Capitol Records Nashville
Release Date: November 4th 2022
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Mickey Guyton– I Still Pray (Single) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- I Still Pray
Mickey Guyton has been present around the country music industry for quite some time. Since entering into country music in the mid-2010s and unveiling a slew of EP’s, Mickey gained fame and popularity with this unveiling of Remember Her Name in September 2021- to date, it’s been one of the country albums of last year that’s been unanimously enjoyed and loved by probably every single country music fan currently- the others I reckon being Carly Pearce’s 29: Written in Stone, Thomas Rhett’s Country Again: Side A, Lainey Wilson’s Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ and Cassadee Pope’s Thrive. We reviewed Remember Her Name here (10 months later in June this year!), while we also dove into Mickey as an artist in a post within our up-and-coming influential blog series. You can read those posts at your own pace, and about how Mickey has revolutionised country music and music in general; but just like how last month and the month before, Mickey was back with a brand-new song and another brand-new song? Well, guess what? Mickey is… yep, you guessed it! She’s back with another brand-new song this past week as well! Like with “Somethin’ ‘Bout You” and “How You Love Someone” before; the gospel-leaning “I Still Pray” is not as emotionally charged and politically leaning as “Black Like Me”, “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” and “Heaven Down Here”. But this melody, like the two previous singles from this year, reminds us of the joys and the simplicities of life and the reality that we all need to ask someone for help, as Mickey passionately and fervently reiterates that she needs Jesus and that she still prays to Him because she knows that He still answers her, and He still moves in her life. Musically, this song also reminds us that Mickey is extremely versatile (it’s a piano ballad, and Mickey’s voice shines powerfully and incredibly!)- and that is a very good thing indeed.
Country music is littered with songs about Jesus and prayer. “Jesus Take The Wheel”, “Something In The Water” (Carrie Underwood), “Pray” (Jimmie Allen), “God’s Country” and “God Gave Me You” (Blake Shelton), “Thank God” (Kane Brown), “Death Row” (Thomas Rhett), “Bucket List” (Mitchell Tenpenny) and “Back To God” (Reba McEntire) are just a few of the many ‘religious’ tracks in country music… and “I Still Pray” is another. A laid back, reflective and contemplative ballad, that is immensely poignant and encouraging and hopeful; Mickey has delivered once again, as she highlights the reasons why she still believes in Jesus and why she still prays to Jesus. Remember Her Name is an album full of hope, and it also paints a painful picture of what the world looks like now, thereby allowing people to hopefully spur them on to undertake something that can change what is happening now, to what they want to see happen in the future. Likewise, all of these three ‘singles’ “Somethin’ ‘Bout You”, “How You Love Someone” and “I Still Pray” (is Mickey building up to a new studio album soon?), also impart wisdom and inspiration about us as a human race, and as Mickey encourages us all to rely on Jesus and to trust Him with our lives; we are presented with positivity and optimism. Though this song isn’t as powerful as some of her other tracks in her career; this is still a must for any and every Mickey Guyton fan, and also if you love artists like Maren Morris or Carly Pearce, if you love black country artists like Jimmie Allen or Darius Rucker, or both. Well done Mickey for another inspiring song on the back of a stellar debut album. Can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for you, within years to come.
Score: 4/5
RIYL: Jimmie Allen, Maren Morris, Darius Rucker, Carly Pearce, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett