Maren Morris‘s D R E A M S I C L E album is one of the underrated albums of 2025. Whether that’s because her “move” from country to pop has left her without a true home or not is a debate for another day. What is undeniable, though, is that Morris is a top-notch songwriter, with her catalogue full of cracking melodies and lyrics that are both gut-wrenching and hilarious by turn.
What D R E A M S I C L E showcases in its songs is a moment in time of Morris’s life, taking some of the emotions of her divorce from Ryan Hurd, as well as snapshots of what followed. Not afraid to tackle themes that the generally conservative Nashville Music Row would have recoiled from – hello ‘bed no breakfast‘ – it makes for a refreshing and honest album.
But why is that one album getting mentioned so much in a live review? Well, in a bold move, the Texan has chosen to play 16 of the 18 tracks in her latest shows. It’s not unusual for an artist to focus on new stuff on tour, but rarely to this extent. It’s a good job then that it’s so great, and that the songs are compact – most around the 3-minute mark. With a standard live set-up of drums, guitar, bass, and the guy-who-does-multiple-things, the one-hour forty-minute runtime showcases the breadth of Morris’ work. From her breakthrough song ‘My Church‘, belted back in full voice by the 3,000 capacity crowd, through soulful title track from GIRL, to the gospel-tinged ‘carry me through‘, the night puts Morris’ songwriting squarely in the spotlight.
Mostly leaning into her penchant for pop, including a cover of Tove Lo‘s ‘Talking Body‘ and Morris’s mega-hit with Zedd ‘The Middle‘, the show also highlights how far she’s come as a performer. Where earlier UK shows sometimes lacked full connection despite raucous crowds, at the Roundhouse she owned the stage through presence, storytelling, and sheer vocal power. Her versatility peaks on the show-stopping “this is how a woman leaves,” delivered with searing emotion and ending on a near-whispered killer: “You have the nerve to ask why I’m not crying / I did all my crying lying next to you.”
Closing with crowd favourite “The Bones,” Morris wrapped her sold-out London show on a high, fitting for the UK finale of a tour that proves D R E A M S I C L E deserves every bit of the spotlight she’s giving it.
