Megan Moroney- Cloud 9
Label: Columbia
Producer: Kristian Bush
In the three years since country singer-songwriter Megan Moroney released her debut record, she has quickly ascended within the mainstream music scene, claiming several distinctions that have become increasingly scarce. For starters, she’s broken through as a bubbling female superstar in the Nashville country system, a species that in 2026 feels like its bordering extinction more than ever thanks to a dying radio-focused industry, the successes of women like Moroney, Lainey Wilson, and Ella Langley notwithstanding. Additionally, she’s emerged as one of those ideal crossover-friendly country stars–think late-90s Faith Hill, Shania Twain, or early Taylor Swift–one with plenty of pop appeal but still very much grounded in contemporary country signifiers. She’s accomplished all of this primarily on a witty, razor-sharp songwriting skill, which most certainly stands as the central highlight of Cloud 9. Sugarland’s Kristian Bush is likewise back in the producer’s chair, continuing to paint Moroney’s music in a bright country-pop sound that strikes a perfect balance between organic and polished; if anything he’s even upped the twang factor here compared to predecessors Lucky and Am I Okay?.
All of these components contribute to a fair share of listening enjoyment throughout Cloud 9; there’s just that lingering and increasingly prominent elephant in the room that is continuing to plague Moroney’s music: you can’t help but continually wishing that her singing was on the same level as her songwriting. This is not a new issue and was indeed an obstacle she had to overcome on previous records. But with three albums in now, and a growing amount of rough live reviews, it’s an issue that is becoming more glaringly problematic for Moroney as an artist. Swift herself had to fight these battles early in her career, and as her Taylor’s Version series illustrated, it was something she rose above with age and maturity. However, in Moroney’s case, she’s well beyond her teenaged-years and it goes beyond an occasionally pitchy live performance. There are multiple moments on the album where she is clearly off pitch. I guess we should applaud her and Bush for opting for authenticity and not relying on the crutch of manufactured vocals via AutoTune, right?
And look, some of my favorite singers are those that are not technically purely great vocalists. (Case in point: our most recent site album reviews prior to this featured Zach Bryan and Lucinda Williams.) But they compensate for that with not only strong songs, but a passionate and unique character within their vocal performances. This is where Moroney’s singing is most lacking; it’s just so damn monotonous and at times, outright emotionally comatose. Yes, she overcomes this on undeniably lovable up-tempos like “Medicine”, “Stupid”, “Change of Heart”, “Wish I Didn’t” or lead single, “6 Months Later”. The collaborations with Ed Sheeran and Kacey Musgraves succeed as well, with Moroney greatly benefiting from the presence of a vocal partner, rather that succumbing underneath the stronger vocal gifts of the other artist (and damn, do I love how flat-out country both of these tracks are!) On the solo ballads however, such as “Beautiful Things”, “Convincing”, “Liars & Tigers & Bears”, “Waiting on the Rain”, and especially “Who Hurt You?” (heavily rumored to be about fellow country star, Riley Green), things can be rather rough. And that’s a shame, given that these downbeat moments are where some of her best and most relatably confessional songwriting can be found.
In the end, none of these glaring issues seem poised to stall Megan Moroney’s commercial trajectory, and truthfully they won’t even prevent me from revisiting this record and giving it time to soak in. There are plenty of redeeming, entertaining qualities to be found on Cloud 9. This prevents it from being an outright bad album, but it’s damned sure a frustrating and conflicting one. Moroney’s riding high at the moment, which is a testament to the specific and considerable musical talents she does indeed possess. Those talents are precisely why it will be a shame if her limited singing skill makes Cloud 9 her ultimate ceiling.
Track Listing:
- “Cloud 9” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, Jessie Jo Dillon, Ernest)
- “Medicine” (Moroney, Dillon, Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington)
- “6 Months Later” (Moroney, Ben Williams, Rob Hatch, David Mescon)
- “Stupid” (Moroney, Mescon, Amy Allen)
- “Beautiful Things” (Moroney, Dillon, Alexander, Harrington)
- “Convincing” (Moroney, Dillon, Alexander, Harrington)
- “Liars & Tigers & Bears” (Moroney, Laird, Dillon)
- “I Only Miss You” featuring Ed Sheeran (Moroney, Ed Sheeran, Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, Micah Carpenter)
- “Wedding Dress” (Moroney, Williams, Colin Healy)
- “Change of Heart” (Moroney, Williams, M. Carpenter, M. Carpenter)
- “Bells & Whistles” featuring Kacey Musgraves (Moroney, Williams, M. Carpenter, M. Carpenter)
- “Table For Two” (Moroney, M. Carpenter, M. Carpenter)
- “Wish I Didn’t” (Moroney, Laird, Hilary Lindsey, Emily Weisband)
- “Who Hurt You?” (Moroney, Laird, Dillon)
- “Waiting on the Rain” (Moroney, Laird, Dillon)
The 706 
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