Ashley McBryde Explores ‘The Devil I Know’ on New Album

Ashley McBryde is following her musical instincts on her upcoming album, The Devil I Know.

Sonically, the album will explore all sides of McBryde’s musicality ranging from country to rock to bluegrass. In a press statement, McBryde reveals that she tossed critics’ opinions to the wayside while recording the album with her band and writing the songs with such names Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne, Reba McEntire’s niece, Autumn McEntire, and Lainey Wilson, the latter of whom co-wrote “Cool Little Bars.”

“When it was time to put together The Devil I Know, my band and I did what we always do: got together in the purple building in East Nashville, played through a bunch of songs and discussed where we wanted it to go,” the singer shares. “We decided to take all the things that people tend to give us a hard time for and turn it up. … We listened to all those opinions and said, ‘I hear you. I understand what you’re saying. But sadly, there’s no room on the record for your opinion. We’ll do what we want.’”

The Arkansas native demonstrates the album’s vulnerability with the release of “Learned to Lie,” which she co-wrote with Sean McConnell and Nicolette Hayford about a dark memory from her family’s past. I learned to cry/Quietly I learned to pray/Silently inside a house where the devil played/And I hate that it runs in my blood/I hate how easy it comes/I wish I’d learned how to love the same way I/Learned to lie, she sings on the striking ballad.

“After it was written, I called my mom to let her know that I had told a little bit more of our story as a family,” McBryde expresses. “I said, ‘It’s going to be hard to hear, but none of it is untrue.’”

The Devil I Know is available on September 8.

The Devil I Know Tracklist:

1. “Made For This” (Ashley McBryde and Travis Meadows)
2. “Coldest Beer in Town” (Ashley McBryde, Autumn McEntire and Nicolette Hayford)
3. “Light On In The Kitchen” (Ashley McBryde, Jessi Alexander and Connie Harrington)
4. “Women Ain’t Whiskey” (Ashley McBryde, Hillary Lindsey, Jon Nite and Chris LaCorte)
5. “Learned To Lie” (Ashley McBryde, Nicolette Hayford and Sean McConnell)
6. “The Devil I Know” (Ashley McBryde, Jeremy Stover and Bobby Pinson)
7. “Single At The Same Time” (Ashley McBryde, Benjy Davis and Andy Albert)
8. “Cool Little Bars” (Ashley McBryde, Trick Savage and Lainey Wilson)
9. “Whiskey and Country Music” (Ashley McBryde, John Osborne and Lee Thomas Miller)
10. “Blackout Betty” (Ashley McBryde, Aaron Raitiere and Nicolette Hayford)
11. “6th Of October” (Ashley McBryde, Blue Foley and CJ Field)

Photo Credit: Katie Kauss/Courtesy of Essential Broadcast Media