Music: Ashley McBryde gets back to the basics of music in Missoula

William Munoz

(Missoula Current) Ashley McBryde was supposed to play a concert last September at the Wilma Theatre, but earlier that day she was riding a horse and fell off, suffering a concussion.

Returning a year later, McBryde visited that horse but chose to not get back in the saddle. Her latest tour is happening on the release of her latest album, “Ashely McBryde Presents: Lindeville.”

This album is unlike the normal Nashville product. Rather, it's a collaboration between McBryde and other songwriters. Some of the song titles speak volumes: “Gospel Night at The Strip Club,” “Jesus Jenny,” and “Brenda Put Your Bra On.”

It's meant to be about real life, not the romanticized one. The lyrics from “Gospel Night At the Strip Club” put it very simply: “Hallelujah, Jesus loves the drunkards and the whores and the queers; Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Would you recognize him if he bought you a beer?”

McBryde's stage set was spartan compared to some of her contemporaries; no backdrop and basic lighting – a set you might find in a small-town bar on a Saturday night with live music.

No big production, just great music meant to speak to your own life experiences. The sold-out Wilma was treated to this by a singer/songwriter who knows what it means to be alive.