Country Singer-Songwriter Steps Backs with Stripped Down EP Release

“sometimes things hit different when they’re not all put together.. not worse, not better but different” – Robyn Ottolini

2021 was a breakout year for Robyn Ottolini. She was the Canadian Country Music Association’s Rising Star Award winner, picked up millions of streams on her smash single F-150, hit the road to play live shows, and started her major-label career. And to kick off 2022, the smalltown Canadian singer-songwriter is taking a look back as she prepares to look forward.

The “I’m Not Always Put Together” EP is a short, 3-song listen that comes in just shy of 10 minutes, but breathes a new life into the songs that introduced her to an audience she didn’t have a year ago.

Here’s what she said about recording and releasing the songs on the EP. “I love hearing songs stripped back & so I wanted to start this year with a thank you for streaming these 3 songs so so much. They hit different when they’re not all put together and I hope 2022 hits a little different for you than previous years”

As a sucker for stripped-down, acoustic, piano-driven country music, (and a fan of Robyn Ottolini) this EP was easy for me to dive into, and replay for repeat listens. Tell You Everything, Trust Issues, and F-150 all give off a new sound, while holding onto the same storytelling and signatures that Ottolini owns as a songwriter, and that earned her the respect of folks like Dallas Smith before the label, before the awards, and before the millions of streams.

With the release on Friday, Ottolini posted this quote about Tell You Everything to Facebook, (I) “wrote these lyrics long before I had a record deal or a speeding ticket 🥺🥺 felt so therapeutic singing it this way”

Hit play to listen to Tell You Everything – Not Put Together now.

Robyn Ottolini – Tell You Everything – Not Put Together

Let’s be honest for a second and agree that a sad song often gets the most out of being stripped and slowed and that’s exactly what happens for me with Trust Issues. If you want the emotion that she was feeling when she wrote it. If you want a look into the hurt. If you the rawness that we celebrate to the point of cliche in country music, it’s all here for 3:43.

Closing the EP with F-150 is the obvious choice, but loses nothing by being obvious. Since the original release of the track we’ve heard it in several arrangements, and it’s still a winner.

The song has more than 20 million streams on Spotify, another 7 million on YouTube (Music Video + Lyric Video) and was the rocket that launched Robyn Ottolini into a new elevation in her career. And here, with the piano doing that heartbreaking work with her voice, and these lyrics, and the sighs, F-150 shows us once again that it is a song that connects with people. It’s not just a track that went viral. It’s a song that people wanted and needed. It’s a song that you can sing at the top of your lungs in the car – or try not to cry along with when it’s stripped down and hits you harder than you thought it might.

If The “I’m Not Always Put Together” EP is a bridge to new music, new vibes, and new stories from Robyn Ottolini in 2022, we’re here for it. Hell, I’m here for it anyway.

Here’s hoping you are too. Enjoy.

Robyn Ottolini, The “I’m Not Always Put Together” EP, Tracklist

1. Tell You Everything – Not Put Together
2. Trust Issues – Not Put Together
3. F-150 – Not Put Together

Note: Before you go, throw it back with us to August 2020 when we caught up with Robyn Ottolini before some of y’all knew her and our round off 5 Quick Questions!

5 Quick Questions with Robyn Ottolini

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Joshua Murray

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