Don't let the opening track on Ashley Monroe's third album fool you: "On to Something Good" may be full of high-tone, major-key hope, but it's just the setup for the emotional ride you're about to take. The rest of The Blade cuts pretty deep as the country firebrand revisits all sorts of painful heartbreak, moving swiftly between the title track's hushed balladry and grand, guitar-slinging honky-tonk ("I Buried Your Love Alive")—all backed by a lush, big-room Nashville sound.