While Ashley Monroe is riding high on the success and acclaim of her solo album, Like a Rose, she’s also excited about another soon to be released album: The Pistol Annies sophomore disc, Annie Up. The first single, featuring Monroe and bandmates Angaleena Presley and Miranda Lambert, “Hush, Hush” was just released to country radio, and the full album will hit stores on May 7th.

Chatting recently with radio.com, Monroe discussed the upcoming release, “We sat and listened to it at the studio when it was finished and all three of us were bawling hysterically,” Monroe said of Annie Up. “It’s very special. I feel like a lot of the songs were gifts given to us. We wrote a lot of it on the road and it’s hard to write on the road. When we’re together, there’s just something that happens. When we write, when we’re on stage, when we’re hanging out – there’s just a buzz.”

Thrilled for the upcoming Pistol Annies release, Monroe has been pulling double duty, recently promoting her stellar solo effort on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and at South by Southwest. She’ll also be appearing with Train at select dates this summer, but it’s performing with the Annies that has truly bolstered Monroe’s confidence. “Touring with them and seeing the fans sing back songs that were album cuts, it’s so encouraging and it really gave me confidence that it was OK to make a record that is exactly me,” she said. “This year I’ll be an Ashley and an Annie, and I’m excited.”