Maren Morris | Humble Quest Review

By Griff Stevens

Maren Morris is coming off the heels of her GRAMMY-nominated major-label debut album Hero and its follow-up Girl. Now Morris is furthering her songwriting acumen with a compelling collection of songs in the country-pop genre called Humble Quest. Though her third album was created with postpartum depression that followed the birth of her first child, the loss of her longtime collaborator Michael Busbee to brain cancer, and the pandemic of Covid-19, it also is filled with the warmth and support of her husband, Ryan Hurd, who provides co-writing and backing vocal support throughout the project. Humble Quest is produced by Greg Kurstin (Adele, Foo Fighters, Liam Gallagher) and features Morris sharing writing duties with Natalie Hemby, Lori McKenna, and Jimmie Robbins, among other notable Nashville songwriters.

“The Furthest Thing” has a balance of acoustic and electric instruments supporting Morris’ beautiful singing. Her tone is robust, and the backing vocals of her husband in the chorus has a full sound as the two blend well. Morris’ singing can believably convey the pop-country style. Her feelings for her husband are also very apparent in this song and others on the album, making the emotions even more vital in her vocals.

“Hummingbird” is Morris’ lullaby-like ode to their son and is a beautiful moment filled with heartfelt emotion. Morris will certainly woe you with her pleasing vocal timbre and the song’s lyrics while keeping your attention. The instrumentation is fitting for the mood, and the song’s structure outlines the story and has a moving harmonic structure and flow.

Humble Quest is a strong album for Morris and affirms her ability to present a flowing pop-country album of depth. Her collaboration with her husband adds to the project, and she keeps things positive even as the world goes mad around her. Humble Quest is another solid album, another stepping stone in her ever-growing career.