Annie Up

Annie Up is the second studio album by American country girl group Pistol Annies, but this is the first album with RCA Nashville. The group consists of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. Annie Up started with 83,000 albums sold in the first week.[1]

Annie Up
Studio album by Pistol Annies
Released	May 7, 2013 (2013-05-07)
Genre	Country
Length	42:35
Label	RCA Nashville
Producer	Frank Liddell Chuck Ainlay Glenn Worf
Pistol Annies chronology
Hell on Heels (2011) Annie Up (2013) Interstate Gospel (2018)
Singles from Annie Up
"Hush Hush" Released: April 8, 2013

The vinyl LP version of the record was pressed by United Record Pressing in Nashville, TN.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.5/10[2]
Metacritic	87/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[5]
The Guardian	[6]
Los Angeles Times	[7]
MSN Music (Expert Witness)	A−[8]
Nash Country Weekly	A−[9]
PopMatters	8/10[10]
Rolling Stone	[11]
Spin	7/10[12]
USA Today	[13]

Annie Up has received almost universally positive reviews and ratings from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 87, based on 11 reviews.[3] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it a "thoroughly integrated effort; the work of a group, not three individuals" that has a "bruised, beautiful richness."[4] At MSN Music's Expert Witness blog, Robert Christgau highlighted how "a lark evolves into a business proposition as an album of 10 inspired three-minute songs eventuates in an album of 12 expert three-and-a-half-minute songs."[8] At Nash Country Weekly, Jon Freeman found that this album even more so than its predecessor has "more engaging studies of real-life heartbreak, domestic inertia and the daily trials of womanhood."[9]

Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly alluded to that the release "is a more fully formed take on Southern sisterhood."[5] At Los Angeles Times, Randy Lewis evoked that "their switchblade-sharp vision incorporates acute observational powers about the human condition and savvy compositional skills that come together in songs that are piercingly honest, funny and sometimes both."[7] In addition, Lewis said that "mostly it feels like eavesdropping on one helluva lively girls night out."[7] Rob Burkhardt of Music Is My Oxygen Weekly told that the release "doesn’t take this popularity for granted; instead, it wisely spends the political capital", and that is because it "has enough sex appeal to keep the men interested, a deeper look reveals that it is really an album by women, for women."[14] At Rolling Stone, Jody Rosen affirmed that like the predecessor the work is "full of attitude and guffaws, delivered in three-part harmony over down-home country", and found that the trio "drop the 'tude altogether for a love song as poignant as the rest is fun."[11] Roughstock's Matt Bjorke wrote that the effort "is the work of a band and is clearly no side project for any of the band's members."[15]

At The Salt Lake Tribune, David Burger called it a "bluegrass-inspired collection is nothing short of entertaining, even when the women complain non-stop about the men in their lives."[16] Annie Galvin of Slant Magazine highlighted that "Annie Up doesn't quite break the country genre's familiar format, it's a hell of a lot of fun, and one could do worse than spend 40 minutes with these sassy almost-outlaws."[17] Taste of Country's Billy Dukes stated that Pistol Annies "make strides with the arrangements and production on 'Annie Up,' but the stories aren't as sharp and the messages aren't nearly as emotional."[18] At USA Today, Elysa Gardner found that "the clichés are far less striking than the trio's gritty-sweet harmonies, taut musicianship and genuine pluck."[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"I Feel a Sin Comin' On"		Lambert, Monroe, Presley	3:18
2.	"Hush Hush"		Lambert, Monroe, Presley	3:25
3.	"Being Pretty Ain't Pretty"		Presley	3:34
4.	"Unhappily Married"		Lambert, Monroe, Presley	3:07
5.	"Loved by a Workin' Man"	Presley	Presley	3:48
6.	"Blues, You're a Buzzkill"		Monroe	4:52
7.	"Don't Talk About Him, Tina"	Lambert, Presley	Lambert	3:31
8.	"Trading One Heartbreak for Another"	Monroe, Presley	Presley	3:58
9.	"Dear Sobriety"	Lambert, Monroe	Monroe	4:10
10.	"Damn Thing"		Lambert	2:29
11.	"Girls Like Us"		Lambert, Monroe, Presley	3:51
12.	"I Hope You're the End of My Story"		Monroe	2:32
Total length:				42:35

Personnel

Pistol Annies

• Miranda Lambert - lead vocals, background vocals
• Ashley Monroe - lead vocals, background vocals
• Angaleena Presley - lead vocals, background vocals

Additional Musicians

• Eric Darken - percussion
• Fred Eltringham - drums, finger snaps, percussion
• Steve Fishell - steel guitar, lap steel guitar
• Randy Scruggs - acoustic slide guitar, banjo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin
• Guthrie Trapp - electric guitar, mandolin
• Bobby Wood - Hammond B-3 organ, piano
• Glenn Worf - bass guitar, upright bass, slide bass, Wurlitzer

Chart performance

Album

Chart (2013)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[19]	11
UK Country Albums (OCC)[20]	2
US Billboard 200[21]	5
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[22]	2

Sales 221,145 (US Only)

Year-end charts

Chart (2013)	Position
US Billboard 200[23]	120

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		US Country	US Country Airplay
2013	"Hush Hush"	41	43

References

1. "Pistol Annies Shoot Onto Top Country Albums Chart". Billboard.com. May 16, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
2. "Annie Up by Pistol Annies reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
3. "Reviews for Annie Up by Pistol Annies". Metacritic. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Annie Up – Pistol Annies". AllMusic. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
5. Anderson, Kyle (May 1, 2013). "Annie Up". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
6. Macpherson, Alex (May 16, 2013). "Pistol Annies: Annie Up – review". The Guardian. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
7. Lewis, Randy (May 6, 2013). "Pop Music review: Pistol Annies' 'Annie Up'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
8. Christgau, Robert (May 10, 2013). "The Uncluded/Pistol Annies". MSN Music. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
9. Freeman, Jon (May 7, 2013). "Annie Up by Pistol Annies". Nash Country Weekly. Archived from the original on May 11, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
10. Heaton, Dave (May 14, 2013). "Pistol Annies: Annie Up". PopMatters. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
11. Rosen, Jody (May 7, 2013). "Annie Up". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
12. Robbins, Michael (May 8, 2013). "Pistol Annies, 'Annie Up' (RCA Nashville)". Spin. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
13. Gardner, Elysa (May 6, 2013). "Listen Up notables: Lady Antebellum, more". USA Today. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
14. Burkhardt, Rob (May 7, 2013). "Pistol Annies "Annie Up" (Album Review)". Music Is My Oxygen Weekly. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
15. Bjorke, Matt (May 6, 2013). "Album Review: Pistol Annies - Annie Up". Roughstock. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
16. Burger, David (May 7, 2013). "CD Reviews: Lady Antebellum, Pistol Annies, Natalie Maines". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
17. Galvin, Annie (May 5, 2013). "Pistol Annies: Annie Up". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
18. Dukes, Billy (May 7, 2013). "Pistol Annies, 'Annie Up' – Album Review". Taste of Country. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
19. "Pistol Annies Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
20. "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company.
21. "Pistol Annies Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
22. "Pistol Annies Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
23. "2013 Year-End Charts – Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 13, 2013.