On Friday, Priscilla Block will release her debut album – Welcome to the Block Party. Here, we review the album and give our verdict on the new offering from one of the freshest voices in country music right now. Listen to the album here.
Priscilla Block is part of a new vanguard of artists who have moved from viral TikTok success to a label deal and numerous accolades and accomplishments. In 2020, Block rose to prominence, after years grafting in the Nashville music industry, honing her songwriting craft and playing any gig she could get her hands on. When the pandemic hit, Block turned to TikTok to fill the time, posting songs like ‘Thick Thighs’ and ‘PMS,’ and earning a legion of fans – her ‘Block Party.’ ‘Just About Over You’ – a song about her ex-boyfriend – was the song that changed it all, rushing to number one on the all-genre charts as a song that showed her true heart. That track led to her record deal and a self-titled EP. This Friday, Block will release her debut album Welcome to the Block Party that showcases her fresh and rowdy, yet tender, take on country pop and southern rock.
This debut album ratchets up the promise that Block nodded at on her debut EP, weaving the sassy hilarity of ‘Thick Thighs’ with the heart-rending magic of ‘Like A Boy’ to showcase a more mature and accomplished artist with immense promise. What is clear above all is that Block has got ‘it’ when it comes to songwriting, with the clever turns of lyrics that are reminiscent of an early Taylor Swift. Indeed, the intro track ‘Welcome To The Block Party’ that fuses together different segments from live news tapes feels like a positive spin on Swift’s ‘Reputation’ era tour intro.
‘My Bar’ is the lead-out single from the project and shows just how far Block has come from ‘Just About Over You.’ On that track, she dwelt on the emotions that she felt when she ran into an ex in a bar by happenstance, now Block shows how ‘over’ him she is as she marks her territory – her bar. ‘Don’t even buy that round / Just stop before you start / Go to your side of town / It really ain’t that far / This is my bar.’
Similarly, Block continues her journey of female empowerment and embracing her own sexuality on ‘Heels in Hand,’ ‘A drink in my hand / Leads to an old nightstand / Leaving with nothing more than, nothing more than / Heels, heels in hand.’ She seems to take ownership of her own decisions, revelling in her own life in this gloriously joyous and anthemic track.
There is still much here for those that fell in love with Block for the heartbreak of ‘Just About Over You’ – ‘Like A Boy’ is an easy stand-out as Block deplores the immaturity and casual cruelty of men. ‘Ain’t it just like you / To give up way too soon / It’s just what you do / You take off without a damn thing to say / Ain’t it like a boy to walk away.’ It’s a massive piano ballad, dripping with easy emotion that Block pours into her massive vocal. ‘I Know a Girl’ featuring and co-written by the indomitable Hillary Lindsey is a beautifully controlled track about self-love and resilience in the face of hardship. ‘But I know a girl who finally learned to love herself / Without needing someone else to make things better / And I hear her talking to me in the mirror.’ It’s a song that is beautiful in its simplicity, both lyrically and on production. The final big new ballad on the project is ‘I’ve Gotten Good,’ a polished co-write with Liz Rose and Phil Barton, where Block sings about how good she has got at faking being over a break-up. These trio of ballads point to the real depth and potential of Block and it’s pretty immense.
These ideas of resilience and empowerment are brought in on some of the bigger tracks, like ‘Ever Since You Left.’ This is a big and bold track, with tight lyrics and production as Block sings about moving on from a former lover, party-style. ‘Everything’s gone right / Ever since you left.’ More than anything, the track is immense fun and tips its hat to the kind of sassy and snappily fun tracks that we have come to expect from Block since ‘Thick Thighs.’ This last follows and is a more polished version of the track that drove TikTok crazy. It’s hilarious, brazenly honest and shows Block as an artist who simply couldn’t care less what the critics think – it is this very idea that will earn her the most loyal fans. ‘You can’t spell ‘diet’ without ‘die / ‘I’ve been eatin’ carbs since ’95 / And I’ve heard thick thighs save lives.’ This idea is central to Block’s appeal, as she herself says, ‘I’ll never try and be something that I am not, and I let that be known on social media… I show my highs, my lows, I show myself put together and falling apart. I talk about my body and being a curvy girl. I think it’s so important for fans to really know me.’
The final track on the album – ‘Peaked In High School’ – shows the real power of Block, her immense likeability. In this stripped back track, Block showcases her vocal in a track that should make any haters from high school hide their faces. It’s hugely reminiscent of ‘Fat and Famous’ by Ashley McBryde and serves as a massive middle finger to those who thought she wouldn’t make it. Underneath the humour and the clever lyrics, there’s real emotion. That’s the real power of Block – to infuse sarcasm and sass with real palpable emotion, in a fresh and exciting new sound.
