Annie Stokes’ ‘Wild Rose’ is a Stunning EP of Growth and Motherhood
Annie Stokes' EP Wild Rose is a striking showcase of the Virginia-based singer-songwriter's talent for crafting thoughtful, emotionally-charged Americana music. The four tracks on the EP are a mix of poignant ballads and lively, foot-stomping numbers that showcase her knack for blending old-school country with a contemporary sensibility.
The EP's opening track, "For Loving You," is a more upbeat country ballad dedicated to “all the women who survived wars started by men,” in Annie’s words. The song is essentially about the sacrifices that women have to make during hard times. Men can go off and find their glory on the battlefield, but someone has to stay home and take care of the kids and make the impossible choices. “I presented this song to my producer, and he helped craft the urgency of the lyrics and the percussion to convey the almost manic pragmatism of a wife, or lover, or mother, who has to cut deals with the Devil,” shares Annie.
“Goldenrod” was inspired by an online course on medicinal herbalism that Annie took during the pandemic. She discovered that the vast majority of what Western gardeners consider "weeds" are actually medicinal plants with physical and spiritual attributes. At the time, her community was struggling with political and cultural differences that seemed destined to tear us apart. “I started to think about what it would look and feel like to love the weeds in your yard, and the people in your life, without trying to curate or change them,” she reveals.
The upbeat yet lyrically poignant country song, “Nervous System,” is my personal favorite. It resonated the most with me as I experienced something similar upon becoming a parent. While it was inspired by a panic attach Annie experienced on the Scrambler at the County Fair, Annie found that her nervous system and anxiety changed with becoming a mom. The song had the initial meaning of the Scrambler experience and was a scrapped idea of a previous. “I revisited this song while recording this EP and updated the lyrics to reflect my current journey as a mother of two, trying not to self-medicate away the beautiful stress of raising humans, trying to make friends with and glean wisdom from the panic attacks that sometimes paralyze me, and trying to be honest with the people in my life about my limitations,” she says.
The EP's title track, "Wild Rose," is a softer country ballad that Annie wrote in sadness over the Roe v. Wade overturning. This song is about the wildflower that grows out of stone, the seed that germinates in total darkness, the sky before sunrise. It’s about resliance and finding hope in the most hopeless of places.
Annie's introduction to motherhood coincided with the global pandemic. She was going through a massive identity shift without the opportunity to perform music, which had been a central pillar of how she viewed herself and how she presented herself to others. But in the absence of that mainstay, her and her husband were able to dig deeper into their art.
"We ended up crafting four songs about parental anxiety, tough love, radical acceptance, and hope. Our fortunes changed radically when Austin Bello, an incredible and prolific producer, reached out to us to record our upcoming release," Annie shares. "He added a perspective to our songs that we wouldn't have been able to conjure up on our own. By the time we had these tracks in the can, we'd gained a second daughter and we'd lost all our fear of rejection. In the best way, this EP made us realize we have nothing to lose and everything to gain."
Wild Rose is an impressive release from an artist who is clearly on the rise. Stokes' songwriting is smart, insightful, and deeply personal, and her performances are infused with a passion and intensity that is hard to resist. Country and Americana fans should definitely add this EP to their playlists.
Connect with Annie Stokes via:
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