Song Reviews
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There can’t always be room for forgiveness. And when the time for revenge comes knocking at your door, Billboard‘s got your soundtrack covered. There’s been a longstanding tradition in music of using songs to get even, whether by airing out private details in tell-all lyrics or fantasizing about everything from property damage to murder. In […]
Women offer a slew of top-shelf new music this week, from new EPs from Ella Langley, Jordyn Shellhart and Caroline Jones, to freshly-released new tracks from Morgan Wade and Wendy Moten. Also in the mix are Kyle Nix and the 38’s, Texas troubadour William Beckmann and newcomer Josh Kiser.
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Morgan Wade, “Psychopath”
The “Wilder Days” singer-songwriter follows her breakthrough album with this tale of infatuation between two kindred spirits who find comfort in each other’s eccentricities. “Your dreams are your parents’ fears/ But can I steal you away from here?” she sings, on a succinct, heart-reeling line. She also blurs the swaggering spirit of pop-punk, acoustic country sensibilities and top 40 verve. Though Wade possesses enviable vocal power, here she relies on her gritty lower range to intimate effect. A solo write from Wade, “Psychopath” is the title track to Wade’s upcoming album, out Aug. 25.
Ella Langley, Excuse the Mess EP
Langley brings a heavy dose of hard-driving rock, alongside tender balladry and intimate songwriting, to this project’s compact eight tracks. “You make me wanna drink ’til I’m sick of it,” she sings, depicting a relentless emotional war on the searing “Make Me Wanna Smoke.” She offers slowed-down, moody modern country on the title track, warning a potential suitor that if he gets too close, her heart’s as messy as her home; she later circles back to the premise of being content with imperfection on the softly acoustic album closer “Don’t We All.” Meanwhile, “Could’ve Been Her” finds Langley musing about her ex-lover’s new flame, and contemplating all the ways she would have to compromise herself in order to stay in the relationship (“If I’d just hung around, didn’t know my worth/ I could’ve been her”). Overall, this album offers an all-around solid look into the specificity of Langley’s artistry.
Jordyn Shellhart, Primrose EP
A former Billboard Country Rookie of the Month, Shellhart releases her Warner Music Nashville EP Primrose this week as a testament to her sterling talents as both vocalist and songwriter. Over the course of a dozen songs, she sings of the struggle to live up to the influence of her musical idol on “Joni,” excavates the emotional origins of an argument with a lover on “Who Are You Mad At,” predicts the tide-turning future of a reckless lover on “Maybe Someday You’ll Have a Daughter,” and concludes with the intensely personal and unique perspective of “Near-Death Experience,” a solo write from Shellhart. This project is chock-full of top-shelf songwriting, with Shellhart paired with co-writers including Allen Shamblin, Cameron Jaymes and Barry Dean. A collection that offers immense career promise.
Caroline Jones feat. Vince Gill, “By Way of Sorrow”
Jones’ airy, choral vocal lends a shimmering acoustic take on this song from bluegrass group Cry, Cry, Cry’s self-titled 1998 album. Jones’ rendering veers less bright and joyous than the original, instead capturing a calm prescient mood, the cusp of sorrow shifting to joy. Meanwhile, Country Music Hall of Fame member Gill’s aching harmonies further uplift the track, as do sweetly delivered fiddle and mandolin. Jones, who serves as the first and only female member of Zac Brown Band, includes this track on her newly-released EP, Superpower.
Wendy Moten, “Don’t Give Up”
Moten has been a formidable vocal thread in country music’s live music scene for years, having performed with Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Vince Gill; her genre-fluid talents have also added depth and nuance to a cross-section of collaborations and continents, as she’s performed with Julio Iglesias and John Oates, but also earned a top 10 hit in the U.K. with “Come in Out of the Rain.” She brought her singular vocal talents to runner-up status on The Voice. But here, she offers a more intimate collaboration, on a song Moten wrote with David Santos more than a decade ago. Moten throws a soul celebration and spills with joy and grit on a song crafted as a purveyor of determination and solidarity.
Kyle Nix and the 38’s, “Play Nice”
Turnpike Troubadours fiddle player Kyle Nix previously branched out with his own solo album in 2020, and continues his varied artistic expression with another supergroup of sorts, Kyle Nix and the 38’s. The group is made of Nix’s Troubadours bandmate, drummer Gabe Pearson, along with guitarist Adam Duran, guitarist-singer Ken Pomeroy, multi-instrumentalist Kevin Foster, and former American Aquarium bassist Bill Corbin. Nix and company recently released “Play Nice” and “Another Bad Dream,” both flashes of their upcoming album, After the Flood, Vol. 1, out July 28. The former track is a scorching, bluesy enticement, with a heavy bassline, distorted guitar, and coolly gritty vocals, that dissects a strained relationship.
William Beckmann, “Tennessee Drinkin’”
This Del Rio, Texas, native recently scored a local hit with “Damn This Heart of Mine,” and follows with this song of memories and longing undimmed by distance. Written by Beckmann with Jeremy Spillman and Randy Montana, this song is compelled by basslines and fiddle as smooth as Beckmann’s Texas-polished voice.
Josh Kiser, “How I Get High”
This Tennessee native conjures a seductive country-soul track that adds to music’s romance-as-dependency canon. Here, a soaring melody adeptly plays to Kiser’s vocal strengths as a fervent vocalist, his grainy instrument breaking in all the right places. This track, which Kiser wrote with Kat Higgins and Phil Barton, melds his soulful swagger with a bed of polished rhythms and bluesy guitar.
This week’s roundup of new country/Americana releases includes sterling new albums from Joy Oladokun and Kip Moore, a sizzling collab from Billy Strings and Willie Nelson, a tale of old-school love from Colter Wall and a dance-worthy track from Jamie Floyd.
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Joy Oladokun, Proof of Life
On Oladokun’s latest album, the singer-songwriter-musician excavates a range of deep-seated emotions and scenarios, from unmet ambitions and wrestling persistent feelings of not measuring up (“Trying”), finding peace in a constantly shifting world (“Changes”), struggling to maintain a relationship while battling addiction (“You at the Table”) and accepting and loving yourself (“Pride”). But tying the roller coaster of emotions together are overarching themes of self-growth, self-love and positivity. This album also features a range of collaborators — including Mt. Joy, Chris Stapleton, Noah Kahan, Maxo Kream and Manchester Orchestra — but the star is Oladokun, whose coolly understated voice and vulnerable-yet-hopeful perspective is the common thread in the range of styles on the project.
Billy Strings with Willie Nelson, “California Sober”
“I’ve had years I don’t recall, but I’m told I had a ball,” bluegrass wunderkind Strings sings on this collab with music icon Nelson. Fleet-fingered guitar work from Strings, and a crash of harmonies, fiddle and mandolin lead this light-hearted nod to someone who can’t quite party as hard as they used to, so they opt for being “California Sober” — halting hard drugs and drinking, but continuing smoking weed. Nelson, who is perhaps as well-known for his longtime affiliation with weed as he is for his more than six decades of music, is a natural ally on this track. Nelson just celebrated his 90th birthday this weekend, with a two-day concert extravaganza at the Hollywood Bowl, featuring Strings and a lengthy list of Nelson’s musical companions.
Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, “El Dorado”
On this foot-stomper of a tune, Tuttle and Golden Highway capture the high-flying dreams and wanderlust that lured many to California in search of riches during the gold rush. Written by Tuttle with Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor, this song offers a vibrant blend of bluegrass with flashes of Old West, anchored by Tuttle’s earthy-yet-angelic vocal and the entire group’s ace musicianship. “El Dorado” marks the first release from recent Grammy winner Tuttle’s upcoming album City of Gold, out July 21.
Kip Moore, Damn Love
On his fifth studio album, a baker’s dozen of songs co-produced by Moore and Jaren Johnston, Moore delves ever more thoroughly into his deep 1980s rock influences, with that electric sheen most notable on tracks including “Heart on Fire,” and “Peace and Love.” “Another Night in Knoxville” pours out a tale of a road-weary entertainer looking for love where he can find it. Meanwhile, the twists and turns that come fro his search for a place his heart can land are constant theme throughout the project on songs like “Sometimes She Stays” and the title track. Elsewhere, he turns to nostalgic portraits of childhood fishing trips and hanging with longtime friends on “Some Things.” A standout is the Ashley McBryde collaboration, the cooly romantic “One Heartbeat,” a glorious combo of two passionate vocalists. Each of these songs seems tailor-made for his much-acclaimed live shows. This album is classic Kip, kicked up a notch.
Jamie Floyd, “I Never Want to See You Again”
Floyd is known for writing songs including the clear-eyed ballad “The Blade,” recorded by Ashley Monroe and later Ronnie Dunn, as well as the Kelly Clarkson/Jake Hoot duet “I Would’ve Loved You.” Here, Floyd takes heartbreak and weaves it with bubbly exuberance. “All you ever do is mess with my head/ Always make your way back in my bed,” Floyd deadpans on this track she wrote with Jimmy Thow and Madi Diaz, capturing the continuous loop of dizzying highs and crashing lows in a “good-until-it-isn’t” kind of relationship.
Colter Wall, “Evangelina”
Wall’s applies his gravelly, haunting vocal to this cover of the 1976 Hoyt Axton song, offering a harmonica-inflected tale of a man who returns to “old Mexico” to reunite with his lover. Wall has previously performed the song during his live shows. While the Axton original plays more light-hearted with airy background vocals, Wall’s burly voice and the straightforward instrumentation take center stage, adding more drama to the tale. “Evangelina” is the first single from Wall’s upcoming album Little Songs, which will be released July 14 via La Honda Records/RCA Records.
David Nail, “Best of Me”
Nail’s superb vocal talents are country canon, thanks to songs like “Red Light” and “The Sound of a Million Dreams.” The singer-songwriter shows off his sentimental side on this solo write, about his wife Catherine, as he recalls the man-to-man conversation he shared with her father as Nail asked for her hand in marriage. Though he doesn’t have money or the finer things in life to offer, he does have one thing of even more value — a steadfast love and commitment. ‘I’ll give her the best of me/ If you’ll give her away,” he sings, as his nuanced vocal, layered over sweet guitar work, embodies the passion, vulnerability and hope embedded in the song’s sentiments. This is sure to be a wedding season favorite.
Mya Byrne, “I’m Gonna Stop”
This country-rock gem finds Byrne in a contemplative mode, halting the search for a lover, on lines such as “I’m gonna stop smilin’ back at every smile/ I’m going deeper, I know it’s time.” Byrne’s sinewy, smooth and confident voice hovers above jangly guitars and hazy production. “I’m Gonna Stop” is one of a dozen tracks on Byrne’s new album, the Aaron Lee Tasjan-produced Rhinestone Tomboy, which was released Friday (April 28) via the label Kill Rock Stars. The album also includes standouts “Come On” and “Don’t Hold Your Fire.”
Brett Kissel, “When I Get on a Memory”
Having previously notched hits including “Make a Life, Not a Living” and “A Few Good Stories” on Canadian country radio, as well as his first American country radio single, “Drink About Me” in 2019, Kissel returns with this slice of sweet nostalgia. Here, anything from a rainy day to a the right song at the right moment conjures up hometown memories of grandpas, tackle boxes and heartfelt conversations. Shuffling acoustic guitar and shining fiddle elevate this easygoing tune, which makes the best of Kissel’s warm, amiable vocal. One of Kissel’s best releases to date.
Sophia Scott, “In Her Shoes”
Scott, who is signed to Warner Chappell Music and Ross Golan’s Unknown Music Publishing, lifts up a musical tribute to the indelible influences of her mother in this sweet-yet-sassy tune. Here, Scott details the bold personality and unflagging work ethic, as well as the penchant for good wine and good friends and an innate confidence she learned from her mom. But the song isn’t all sugary; Scott’s also clear-eyed about a role model who has “a long list of bad men/ Holds her liquor better than a bottle can/ Ain’t afraid to let’cha know where she stands.” This is an ace outing from the newcomer.
This week brings more collaborations to the country world, as Tyler Hubbard reveals a demo collab with Keith Urban. Meanwhile, Ella Langley teams with Koe Wetzel. Also, talented newcomers showcase new music, including Aaron Vance, Catie Offerman and Meg McRee.
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Tyler Hubbard feat. Keith Urban, “Dancin’ in the Country” (Demo)
Hubbard has earned a top 15 Hot Country Songs hit with “Dancing in the Country,” and now he’s offering fans an inside look at how the song was made, via the song’s demo recording, featuring Hubbard and co-writers Keith Urban, Ross Copperman and Jon Nite. Recorded in October 2021, the demo features Urban on guitar, bass, ganjo and harmony vocals, while also taking the lead on the bridge, with Copperman on keyboards and programming. The collaboration between Urban and Hubbard highlights the song’s raw verve and intensity, even sans the added layers of production.
Megan Moroney, “Girl in the Mirror”
As Moroney gears up for her May 5 album Lucky, Moroney examines love in light of low self-esteem in this track about a toxic relationship. “He puts her down/ She put him pedestal high,” she sings, ultimately counseling listeners that “you can’t love the boy more than you love the girl in the mirror.” Moroney wrote the track with Jessie Jo Dillon and Matt Jenkins, reprising the kind of lilting melody and straight-shooting, confessional lyrics that made a hit of “Tennessee Orange.” Combined with Moroney’s desolate, gritty vocal delivery, it makes for a winning shot.
William Beckmann, “It’s Still January”
His ex-lover has been out of his life for about six months, but for him, time’s pace is glacial and he’s still centered in the hurt and pain of her leaving. A waft of her scent on an old still leads to a breakdown. Lyrically, “It’s Still January” feels akin to the next chapter in Beckmann’s 2021 breakthrough “Bourbon Whiskey,” as the protagonist’s arrogance of preferring whiskey over his lover gives way to a stark realization and haunting loss. This tale of heartbreak is framed in traditional country-leaning song structures from writer Keith Gattis and producer Oran Thornton. “It’s Still January” follows Beckmann’s 2022 album Faded Memories.
Ella Langley with Koe Wetzel, “That’s Why We Fight”
Langley and Wetzel make for an angst-fueled, sultry combo in this track, which depicts a couple that seems woefully mismatched in every way — but as they put it, “Baby, we do one thing right/ That’s why we fight.” Together, they pulverize their way through each biting lyric, mirroring the couple’s turbulent method of “smashing every bottle we keep bottled up inside.” This acerbic tale marks a sweet victory and is included on Langley’s upcoming EP Excuse the Mess.
Catie Offerman, “I Just Killed a Man”
Texas native Offerman makes it clear her ex-lover isn’t the only one doing emotional penance, with these deftly-penned lyrics that liken breaking a lover’s heart to snuffing out their essence. She also knows word will get around in the small town, regardless of whether the relationship was flawed to begin with. The understated production highlights the undercurrent of resignation and loneliness in Offerman’s bruised vocals. Offerman wrote the song with Ryan Beaver, Joe Clemmons, Jessie Jo Dillon and Benjy Davis. The single will be included on Offerman’s debut album.
Aaron Vance, “Just to Get By”
Mississippi native Vance’s previous release “Cabin Fever” (the title track to his solid 2021 album) began with the lyric “Sittin’ at home/ Tryin’ not to stay stoned.” On “Just to Get By,” appropriately released on 4/20, Vance surveys an array of society’s coping mechanisms — some resort to violence, others opt for golf. Vance sings of leaning toward something more low-key: drinks, smokes or “one of those funny little green gummies,” when he needs to shake off the struggles of the world. Written by Vance with Rich Karg, “Just to Get By” encompasses a laid-back melody and sparse accompaniment that highlight his at-times gritty vocal and his smooth falsetto moments.
Meg McRee, “Mary Jane and Chardonnay”
Singer-songwriter McRee offered up another 4/20-appropriate ode with this track from her recent album, Is It Just Me?. As she’s running down her dreams, she finds a way to unwind with “paper and leaves” and “a bottle of grapes from overseas.” This dreamy, hazy track encompasses shades of Sheryl Crow alongside a Southern-rock flavored rhythm, anchored by insightful lyricism from McRee, Andrew Petroff, and Aaron Ratiere. McRee signed with Hillary Lindsey’s Hang Your Hat venture with Concord Music Publishing, and has recently opened shows for Lainey Wilson and Morgan Wade.
Darius Rucker releases a romantic new offering, Elvie Shane sticks up for the working class heroes, and newcomer Brittany Moore offers a stirring song about motherhood and the right to choose.
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Darius Rucker, “Fires Don’t Start Themselves”
The affable Rucker dips into sultry territory on this track, setting the scene with wine, some Conway Twitty records and effective use of the impressive vocal control and power in his lower register. This seductive toe-tapper of a track is rooted in crunchy, ’90s country-style guitar and is an early offering from Rucker’s upcoming album Carolyn’s Boy, out later this year.
Jenna Paulette, The Girl I Was
From the opening (and later, closing) notes of the classic “Home on the Range,” Paulette makes it clear on her debut album that much of her heart (and journey) resides under open skies and in spacious landscapes. A member of CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2022, Paulette fills this dozen-plus-song project with a step-by-step process of a woman unfurling the insecurities, hurt and pain of a past relationship and finding the freedom to fully express her own desires and perspective with engrossing candor (“I can’t believe I ever thought she wasn’t good enough/ I’m getting back to the girl I was,” she deadpans on the title track).
“You Ain’t No Cowboy” is a sure-footed kiss-off, while tracks like “Stop and Smell the Horses” and “Make the World a Small Town” brim with soft-hearted wistfulness, and “Fiddle and a Violin” cheers the common ground people of all kinds find in country music and a good libation. Paulette is a worthy contender in a new crop of artists weaving their unique perspectives and backgrounds into their music, reaching beyond country music’s well-worn path of ballcaps and pickup trucks.
Jesse Daniel, My Kind of Country Live at the Catalyst
Daniel gives fans a glimpse of his rowdy live show, with his first live project, recorded at the Catalyst Club in his hometown of Santa Cruz, California. For Daniel, performing on the club’s mainstage is the fruition of a long-held dream, as he cut his musical chops performing at the club’s upstairs bar and at one point worked as a stagehand and in security for the club. But on this album, he brings center stage his freewheeling brand of honky tonk country — soaked in steel guitar, sparse drums and fueled by Daniels’ more-grit-than-silk voice.
The project picks up fan favorites from Daniels’ three studio albums, with songs including “Lookin’ Back” (2021’s Beyond These Walls), “Tar Snakes” (2020’s Rollin’ On) and “Soft Spot” (his 2018 self-titled debut project), But it infuses each with the high-velocity craftsmanship of Daniel and his band, and the easygoing improvisation that comes from an artist who has truly learned to listen to his audience each night and give each something special.
Brittany Moore, “Some Mamas”
Indie artist Moore traverses the spectrum of emotions felt by expecting mothers, from joy and surprise to fear. In this song written by Moore with SaraJane McDonald and Stefanie Joyce, Moore pointedly maintains that regardless of circumstances, women “oughta have a say so, because some mamas want to be mamas and some mamas don’t.” The understated acoustics lend heft to Moore’s steely-yet-velvety vocal.
Elvie Shane, “Forgotten Man”
In 2021, Shane’s debut single — the sentimental viral hit “My Boy” — became his first Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper, leading to the release of his debut album, Backslider. Now, he returns with “Forgotten Man,” an ode to blue-collar workers that exposes the heart-aching realities of the working class (calloused hands, failed retirement plans, and the struggle to afford a home as developers race to build condos and apartments). Materially, “Forgotten Man” has more in common with songs such as Hank Williams Jr.’s “A Country Boy Can Survive” than the plethora of poppy, nostalgic anthems out right now, while Shane’s backwoods growl and heartland rock sound sells it hard.
Casi Joy, “Partners in Time”
This hooky love song plays with classic pairings like Bonnie and Clyde (though Joy sings pointedly, “Let’s lock this down without the crime”), as well as country music power couples past and present, like Johnny Cash and June Carter, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. This shimmering pop-country confection plays up the subtle shades of blues in Joy’s voice, as well as her flutter-soft falsetto, as she chronicles a couple’s lives — from a nervous first kiss to a love still going strong after a decade. This former Voice contestant just offered up her debut album, Miles and Maybes, which was released March 31 in partnership with ONErpm.
Taylor Edwards, “Don’t”
This Arkansas native first caught the attention of music companies including EMPIRE and Dreamcatcher Management with her viral hit “Call Your Sister.” This time around, she pairs a slickly packaged track with sharply detailed lyrics that call out a spineless sometimes-lover.
“If you don’t wanna stay, just go,” she deadpans, but spells out the consequences: “You don’t get the right to know if I made it home, if I’m there alone.” Edwards manages to sound both buoyant and defiant, while the song itself is rooted in pop sensibility.
Barroom heartbreak country from Jake Worthington, jam band energy from Boy Named Banjo, a hard-charging confessional from Bailey Zimmerman and sophisticated balladry from Erin Kinsey are among the best country songs debuting this week. Check out these and more of our new favorites below.
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Jake Worthington, “State You Left Me In”
Former The Voice contestant Worthington has earned praise (and a publishing deal) from Brooks & Dunn’s Ronnie Dunn — which is aptly placed, given Worthington’s pure Texas drawl. Worthington’s latest song, which he wrote with Roger Springer and Timothy Baker, is hearty heartbreak country. She’s left for Cabo, while he still resides in the (emotionally shattered) state she left him in. While the influence of staunch country traditionalists such as George Jones and Tracy Lawrence are apparent, he manages to bring his own nuances to wringing the anguish out of every note.
Erin Kinsey, “Always Never”
With a strikingly pure tone — lyrically and vocally — Kinsey conveys the story of a couple struggling to sustain a relationship that’s not meant to be. “You blame it on feelings changing, I blame the dreams I’m chasing/ Neither one of us wanted to say it, but boy it’s never not been fading,” she sings over this dream-pop haze of a track, which she wrote with Sarah Buxton and Josh Kerr.
Bailey Zimmerman, “Religiously”
Zimmerman follows a string of solid singles like “Rock and a Hard Place” with this tear-jerker of a track that finds him taking solace in an old church pew, in a last-ditch effort to soothe the hurt of losing “the only woman who was there for me, religiously.” Despite this artist’s relatively tender age, he brings emotional heft and authority to the throes of heartbreak here, especially on self-recriminating lines like, “You were all about us, I was all about myself/ What kind of man would lose a woman like that?”
Haley Mae Campbell and Julia Cole, “20 Something”
South Carolina-raised Campbell and Texas native Cole forged a friendship in Nashville’s writing rooms, and now team up for this festive tribute to youthful years of fun-fueled late nights, gallivanting and making new friends — because, as they put it, “memories ain’t going to make themselves.” The duo brings a spry verve and synergy that belies the wisened perspective of lines such as “Raise one up to all the mistakes made in the name of being young/ ‘Cause growing up’s good for nothing.”
Boy Named Banjo, “Whiskey Dreams”
Amid the breakneck, banjo/mandolin/harmonica-fueled and seriously wrought instrumentation that has become their calling card, this collective of musicians — Barton Davies, William Reames, Willard Logan, Sam McCullough, and Ford Garrard — depicts a scene of whiskey-drowned worries. “One shot will just stop the hurtin’/ Two will put a smile on your face,” they sing, crafting an enticing invitation to take the moments of nadir and drink them blurry.
Warren Zeiders, “Pretty Little Poison”
Zeiders’ raw, papery vocal rips into this grizzled track he wrote with Ryan Beaver and Jared Keim. For others, alcohol, pills or some alternate vice might fill a need, but he takes a clear-eyed stance that he’s easily swayed by a momentary lover and old memories. “She’ll probably be the death of me/ But damn if it ain’t sweet,” he sings. Zeiders came to the country music forefront on the strength of songs like “Ride the Lightning,” and his latest offers an early look into his upcoming summer album.
Madison Hughes, “You or the Whiskey”
This ambient track, which Florida native Hughes wrote with Rich Deans (with production from Justin Weaver), finds Hughes pondering if an encounter with a charismatic, attentive guy at a bar will amount to more than a whiskey-fueled heartbreak in the making. Florida native Hughes’ delightfully husky voice is underpinned by an understated, yet hook-driven melody, offering high hit potential.
First Country is a compilation of new country songs, videos & albums that dropped this week.
Kip Moore, “Damn Love” (Video)
The title track to Moore’s upcoming April 28 album, Moore delivers one of his fiercest vocals to date on the title track from his upcoming April 28 album, written by Jason Gantt, Jaren Johnston and James McNair. Moore’s signature passionate, blue-collar scruff of a voice wrings every nuance of longing and heartbreak out of the song’s straightforward musings on the illustrious highs and crushing valleys of love.
Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal, “I Am a Pilgrim”
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On Friday (March 3), Doc Watson would have celebrated his 100th birthday. Here, Cash and Leventhal offer a sweetly sparse arrangement of the folk song “I Am a Pilgrim,” which Watson included in nearly every live show. Tasteful acoustic guitar work elevates Cash’s voice, which is both wisened and packed with warmth. “I Am a Pilgrim” is the second release from the upcoming Doc Watson tribute album, I Am a Pilgrim: Doc Watson at 100, which releases April 28 and features artists including Dolly Parton, Jerry Douglas, Valerie June and Steve Earle.
Southerland, “World Without You”
Southerland’s Matt Chase and Chris Rogers wrote this track along with Greg Bates and Jessi Alexander. In “World Without You” a guy muses what his life would be like sans his lover, comparing it to Tennessee without its “guitar town,” or Texas without its signature gruffness. The earnest lyrics get elevate by rippling guitars, shining production and the duo’s smooth harmonies.
Juliana Riccardi, “Right on Time”
Riccardi’s lilting voice and moody acoustic guitar flourishes are an elegant foil for this sweetly assuring song about carving your own path in your own time. “Don’t hold on too tight, and don’t hold on for spite/ What ain’t working out is teaching you to steer,” she sings. “Right on Time” is part of Riccardi’s two-song The Nashville Sessions project, co-produced and mixed by Nick Bullock.
Jenna Paulette, “Anywhere the Wind Blows”
Paulette, who releases her debut album The Girl I Was on March 31, takes a confident, carefree approach to her new single, “Anywhere the Wind Blows,” written by Paulette with Rhett Akins, Will Bundy and Jeb Gipson. Paulette brings a lilting Texas twang to a song that, not unlike Jo Dee Messina’s 1996 hit “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” envisions a range of places she and her sweetheart could set off to, from the Carolinas to Texas. “You be the tumbleweed/ I’ll be the feather, I don’t care as long as we’re together,” she sings in this promising track, backed by sweet fiddle lines and a bed of laid-back percussion.
The Panhandlers, “Tough Country”
The Panhandlers, a collection of music veterans that include Josh Abbott, John Baumann, William Clark Green and Flatland Cavalry’s Cleto Cordero, formed The Panhandlers in 2019 and a year later released their debut album in 2020. On Friday (March 3), they returned with their second project, the 14-track Tough Country. On the sterling title track, they pay homage to the rugged Texas countryside that shaped members of a family for generations, a place “in the land before the lazy chair, power pole, Frigidaire.” The expertly-crafted, softly played track is tinged with both wistfulness and sadness, and an urgency to soak in the tough Texas land’s beauty, knowing “it’d bring a tear to my grandpa’s eye/ Knowing every good thing dies.” The song concludes with a knowledge that one day, more generations of the family will return to the land where their generational roots have held for so many years. The album also includes Santa Fe, a song written by the late Guy Clark, but never released until it was included on Tough Country.
First Country is a compilation of several new country songs, videos & albums that dropped this week.
Ashley McBryde, “Light On in the Kitchen”
Is Ashley McBryde capable of writing a less-than-stellar song? It seems not. Here, the recent Grammy winner teams with equally sterling writers Connie Harrington and Jessi Alexander for this heartwarming track, which spills over with drops of advice about everything from body image, personal safety and healing a broken heart — advice she’s gleaned from confessional conversations held at all hours of the day and night at a kitchen table, a place with food, drinks and a confidant to listen, “where you can do some cryin’ and some bitchin’.” The song centers around the key line, “So honey trust yourself, you better love yourself/ Cause ‘till you do, you ain’t no good for anybody else,” all delivered with McBryde’s warm, conversational vocal. Another ace from this singer-songwriter.
Brad Paisley, “Same Here”
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Paisley returns with new music and a new label home, recently announcing his new deal with Universal’s EMI Records Nashville. The singer-songwriter hasn’t released an album since 2017’s Love and War, and his most recent solo Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper was 2015’s “Perfect Storm” — though he did team with Jimmie Allen to earn a No. 1 last year with “Freedom Was a Highway.”
On “Same Here,” in a similar vein to a few of Paisley’s previous hits (like “American Saturday Night”), the singer-songwriter espouses the similarities that run through seemingly varying cultures, this time with a gentle reminder that people the world over miss their mamas, worry about their children, and pray for peace and freedom. “Same Here” takes on deeper resonance near the end, which features an audio bit from a phone call between Paisley and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It’s notable that the song, which Paisley co-wrote with Lee Thomas Miller and Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith, drops one year after Russia invaded Ukraine. Though the war is never directly mentioned, Zelenskyy speaks with pride about his country and his people, their hopes and dreams. While many will appreciate the unifying statement expressed here, no doubt some fans will still long for the clever turn-of-a-phrase songs such as his early career hits “Alcohol,” “Water” and “I’m Gonna Miss Her,” or thoughtful ballads like “Letter to Me.”
Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally, “Maybe Love”
The first preview of music from Clark and McAnally’s upcoming Broadway musical Shucked, which opens in April, this tender ballad looks at the concept of love as its own separate entity, one in need of nurture and grace. “Might get frozen in the frost, but maybe love is never lost,” Clark sings, accompanied by McAnally’s harmonies. In vocal and arrangement, “Maybe Love” feels akin to classic ’90s country ballads, and offers a soft-hearted, sonic palette cleanser to much of the country music landscape’s more polished current offerings.
Veronique Medrano, “Running on Empty”
In her new song, Medrano is weighed down by bills and heartbreak, but makes it clear she’s got the grit and inner determination to move forward and transform pain into power. “I followed the rules, colored inside the lines/ It’ll never heal this worn-out soul of mine,” she growls, her formidable voice bringing theatrical flair to the track, further elevated by pummeling percussion and sprightly horns.
Tenille Townes & Bryan Adams, “The Thing That Wrecks You”
This unexpected pairing winningly teams Townes’ tender-yet-sturdy vocal with Grammy winner Adams’ whispery rasp here, as they muse how quickly a fervent emotional attachment can descend into romantic fallacy. “We’re running down a darker road/ Where even angels fear to go,” they sing, on a track Townes co-wrote with Kate York and Daniel Tashian.
Channing Wilson, Dead Man
Wilson is known for writing songs recorded by Luke Combs, Riley Green, The Oak Ridge Boys, Chase Rice and more, but he’s also a vocal tour de force in his own right. His stone-cold country bonafides fill his debut album, Dead Man, including the tender “Crazy Over You,” and gravelly, despondent “Blues Comin’ On,” while he kicks up the tempo on the crunchy blues of the harmonica-laden “Runnin’ Down a Song.” In all, with songs like the swampy, gospel-tinged “Dead Man Walking,” the album is a surefire balm for those who like their country music organic and unvarnished.
Conner Smith, “Creek Will Rise”
Smith broke through with 2022’s “Learn From It,” but this swampy country-rocker of a song elevates his gritty, bluesy voice in a tale of passionate young love on the riverside. The track, written by Smith, Chris LaCorte, Chase McGill and Parker Welling and produced by Zach Crowell, is fueled by a bluegrass propulsion of dobro and fiddle, and features plenty of coy swagger on lines such as “We made a blanket out of that sundress/ And the radio won’t even let me tell you the rest.”
Taylor Austin Dye, “Rest in Peace”
Another entry in the canon of country music’s female artist-sung murder songs, this one from Kentucky native Dye offers a slab of sassy rhythm for a tale of a man whose abusive ways are taken down with some old-fashioned mountain justice, with no need for calling the police. Dye delivers it all with conviction.
First Country is a compilation of the best new country songs, videos & albums that dropped this week.
Kelsea Ballerini, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat
Ballerini continues in the recent lineage of divorce albums from artists including Adele and Carly Pearce with her most intimate work to date, a six-song set (accompanied by a short film) that unflinchingly details the phases of the dissolution of her marriage to fellow artist Morgan Evans. This raw project chronicles a relationship that slowly dims from its brightly-wedded origins into cloudy voids wrought by physical and emotional distance. “Mountain With a View” feels like a straight-forward response to Evans’ own post-divorce song “Over For You,” while some of the project’s strongest tracks come with no-holds-barred, lyrical gut-punches of “Interlude” and “Blindsided”–songs that shake loose the last visages of keeping up appearances, in favor of wading into the messiness, anger and pain of loss. The project concludes with “Leave Me Again,” with a message of self-worth not so unlike her early hit “Miss Me More.” This time, Ballerini’s music is stripped back to just a vulnerable guitar-vocal, her voice peaceful and hopeful, like the first glimpses of a sunrise after a long, dark night.
Lainey Wilson, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
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CMA Award-winner Wilson makes this contribution to the Rolling Stones tribute album Stoned Cold Country, turning this Stones classic (which peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973) into a track that transforms from barroom weeper into funky, piano-inflected track, spearheaded by Wilson’s own unique vocal flair. Wilson has earned country chart hits with the emotive “Heart Like a Truck” and wisdom-imbuing “Things a Man Oughta Know,” but here, she reminds listeners that she can rock out just as well.
The Pretty Wild, “Bettin’ On Us”
This newcomer sister duo is ready to go all-in on this anthemic, alternative pop-country hybrid about boldly risking everything when you know the reward is worth it. Sisters Jill and Julia wrote the song with Ben Williams and Colin Healey. The sisters’ harmonies are understated, while production from JoJo Centineo injects the song with a rock-tinged energy.
Tenille Arts with Maddie & Tae, “Last Time Last”
Arts teams with duo Maddie & Tae for this song that is steeped in the culture of bittersweet nostalgia, musing that if the last moment of a good thing made itself evident–whether last kickball game as a child, or the last kiss with a lover–one would do all they could to cause those final moments to linger. Maddie & Tae’s vocal pairings with Arts sound fresh and wistful. Arts wrote the song with Alex Kline, Trannie Anderson and Alison Veltz Cruz.
Joy Oladokun, “Changes”
An early release from Oladokun’s upcoming album April 28 album Proof of Life, “Changes” features the singer-songwriter’s vulnerable voice floating above tender acoustics as she reflects on kinetic shifts, both global and personal. “Life’s always been a little dangerous, but I don’t wanna stay the same so/ I’m trying to keep up with the changes,” Oladokun sings, her voice a relaxed balm on a steady beat. The song follows her previous collaboration with Chris Stapleton on the lush ballad “Sweet Symphony.”
Jay Allen, “No Prayer Like Mama’s”
Written by Jay Allen and Justin Morgan, with production from Morgan and Micah Wilshire, this intensely personal song pays tribute to Allen’s late mother, who passed away in 2019 after a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s. Here, Allen excels at constructing sleek pop-country with an impactful message, serving as a worthy platform for his potent vocal.
First Country is a compilation of the best new country songs, videos & albums that dropped this week.
Luke Combs, “Love You Anyway”
In this ballad from Combs’ upcoming March 24 album, Gettin’ Old, Combs maintains that even if his current love turned to heartbreak, it would all be worth it. Written by Combs with Ray Fulcher and Dan Isbell, the song features lyrics comparing a love to broken glass and ancient Rome, all melded together by Combs’ burnished vocal.
Megan Moroney, “I’m Not Pretty”
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While Moroney’s breakthrough hit “Tennessee Orange” continues to climb Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, her new release is a cheeky, defiant clapback to her ex’s new lover, who seems intent on scrolling through her Instagram and tearing her down. Here’s she continues with the conversational lyrical stylings found in “Tennessee Orange,” as she sings, “Like the Queen of the Mean Girls committee/ But hey, whatever helps/ Keep on telling yourself I’m not pretty.”
Hannah Ellis, “Someone Else’s Heartbreak”
The initial lyrics on this smooth ballad make the listener think the song’s setup is a woman comforting her close friend with all the usual platitudes after a romantic breakup. But Ellis gives the storyline a twist, as it becomes clear that the advice she would give to a friend is hard to follow when it comes to her own fallout from a fizzled relationship. A sturdy, vulnerable release from Ellis.
Ernest, “This Fire”
Ernest offers up a continuation of his previous Flower Shops project, with Flower Shops: The Album (Two Dozen Roses), out today. The whole project melds traditional country with shades of sleek pop-country. Meanwhile, the rollicking “This Fire” portrays the impact of a heartbreak and alcohol-fueled bender, most keenly on the lyrics, “I’ve done it to myself, I dug a lonely grave/ I walk amongst the ashes of the bridges that I’ve made.”
Darius Rucker, “Lift Me Up”
Rucker lends his powerful, unmistakable voice to this cover of Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” from the soundtrack to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Rucker lends gospel overtones to this piano ballad, delivering an understated, yet wisened and fervent vocal rendering that elevates the song’s somewhat generic lyrics.
Reyna Roberts feat. Tayler Holder, “Another Round”
Roberts’ majestic voice is supported by Holder’s gravelly rendering, though their harmonies get slightly muddled through the chorus. Written by Roberts with Laura Veltz and Jimmy Robbins, this slow-burn track finds each vocalist concluding that — just like with booze — they know their limits and when they can’t take another round of a relationship that’s not serving their best interests.
Allie Colleen, “Honest Man”
“You say you love me, I’m calling you out/ Let’s set these plans with a stone,” Colleen sings in this lilting acoustic track, boldly willing to make an honest man of the guy she loves. Her voice is warm and a slightly rough around the edges, a perfect foil to the vulnerability and personal agency of the lyrics.
Michael Warren, What’s Country to You EP
Alabama native Warren’s new four-song EP operates along the same country-R&B lines that have made hits for artists like Thomas Rhett and Jimmie Allen. The radio-friendly title track (and Warren’s debut single), written by Dylan Schneider, Zac Kale and Jake Rose, rattles off a list of potential country bona fides and nods to the genre’s expanding boundaries. The EP follows with a trio of equally smooth tracks that showcase Warren’s agreeable, unassuming voice, including the pleasantly romantic “Another Round,” which namechecks Shenandoah, while “Chevy Shotgun” is nostalgic and bittersweet. “One Beer at a Time” blends elements of a soft R&B vibe as he declares he’s “gettin’ over you girl/ One beer at a time.”