# Humble Quest

Humble Quest is the third studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Maren Morris. The album was released on March 25, 2022, through Columbia Nashville. The album earned three nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, including for Best Country Album, while the lead single "Circles Around This Town" was nominated for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.

## Composition and themes

Morris is a co-writer on all eleven tracks, collaborating with Sarah Aarons, Julia Michaels, Ryan Hurd, Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose. Production was handled by Greg Kurstin. In an interview by NPR, Morris explained the meaning and title of the project:
   "I always thought that was such an interesting word, because it does mean that you're grounded and you don't have a big head about something – but I think that for me, over the last two years, that word has changed. I think it means you're the closest to your compass that you've ever been. It's not for public consumption of how relatable you are. [...] I think taking that power back with that word is why I wrote the song "Humble Quest" – how it's going to be an ongoing conversation and journey and will probably never end. And I'm okay with that. We're all just awkwardly feeling our way through this weird world."
The song "What Would This World Do" is a tribute to Michael Busbee, the producer who worked on each of Morris’ previous records and died from brain cancer in 2019.

## Release and promotion

The album's lead single "Circles Around This Town" was released on January 7, 2022. "I Can't Love You Anymore" was released as the album's second single on September 26, 2022.
On November 4, 2022, Morris released a companion album, Humble Quest: In Rare Form, featuring stripped-back versions of seven of the album's tracks.

## Reception

Professional ratings :
| Aggregate scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100 |
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
Sam Sodomsky by Pitchfork defined the album "creatively adventurous" pointing out that "the gentle approach of Humble Quest feels antithetical to the dominating trends of today’s pop music", because in the album "Morris sounds mostly pleased to be herself". Writing for Consequence Mary Siroky find out that it is "a more organic record than its predecessor; [...] attributes both to the no-pressure timeline while writing the tracks and the distance from Nashville" and that the album "offers chances for longtime listeners to enjoy some of the things for which Morris has become so beloved" as of "authenticity, massive vocals, and a bit of lyrical playfulness". Billboard wrote that the production is "intimacy permeates the often subtle" witch let the "listener into different corners of her world" becoming "her most inviting work".

## Accolades

| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2022 | CMA Awards | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2023 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Album | Nominated | |

## Personnel

Musicians
* Rich Hinman – pedal steel guitar
* Ryan Hurd – background vocals
* Greg Kurstin – acoustic guitar, bass guitar, drums, electric guitar, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, keyboards, percussion, piano, Wurlitzer
* Bennett Lewis – Dobro, mandolin
* Julia Michaels – background vocals on "Circles Around This Town"
* Maren Morris – lead vocals, background vocals
Technical
* Greg Kurstin – production, engineering
* Randy Merrill – mastering
* Serban Ghenea – mixing
* Julian Burg – engineering
* Jimmy Robbins – engineering
* Matt Tuggle – engineering
* Alberto Vaz – engineering
* Bryce Bordone – mix engineering
Visuals
* Harper Smith – creative direction, package design, photography

## Commercial success

Humble Quest makes the Guinness World Records for most first-day and first-week streams for a country album by a female artist on Amazon Music.

## Charts

Chart performance for Humble Quest :
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) | 60 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 28 |
| UK Country Albums (OCC) | 3 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC) | 24 |
| US Billboard 200 | 21 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) | 2 |