Ashley McBryde’s “One Night Standards”

Ashley McBryde relishes telling the sort of heavily shaded, evocatively detailed, grown-up tales that few of her country contemporaries will touch, and “One Night Standards” is among her finest. She’s known as a singer-songwriter who brings warmly knowing personality to her work, but she’s also quick to share credit with her carefully chosen collaborators. In this case, it was her frequent co-writer Nicolette Hayford and commercial country powerhouse Shane McAnally who helped her capture a woman’s wryly realistic view of the lack of meaning and romance in a fleeting rendezvous. The track, a country-rock ballad equally muscular and melancholy, marked McBryde’s return to working with producer Jay Joyce. These playlists are a chance to get to know the behind-the-scenes talents who help her realize her vision.