If the country format were about "real" America then Carlile's "Sugarfoot," the story of a respectable man taken down by opioid addiction, would be the No. 1 song on the radio right now. It's a topic more relevant, pressing, and relatable than nearly anything else being sung these days. The emotional heart of the album is its lead single, "The Joke." It is an emotional support system aimed at letting marginalized people in America know they are seen, be they people of color the disabled , or anyone else who feels discarded and dehumanized under the current administration and congressional majority. They are, after all, as real as any other American. "The Mother" explores the sacrifices and joy that motherhood brings a woman , while "Fulton County Jane Doe" looks at the other side of the coin for women by reclaiming the story of a woman who was the unidentified victim of a murder. "Party of One" paints a painfully real picture of what it's like to be in a committed relationship, though Carlile's point of view on it as a gay woman adds an extra layer of responsibility on herself with regard to the institution of marriage. She doesn't take its accessibility for granted. There's a sense of absolution for people on the other side of the equation in tracks like "Whatever You Do" and "Most of All," the latter of which has echoes of the Judds singing "Daddy's Hands" and so much of that hopey-changey stuff the Obamas gave us.