Margo Price steps back into the ring with “Hard‑Headed Woman,” and damn if she isn’t wearing her heart on her sleeve—lace‑trimmed, of course—while staring down life’s hard truths. The titular track and its lead single, “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down,” landed June 10, a clarion call of resilience and grace under fire.
Recorded in the legendary RCA Studio A with Matt Ross‑Spang at the helm—a room that’s heard John Prine and Loretta Lynn before her—this record is both a place and a statement. She’s returned to Nashville soil, but with a posture that says, “I ain’t your watered‑down country cookie.” This is barroom gospel for anyone who’s ever woken up with a busted heart and their moral compass still intact.
What it sounds like: acoustic foot stomps like a pickup backfiring in the dead of night, pedal steel wailing like the devil’s ads for temptation, and a voice that’s seen the bottom and chose to keep climbing. Tracks like “Red Eye Flight” and “Love Me Like You Used to Do” (duet with Tyler Childers) carry the freight of life lived on the rough edges.
“Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down” kicks off with a line that feels like a vintage Johnny Cash barroom decree—told to her by Kris Kristofferson himself—and evolves into a rally for every underdog who’s earned grit over gloss. It’s an anthem for scrappers and rooters, the kind who keep their heads up and noses clean—even when the walls are closing in.
“I don’t owe you f*cking shit”—that moment when Margo spits truth, she earns every damn syllable.
Why it fits the outlaw vibe: Because it’s real. This isn’t a polished product of corporate Nashville—this is Nashville filtered through Price’s own broken glass and bruised lungs. She’s reclaimed her lane, reassembled her band from scratch, and laid it all out on 12 tracks that demand you listen.
Life in “Hard‑Headed Woman” doesn’t promise to be easy. There’s dirt‑road heartbreak and broken hope—but it’s also the sound of someone refusing to go quiet. Price is back with her spit‑and‑sawdust swagger, giving voice to a generation craving songs with backbone.
Final Verdict
Here’s the trimmed‑down truth: Hard‑Headed Woman is Price’s most defiant record yet—equal parts strength and soul, with a voice that rings like freedom. It’s not just a return to form—it’s a statement of unbreakable intent. Stick to values, keep your nose clean, and let the bastards learn you’re harder to break than they thought.
Margo Price’s “Hard-Headed Women”
