, and rock, I hope she can find a fan base. The fact that this past summer (2024), she supported Joan Jett and Alanis Morissette on tour suggests she is aiming at the right audience.