When it comes to Morgan Wallen’s third studio album, One Thing At A Time, it’s clear that the country music superstar made certain not to leave anything out, especially family.
The album, which dropped on Friday (March 3) via Big Loud / Mercury / Republic Records, features collaborations with Wallen’s mentor Eric Church, and good buddies HARDY and ERNEST. The 36-track offering also includes a very special feature by Wallen’s sister, Ashlyne Wallen, on a track entitled “Outlook.”
Written by Wallen with Rodney Clawson and Jeff Hyde, as the No. 35 track on the album, “Outlook” finds the country hitmaker, 29, leaning into his spiritual side as he sings about having an “angel by my side” through some of the darker points in his life. Throughout the track, the Knoxville, Tenn., native relays how his perspective has changed to see things with an optimistic lens in contrast to how his vision of the world used to be.
“Now my outlook on life is different than it used to be / Yeah, my outlook is someone’s up there / Lookin’ down and lookin’ out for me,” Wallen sings along to a delicate acoustic guitar, toe-tapping percussion and a walk-down melody that anchors the chorus.
Listen To “Outlook” Featuring Harmonies From Ashlyne Wallen Below
Although subtle, Ashlyne’s backing vocals provide an angelic undertone throughout the second verse and chorus of the track, making the gentle country ballad a definite highlight on the album and a family affair of sibling harmony that cannot go unnoticed.
Opening up about his sister’s inclusion in One Thing At A Time, Wallen shares in a press release, “I grew up in church singing three-part harmonies with my two sisters. That’s how I learned to sing, so this was a full-circle moment for Ashlyne and me.”
“That is very special for me,” he continued of adding his sister, who is 15 months apart, into the mix. “My sister and I are very close and always have been, so having her on ‘Outlook’ was an important and emotional thing for both of us.”
As previously noted, Wallen has two sisters. His other sibling, Mikaela, also seems to have retrieved the family’s impressive vocal talent. Wallen has said he wished to feature Mikaela in his One Thing At A Time, but the timing wasn’t right. As he was finishing the album, she was welcoming her newborn daughter, Kehlani Lauren Parker, into the world.
Furthering the connection to his roots, Wallen honors another relative on the project. The cover art for One Thing At A Time holds important family significance for him as he is shown photographed at the home of his late Mamaw (Grandmother) Boots.
“My Mamaw Boots helped raise me. I had such a special bond with her, so I wanted to honor her with this new record,” Wallen previously shared.
“Outlook” Appears On Wallen’s New Album One Thing At A Time
One Thing At A Time brings together the musical influences – country, alternative, and hip-hop – that have shaped Wallen as an artist growing up.
The project also takes listeners on a journey through “the good, the bad, the love, the heartbreak.” Other highlights on the album include “Keith Whitley,” named after the late Country Music Hall of Famer who died in 1989, the opener “Born With A Beer In My Hand,” his current single, “Thought You Should Know,” which plays out like a heartfelt letter to his mom, and countless others.
“It’s important for me, to always include the things that mean the most to me. I think I’ve done that on every album so far. This one is probably the one where I’ve got to include the most,” Wallen shares. “There are more spiritual songs on this album. Obviously. I’ve got my sister, I’ve talked about Keith Whitley before, but I’ve never made a song about him. Talked about my love for hip-hop before, but I’ve definitely never gone to nine or 10 songs that really are heavily leaning toward that style. So yeah, I think this is, I don’t know, I feel more comfortable about making music that I love and making music that – I don’t know. I just feel like I have the freedom to do things that maybe I was a little bit more tentative to do in the past.”
One Thing At A Time is out now.
