Nearly ten months after the release of her smash debut album Hero, Grammy winner Maren Morris released the deluxe version (previously a Target exclusive) to streaming and retail outlets everywhere on Friday. The deluxe album features three previously unreleased tracks: “Bummin’ Cigarettes,” “Company You Keep,” and “Space.”
The somber-yet-hopeful “Cigarettes” was written by Morris, Ian Fitchuk, and Heather Morgan. The verses serve as solemn recognition of decisions and choices that don’t lead down the right path, followed by a determined chorus that resolves to change habits and hearts.
Key Lyrics: “I’ve been going down a road that’s a little too traveled / I should find the common thread that makes it all unravel / Like layin down my dollar just for a temporary high / I gotta quit bummin’ cigarettes from the wrong guys.”
Perhaps most striking addition to the project is “Space,” a lilting breakup ballad that showcases Morris’ lyrical prowess (along with cowriters Brett Tyler and Laura Veltz), with gentle banjo and dramatic percussion. The chorus artfully uses cosmic metaphors to depict intense heartbreak: “If it takes a rocket, okay / Somewhere more than a planet away, I’ll wave to the man in the moon / Put a light year between me and you / I need space.”
The upbeat, island-infused “Company You Keep,” written by Morris, Luke Laird, and Shane McAnally, celebrates good friends and “apartment parties” over extravagant lifestyles and material excess. (Morris sings: “When it comes down to it, nobody really cares / Where you had your birthday or just who was there / Buy you a shot, then hold back your hair / Take you to Waffle House.”)
Stream the deluxe version of Hero on Spotify, or purchase it on iTunes.