Ashley Anne hails from Virginia Beach, VA. And although she was raised by the ocean, she is as country as they come. Her music proves just that. In fact, in 2022, she caught attention with her originally-penned song, “Dear Dolly,” the title track from her debut EP of the same name.
Anne moved to Nashville, Tenn., at age 18 to pursue her dreams of becoming the next country music star. And while she is just getting started, it’s clear that she has a spot in the country music genre. On Friday (Nov. 15), Anne released her latest project, which not only showcases more of her artistry but also connects with listeners far and wide with its highly relatable subject content.
Titled Call Me When You Land, Anne’s sophomore collection is a well-thought-out and detailed journey of love. But the EP doesn’t just dive into the warm feelings associated with a budding romance. Instead, the songs guide listeners through each stage of a relationship. With every track, Anne unveils a different set of emotions she is experiencing as she eases her way through being with someone special and eventually allows herself to fall, even if she gets let down in the end.
Listeners should be prepared to listen to Call Me When You Land from top to bottom to truly understand the progression of the relationship that Anne is singing about. Throughout the intimate collection, the rising singer/songwriter channels themes of uncertainty, self-doubt, and anxiety, but also excitement, happiness, and optimism.
“Left My Shirt” serves as the opening number on Call Me When You Land. Featuring gentle acoustics and pedal steel guitar, the interpersonal track provides a fitting introduction to the EP. The tune has Ann wanting to define a relationship while trying to understand the deeper side of someone else. Struggling to get to know the man, who has his guard up, she asks questions like: “Do you toss and turn at the thought of us / Or does it take you two minutes to fall asleep?” She acknowledges: “We don’t talk about forever, but we’ll talk about whatever / Who are we when we’re together? I’ll never know.”
In “Makeup Off,” Anne does her best to emulate the kind of person she believes her crush wants her to be. Lyrically, she conveys the high that people often experience when they connect with someone romantically for the first time. Unlike the first song, this time, Anne is completely wrapped up in her love life. So much so that she cancels her plans and puts off her friends to wait on the other end for his call. Anne’s country vocals possess a delicate angst throughout the track, creating a mood that takes people back to a time when they first felt uncertain or anxious in an unbalanced relationship, where the other person holds all of the power.
“He don’t know the kind of hold he’s got on a girl like me / He can’t tell I’m living in hell, only show what he wants to see / ‘Cause from the daytime through the night he consumes my crowd of mind / I don’t even like the sound of me / I don’t take my makeup off ’til he falls asleep,” Anne sings. “As I’m looking in the mirror, I wonder what he’d think / Would he even notice or barely recognize me?”
Perhaps the most traditional-leaning track out of the six songs is “Don’t Ruin This Record,” which slows things down to a waltz in the chorus. Anne packs in the nostalgia while putting an old record that she’s loved since childhood up on a pedestal. She tells the man she’s pursuing that he can wreck pretty much anything, but pleads: “Whatever you do / Don’t ruin this record for me.”
Anne guards her heart in the project’s poetic title track. She cleverly compares the highs of being in a relationship to what it’s like to be on cloud 9 but emphasizes how she wants to enjoy a soft landing if things don’t work out in her favor. Although she feels the joy of being up in the stars with her love interest, she approaches her relationship carefully, staying resistant to the idea of coasting through without knowing all of the details. Over a mesmerizing melody, she takes listeners on a course of her thoughts as someone who has previously dealt with heartbreak.
“Every time I’m on cloud nine / It crashes down, falls from the sky / And I’m left on the ground, it’s how it goes / I don’t want it to come out the blue again / So could you do me a favor / And call me when you land,” she begs. “Call me when it’s over / Call me when you’re falling out of love / At least give me closure / Call me when you can / If your heart starts beating slower/ I just wanna know before it all hits the fan.”
Listeners hear a shift on “I Can Be A Woman,” solely penned by Anne. The track finds her unveiling a more confident side to her status with the man she loves. She prides herself on living an old-fashioned lifestyle, where she works on the woman’s duties, while her man still makes time for chivalry.
“He holds the door, sweeps me off the floor / And holds my dress when I’m walking up a staircase / He holds me tight, puts me on his right / When there’s cars coming by the byway,” Anne praises, showering her S/O with compliments.
Finally, Anne puts a brave hat on and comfortably settles into a romance in the EP’s tender closing track, “Drive You Anywhere.” Serving as an appropriate end-cap to the collection, the tune has Anne sounding peaceful as she showcases her gentle soar and high angelic soprano vocals over a slow ballad instrumental. No matter where she’s headed, she surrenders everything, making it clear that she is finally ready to dive head-first into love with a fully open heart.
“As long as I’m yours and as long as you’re mine / I’ll go 80 in a 45 / I’ll run a red light and I’ll break all the rules / If we’re side by side / Don’t care if I’m here, don’t care if you’re there / Oh, I’ll drive, oh, I’ll drive you,” Anne sings throughout the melodic chorus of the track, she penned alongside Alex Angelo and Madelyn Paquette.
Anne’s Call Me When You Land EP follows a string of shows alongside artists like Sara Evans, LANCO, and Tigirlily Gold. And in 2025, she will take the road as a special guest for Josh Turner’s This Country Music Thing Tour, named after his most recent album. With her latest impressive Call Me When You Land collection, it’s no doubt she is ready to take her live shows to the next level in 2025.
Call Me When You Land Track Listing:
1. “Left My T-Shirt” (Ryan Kohn, Averie Bielski, Olivia Daponte, Ashley Anne)
2. “Makeup Off” (Averie Bielski, Mitch Crego, Trent Wayne, Ashley Anne)
3. “Don’t Ruin This Record” (Ashley Anne, Caroline Watkins, Dylan Guthro)
4. “Call Me When You Land” (Ashley Anne, Axel Diehl, Brandon Ashley)
5. “I Can Be A Woman” (Ashley Anne)
6. “Drive You Anywhere” (Ashley Anne, Alex Angelo, Madelyn Paquette)
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