GRAMMY-winning, singer-songwriter/violinist Amanda Shires has released her triumphant new album Take It Like A Man. Written and recorded during lockdown, the new album is a fearless song cycle of ruthlessly candid tunes documenting Amanda’s life as a woman, a wife and mother during a tumultuous time.

Produced by Lawrence Rothman (Angel Olsen, Girl in Red, Kim Gordon), featuring Jason Isbell on guitar and guest vocals by Maren Morris and Brittney Spencer, the album is filled with revealing and autobiographical songs that crackle with pain, resentment, longing, anger, and ennui.

Searing with a renewed sense of creativity, and a bonded connectivity with Rothman, Shires gave birth to the new material through her own unique process. She explains, “My writing process is I take the journals that I have kept and go through with a highlighter and pick out words, partial lines, ideas, or themes. Sometimes just a metaphor or something my daughter has said or an observation. Then I copy all highlighted words onto an index card with a black Sharpie and I put the index cards in a box. Then I put the journals in the shredder, and I put the shredder in the compost, which goes to my tomatoes in the summer.” In less than a month Shires had written 26 songs deciphering what had been going through her mind, from 2018, where her To the Sunset album left off, to the present.

Highlights on the album include the “moody” and “anthemic” (BrooklynVegan) “Hawk For The Dove“, the “tender” (Consequence) “Empty Cups” featuring Maren Morris, the haunting title track “Take It Like A Man” which Stereogum called an “intense rumination,” and the seductive “Bad Behavior.” “Fault Lines” was the first song Shires wrote for the album, which The New York Times fittingly noted is “perhaps the most devastating song” on the album in a recent extensive Arts & Leisure profile on Shires.

Following notable shows this past week with The Highwomen in Chicago opening for Chris Stapleton, and a celebratory album release headline show at Nashville’s Blue Room, Shires will bring her dynamic live performances on the road for an extensive fall tour kicking off September 6th in Asheville, NC, with stops in major cities including Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Brooklyn, Dallas and more. See below for complete itinerary.

Since getting her start playing fiddle with the legendary Texas Playboys at the young age of 15, Amanda has brought her boundless originality to her solo albums, collaborated with the likes of John Prine and Justin Townes Earle and earned the 2017 Emerging Artist of the Year prize from the Americana Music Association (AMA). Amanda is a member of Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit and founded The Highwomen – a supergroup she also performs in alongside Maren Morris, Natalie Hemby, and Brandi Carlile. The band hit #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart with their self-titled 2019 debut. A fierce activist, Amanda has eloquently spoken to Rolling Stone and Yahoo! Life recently regarding the importance of women’s reproductive rights.

AMANDA SHIRES FALL U.S. TOUR

Tuesday, September 6, 2022 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle

Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre

Friday, September 9, 2022 Washington, DC 9:30 Club

Saturday, September 10, 2022 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theatre

Sunday, September 11, 2022 Knoxville, TN Bijou

Tuesday, September 13, 2022 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre

Wednesday, September 14, 2022 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live

Friday, September 16, 2022 Providence, RI Fete Ballroom

Saturday, September 17, 2022 Fredericton, NB Harvest Jazz & Blues Fest

Monday, September 19, 2022 Homer, NY Center for the Arts

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle

Thursday, September 22, 2022 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse

Friday, September 23, 2022 Charleston, SC Music Farm

Saturday, September 24, 2022 Chattanooga, TN Songbirds

Sunday, October 2, 2022 Florence, AL Shoals Fest

Thursday, October 6, 2022 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre

Friday, October 7, 2022 Salt Lake City, UT Commonwealth Room

Sunday, October 9, 2022 Pioneertown, CA Pappy & Harriets

Monday, October 10, 2022 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour

Tuesday, October 11, 2022 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up

Wednesday, October 12, 2022 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall

Saturday, October 15, 2022 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios

Sunday, October 16, 2022 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern

Friday, October 21, 2022 Nashville, TN Ryman

Saturday, October 22, 2022 Grand Rapids, MI Pyramid Scheme

Monday, October 24, 2022 Toronto, ON Horseshoe

Wednesday, October 26, 2022 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg

Thursday, October 27, 2022 Columbus, OH A&R Music Bar

Friday, October 28, 2022 Indianapolis, IN Hi-Fi

Saturday, October 29, 2022 Birmingham, AL Moonstone Festival

Thursday, November 3, 2022 Louisville, KY Headliners

Friday, November 4, 2022 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark

Saturday, November 5, 2022 Evanston, IL SPACE

Monday, November 7, 2022 St. Paul, MN Amsterdam

Tuesday, November 8, 2022 Kansas City, MO Madrid Theatre

Wednesday, November 9, 2022 Oklahoma City, OK Beer City Gardens

Friday, November 11, 2022 Dallas, TX The Kessler

Saturday, November 12, 2022 Houston, TX Heights Theater

Sunday, November 13, 2022 Austin, TX Antone’s

Tuesday, November 15, 2022 Little Rock, AR Rev! Room

Wednesday, November 16, 2022 St Louis, MO Old Rock House

Friday, November 18, 2022 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre

Saturday, November 19, 2022 Des Moines, IA Woolys

Sunday, November 20, 2022 Omaha, NE Barnato