Nathaniel Rateliff and Margo Price Tease Their CMT Crossroads Debut with Soulful Performance of “Say It Louder”

Margo Price joins Nathaniel Rateliff—backed by both her band and his longtime outfit the Nights Sweats—for an upcoming episode of CMT Crossroads. The show, premiering Friday, March 26 marks the first appearance for both artists on the Crossroads stage, which resumes production for the first time since Halsey & Kelsea Ballerini’s episode premiered in March 2020.

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CMT Crossroads is widely celebrated for illuminating the far-reaching roots of country music by pairing country artists with musicians from other genres. Each episode features a different set of artists playing together, swapping stories and sharing their common love of music. Price and Rateliff are an exemplary set—both artists respectively rule their emerging corners of genre-bending roots-centric music. This isn’t the first time their paths have crossed —Farm Aid, The Outlaw Fest, Newport Folk, and beyond. But this intimate stage pairing on the Crossroads stage is pivotal. 

“Our first chance to hang together was on Willie Nelson’s bus at Farm Aid,” Rateliff recalls of his first encounter with Price. “Ever since this I have loved watching her and the band play. She is a hell of a performer and songwriter.”

Price echoed the sentiment, citing she and Rateliff’s experiences sitting in to sing with Nelson and his son, Lukas. She adds, “but we have never sang together on our own material. I’m really looking forward to collaborating after all this time.” 

Both Price and Rateliff hail from the Midwest. Each bear their miles to and from Nashville with gritted determination after arduous journeys to their respective arrivals. To herald the announcement, the complementary Americana duo shares a galvanizing performance of “Say It Louder” from Rateliff’s 2018 album, Tearing at the Seams. Price shapes his soulful refrain with arching harmonies—further the resounding message. She steps in for the second verse, commanding the stage as her own, delivering his lyrics with unmistakably brazen vocal talent. 

CMT Crossroads: Nathaniel Rateliff and Margo Price will air March 26 at 10 p.m. ET. Watch their soulful performance of “Say It Louder,” below. 

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Morgan Wade

Morgan Wade: Reckless, Tattooed & True