Maren Morris, The Bones | Track Review 🎵

Grammy-winning country musician Maren Morris taps Irish singer/songwriter Hozier for a thrilling duet version of “The Bones” from her 2019 album, GIRL.

Grammy-winning country musician Maren Morris returned in 2019 with her second major label album, GIRL. It should be noted, prior to Morris’ breakthrough, major label debut, HERO, she released some albums independently.  Anyways, the reason for mentioning GIRL is that the song at hand, “The Bones,” appeared as the 12^th track. So, why are we mentioning a song that has already previously appeared on an album that peaked earlier in 2019? Well, because Morris taps Grammy-nominated Irish singer/songwriter Hozier for the assist on a freshly released duet version of the gem.

“The Bones” was produced by the ubiquitous, incredibly gifted Greg Kurstin, who always seems to get the best out of artists.  Once again, he strikes gold with Maren Morris. Co-written by Morris, Jimmy Robbins, and Laura Veltz, “The Bones” plays on the idea of a house having good bones, which essentially means there are lots of pros (foundation, floor plan, etc.), with come updates needed.  On “The Bones,” expectedly, Morris shifts ‘good bones’ from a house to a relationship.  On the first verse she sings, “We’re in the homestretch of the hard times,” later adding, “We built this right, so nothing’s ever gonna move it.”  She goes on to sing on the chorus:

“When the bones are good, the rest don’t matter
Yeah, the paint could peel, the glass could shatter
Let it rain ‘cause you and I remain the same
When there ain’t a crack in the foundation
Baby, I know any storm we’re facing
Will blow right over while we stay put
The house don’t fall when the bones are good.”

In the duet version, Hozier arrives on the second verse, singing the first two lines solo, before Morris joins him on the final two.  Then, the pair joins forces for the majority of the chorus, originally sung only by. Morris. On the bridge, Morris holds the reins, with Hozier joining her on select moments, while both generally sing the final chorus.

Final Thoughts 

Sometimes remixes, in whatever capacity a song is remixed, work.  Other times, they don’t.  in this case, Maren Morris and Hozier strike gold with “The Bones” being transformed as a duet.  Even with Hozier’s guest appearance, Morris ensures she is the star, never letting Hozier steal her thunder.  The two talented musicians blend well together, and country and pop fans alike should be onboard with this one.

Maren Morris • Good Bones (with Hozier) • Sony • Release: 10.4.19

Photo Credit: Sony