Mary Bragg Releases New EP & Announces EU Tour With The Secret Sisters

Nashville's "Americana Queen" (Noisey) Mary Bragg released today her new EP Think About It. A creative extension of her 2019 breakthrough album Violets as Camouflage, the EP features a special collection of cover songs including tracks by Jackson Browne, Roy Orbison, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and Stevie Nicks. They were recorded and produced at her home studio, with additional tracking in LA and Atlanta, and find Mary taking a step away from telling her own visceral stories through song in order to study and interpret life through the lens of other songwriters.

"I've had to do a lot of self-reflection this year - more than usual - and one thing that has helped me through some difficult moments, besides the kindness that people have shown me, has been finding honest words in songs, books, therapy, and books about psychology," stated Mary. "One gem of wisdom I keep repeating to myself comes from this fascinating read, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, where author Lori Gottlieb quotes Frankl, 'Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances.' I'm happy to share this set of songs, written by many of my songwriting heroes, whose work I admire so thoroughly. Singing their stories of resilience, belief, and love feels like a sort of circuitous gift that's prodding me toward writing and singing my own again."

Mary first released her cover of Jackson Browne's "Our Lady of the Well" last fall. She spoke with The Bluegrass Situation and stated, "As a writer, one of the things that keeps me sane is that healthy part of the process which is to sometimes get out of your own head and away from your own stories." It was followed by Aaron Lee Tasjan's "Don't Walk Away" which features fellow Georgia natives Drivin n Cryin. Rolling Stone Country raved, "["Don't Walk Away"] deals with the struggle to find belief in a sea of contradictions. Here, Bragg adds some heft to the message by dipping into her soulful lower register, and the arrangement trades some of Tasjan's idiosyncratic acoustic guitar work in favor of some sizzling, woozy slide-guitar licks."

In a recent interview with Billboard, Mary also hinted at new music forthcoming, stating "I've got a bit of a life story to unpack from what's happened in the last year, so there's a lot of unpacking to do and creative mining to do. We shall see what that looks like once I have the songs that I'm ready to package and present."

Released last March, Violets as Camouflage is Mary's fourth album and features the single "I Thought You Were Somebody Else" which was recently picked by NPR Music for their Best Music of 2019 series. The album was met with critical acclaim from Rolling Stone who called it "classic country twang with broken hearted sentiment" and NPR Music's Ann Powers who stated "Her clear, warm alto, reminiscent of Patsy Cline, was made for confidences, and these gorgeously crafted and executed songs touch the listener on a deep level, where insight occurs." Billboard also raved "Violets' 14 tracks are among the most intensely personal Bragg has ever written." Stream or purchase it HERE.

Tour Dates:

03/22 - Nashville, TN @ The Bluebird Cafe

03/24 - Nashville, TN @ Tin Pan South

05/30 - Glenwood Springs, CO @ Big Red Barn

06/05 - La Grange, TX @ The Bugle Boy

06/10 - Bury St. Edmonds, UK @ The Apex*

06/11 - Bury, UK @ The Met*

06/13 - Gateshead, UK @ Sage Gateshead*

06/14 - Sheffield, UK @ Fifth Court*

06/16 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club*

06/17 - Milton Keynes, UK @ The Stables*

06/18 - London, UK @ Union Chapel*

06/19 - Bristol, UK @ St. George's Bristol*

06/24 - Paris, France @ Les Etoiles*

06/25 - Lier, Belgium @ L'Avenirsite*

06/26 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso*

07/16 - Shirley, MA @ Bull Run Restaurant

08/05 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Warming House

*opening for The Secret Sisters

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