New Adds to Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Current Playlist (#166)

Don’t allow the purveyors of pop to piss in your ear and call it “country.” There’s an entire universe of actual country artists out there offering a more healthy alternative. This playlist is your window into it.
The Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist is built to keep you informed on all the best songs and albums coming out right here, right now in country and roots music. It’s available on most all streaming formats (see below), or you can just use the song, artist, and album recommendations to find something new to listen to. New songs just added.
Newest Additions:
Waylon Jennings – “Wrong Road Again” – Everything feels a little bit more right in the world after ten unheard tracks from the one and only Waylon Jennings were just released under the title Songbird. And yes, these were leftovers, but as Waylon proves with “Wrong Road Again,” even his bad songs were good at his peak in the ’70s. Waylon sounds superb on this track.
Nicholas Jamerson – “Running Out of Daylight” – It’s impossible for any among us to not find the words of “Running Out of Daylight” relatable, while Jamerson also proves his melodic prowess through the song, and his gift for presenting emotion in a vocal performance. The song is from his new album The Narrow Way.
Ladybird – “Famous Band” – This up-tempo alt-country track is fun and clever, and makes you super interested in what else this Milwaukee-based band has in store for their debut album Clementine out October 10th.
Colter Wall – “1800 Miles” – Modern Western music legend Colter Wall has let it be known that his next album will be COUNTRY, and he commences this exercise with this Nashville kiss-off about how 1800 miles from Nashville is where the real cowboy sh-t goes down. New album Memories and Empties is out November 14th.
Carlisle Wright – “Honkytonk Talkin’” – Keep an eye out for country music traditionalist Carlisle Wright. She is the daughter of Big City Brian Wright, and is related to the one and only Alan Jackson. “Honkytonk Talkin'” proves the country music apple doesn’t fall too far from the family tree.
Flatland Cavalry – “Midland After Midnight” – From the recent soundtrack for Landman Season 1, this song was written by series stars Billy Bob Thornton and Mark Collie, but is rendered exquisitely by the West Texas-originating Flatland Cavalry who know how to make a song like this their own. Good country song.
Marcus King – “Honky Tonk Hell” – Marcus King’s new album Darling Blue isn’t country, but it’s got more country sounds, country songs, and country collaborations than ever before. “Honky Tonk Hell” is the album’s big beefy country-adjacent single that will get your blood pumping for sure.
Country Honk – “Driving Me to Drink” – Cleveland, OH’s Country Honk impressed us earlier this year with the release of their album Bad Decisions, and they’re back with this killer honky tonk track that helps keep them in the national country music consciousness.
Dwight Yoakam – “That’s What Lonely People Do” – Any time Dwight Yoakam’s dulcet tones grace a song, it’s worth giving it a listen. From the Landman Season 1 soundtrack, it was co-written by series stars Billy Bob Thornton and Mark Collie, with Yoakam himself also co-writing the track.
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The Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist primarily lives on Spotify, but is also available for those who use Amazon Music, YouTube, and Apple Music. For those who don’t stream music, you can still find the song recommendations in list form below.
CLICK HERE to follow Saving Country Music on Spotify, and/or follow the Spotify Top 25 Playlist.
Please Note: The songs on this playlist are curated for listening pleasure and flow. Otherwise, they are not in any specific order.
Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Current Playlist:
- “Honky Tonk Hell” – Marcus King – Darling Blue
- “1800 Miles” – Colter Wall – Memories and Empties (11-14)
- “Kissing You Goodbye” – Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman
- “The King Is Back” – Luke Bell – The King Is Back (11-7)
- “It’s Not Me It’s You” – Chandler Dozier – Bakersfield East EP
- “Tell Me” – Brennen Leigh – Don’t You Ever Give Up On Love
- “Famous Band” – Ladybird – Clementine (10-10)
- “Wrong Road Again” – Waylon Jennings – Songbird
- “Running Out Of Daylight” – Nicholas Jamerson – The Narrow Way
- “If Heaven Looks Like Arkansas” – Jack Blocker – The Land On Most High
- “Blue Mountain” – Brothers Comatose – Golden Grass
- “Drownin’ In Whiskey” – Jake Worthington – When I Write The Song
- “Tennessee Quick Cash” – Charley Crockett – Dollar A Day
- “Honkytonk Talkin’ – Carlisle Wright – (single)
- “Between The Ditches” – Zach Top – Ain’t In It For My Health
- “I Drink Well With Others” – Sunny Sweeney – Rhinestone Requiem
- “Cicadas” – Sachin & The Porch – Denied Claims EP
- “Ready For The Takin’” – Trace Nixon – (single)
- “Midland After Midnight” – Flatland Cavalry – Landman Soundtrack
- “Blame The Train” – Daniel Donato – Horizons
- “Believe” – Kashus Culpepper – (single)
- “Driving Me to Drink” – Country Honk – (single)
- “Cul-De-Sac Kid” – Jess Jocoy – Cul-De-Sac Kid (10-24)
- “Strangers Like Us” – Walker Montgomery – (single)
- “Never Gonna Be” – Jamey Johnson, Ronnie Dunn – (single)
- “That’s What Lonely People Do” – Dwight Yoakam – Landman Soundtrack

October 5, 2025 @ 8:52 am
Did you hear the new Red Clay Strays single? It feels like a step in the wrong direction from a musical and production standpoint.
October 5, 2025 @ 9:16 am
Yeah, I wasn’t particularly impressed with it. It tried too hard. I appreciate the message, but it got a little lost. It’s just a single though. I wouldn’t take it as some shift in creative direction.
October 5, 2025 @ 9:05 am
Kyle, where’s the Apple Music version of the playlist?
October 5, 2025 @ 9:15 am
This link SHOULD take you to it, but Apple loves to hide it for whatever reason.
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/saving-country-musics-top-25-current-playlist/pl.u-zPyLlJgsZrJX308
October 6, 2025 @ 1:51 pm
The link worked for me – thank you!
October 5, 2025 @ 10:32 am
fuck yes!!! Brennen Leigh’s new 60’s style honkytonk album just released too.
October 5, 2025 @ 2:56 pm
Rosy Nolans “Main Attraction” is one I’ve been enjoying. Along with Romona and The Holy Smokes self-titled album as well.
October 5, 2025 @ 9:23 pm
OH. NY GOD. That Ramona And The Holy Smokes album is so good. It’s such a great mix of influences, honky tonk with some kind of regional Mexican folk thing. Really does justice to both of those styles from what I can tell. I can’t say enough good things about this release.
Rosy Nolan’s On my list to listen to tomorrow. Heard a couple of great songs already.
October 5, 2025 @ 3:48 pm
No love for Cole Chaney?
October 5, 2025 @ 5:40 pm
His new album was awesome, deserves its own review in my opinion. Know there’s so much new music constantly being put out but it has so many great tracks.
October 5, 2025 @ 7:12 pm
I will address Cole Chaney very soon. Wanted to give that album some extra time.
October 5, 2025 @ 10:25 pm
Hey Trigger,
A short while ago I was guided to a YouTube video of a song by a guy named Michael Du,Bois through the comments section.to one of your posts.I was pretty impressed by what i heard and
decided to investigate further. As i subscribe to YouTube music I found he had around 20 singles listed but no albums. Since then I have bee receiving regular posts from YouTube music of new music (songs?) from this artist and just the other day advice of a new album called ” Rise Again”.
I have played it a couple of times and think it is fabulous! As a result I have been searching on line for information about him but there doesn’t appear to be much out there. I did find a couple of posts suggesting his music was Ai generated which I find a bit hard to accept. As I think this guy deserves a wider audience I would appreciate your thoughts and comments if you have any knowledge of him.
October 6, 2025 @ 6:51 am
Definitely looks like AI to me. If you can’t find a physical representation of an artist, all the images they use are AI-generated, there’s a good bet it’s AI. But I would have to take a deeper look to verify.
October 7, 2025 @ 4:19 pm
Yeah and if somebody released 20 singles rapidly And there’s no information about them. And their art is AI, it’s probably not a real artist
October 6, 2025 @ 6:17 am
Kenny Feidler “KOW” needs to be heard. Seen him at Duke’s Indy Saturday night and he gives it his all and is one heck of a nice guy to talk to. He has a new album coming out in less than two weeks. “KOW” is a great song. If you all get into his music, “Cowboy Shit” the live version is awesome and was the other night.
October 6, 2025 @ 6:27 am
Not much into this 90’s stuff or the traditional, but this is probably my favorite playlist edition yet. Trig you are right that we have so much good stuff out there now. That Believe tune slays!
October 6, 2025 @ 7:43 pm
Bloodshot should’ve had an album review when it was released
October 7, 2025 @ 6:02 am
Kenny is as real as it gets, he writes, he sings, he plays guitar. KOW is a great example of putting life experiences into music.
October 6, 2025 @ 7:45 pm
Im sorry RJ my previous comment was supposed to be in response to the commenter above you
October 6, 2025 @ 9:43 am
Really good adds, ty
That nickelback thing, idk, my head says hellll no, but my toe doesn’t quite agree. Country Honk and Carlisle Wright are clear favorites.
Carter Faith turned in her homework for the group project that Maggie calls CUNTry music, with cowrites by Ashley Monroe and Jessi Alexander, smartly.
There was a moment in time seems a lifetime ago when witty, fun songs with max swagger kept me invested in the genre… and this is very much that. The cure for bad bunny is a shot of Kat Hasty and a booster of Zandi, pretty damn sure that Hank (jr) done it that’a way.
Also, Dalton Domino hit a grand slam with Arizona, not 1806 but best since, spin that.
October 7, 2025 @ 4:21 pm
There are some pretty sassy songs on Ramona and the Holy smokes’s album. And basically every single element of it is amazing. It’s like a little injection of the Bakersfield sound kind of energy, even though the type of honky tonk they’re playing is a little different.
October 6, 2025 @ 5:41 pm
What about Carter Faith? Her new album is fantastic. Cherry Valley, Sex Drugs and Country Music, Bar Star, Grudge, and Burn My Memory are all phenomenal.
October 8, 2025 @ 6:14 am
…”phenomenal” is perhaps a wrench size or two too ambitious but it’s a most enjoyable debut by ms. faith. found myself smiling not only once or twice when listening to it. her acting ain’t too shabby either.
October 8, 2025 @ 4:27 am
as always thanks to Trigger and all you commenters, you are my number 1 source for discovering new music!
October 8, 2025 @ 8:59 am
Imagine all the crap he must listen to on his way to these lists…