This Town Has No Use For You Now

Margo Price “Paper Cowboy”

The character in Margo Price’s “Paper Cowboy” is the epitome of the old country expression “all hat, no cattle.” He’s what the late radio crank Bob Grant would call a “fake phony fraud.” If you take Price’s word for it, he’s a blowhard who only brings misery to the people around him. But as judgmental as this song is, Price still sounds warm and empathetic in her vocal performance, as though she can’t help but feel bad for the guy and wishes he’d be genuine rather than put on an act. The music also avoids a harsh tone, shifting from a soft ballad in the first verse into a groovy up-tempo country rock tune before eventually settling into an instrumental section that sprawls out into half of the song’s six minute runtime. This music sounds far too cheerful and relaxed to be the soundtrack to a grudge, and the song is better for that.

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