Get ready to have your country music heart revitalized, your fear for the future of country music squashed, and your prospects for country music bolstered by the bold flavors involved in Matt Castillo’s new album.
On “Borned In Ya,” Melissa Carper leans into her strengths even more by worrying less about genre, and more about era, while emphasizing what is quietly brilliant about her approach to songwriting.
Signs point to her being the second coming of Taylor Swift, but your ears pick up on the country sounds and the bursts of sincerity. She’s traditional country and pop country at the same time.
As much as the new name and the new album open a new season for Sturgill, it’s also perhaps the most Sturgill Simpson thing he has ever done. It’s country, but expanded, enlightened, and uninhibited.
This is the kind of traditional country music that immediately sits right with you, that reminds you of the greatness that country music used to be, and that sets you at ease knowing this timeless sound hasn’t been lost.
It’s not Beyoncé, but Shaboozey who has seeded the song of the summer with “A Bar (Tipsy),” and released the album that has shown the resonance and stickiness “Cowboy Carter” failed to.
In one song after another, and in one verse after another, Jesse Welles stuns with his cutting criticism interwoven with sarcasm addressing today’s current events. Welles loads up and unleashes.
Mike and the Moonpies? Silverada? The only names you really need to know are Mike Harmeier, Omar Oyoque, Catlin Rutherford, Zachary Moulton, and Taylor Englert. If they’re involved, it’s probably tits.
It’s not just some of the staggering one-liners McKeon delivers. It’s how he embeds them within stories, settings, and characters that really sell those lines as prophetic, and make you heed them, not just hear them.
Taking a novel, intriguing, and diverse approach to country music—but one that still nestles squarely in the genre and affirms its roots—Chasen Wayne has released an album that will pull you right in and demand repeat listens.
“…and the Southern rock gods from their perch way on high in country music heaven gazed down through the firmament to behold Taylor Hunnicutt and her debut album Alabama Sound. And they were pleased.”
“Fathers & Sons” is far and away the best-written album of Luke’s career. It’s also far and away the most country-sounding album of his career. Poignant, purposeful, heartfelt, and graced by perfect timing…
They may not know him from Adam out on Music Row in Nashville. But in West Texas and parts adjacent, Red Shahan is considered a cult hero, a cooler cat than most, and a songwriter’s songwriter.
With an uncommon adherence to country sounds for a contemporary popular artist, and bolstered by reams of clever songwriting and spirited performances, Carly Pearce turns in an inspired and compelling album.
Jesse Daniel brings a loaded down Peterbilt’s worth of full-tilt twang to this one, and puts all worries about “wHaT’s HAppeNeD To TOdAyS COunTRY mUsIc!” to bed. You want country music? Listen to Jesse Daniel.
Willie Nelson continues to mesmerize with the confidence of his delivery and the exploration of his aged, but character-laden voice. By exploiting the near century we have with Willie, it sounds like we’re listening to a deity.
Yes, yes, and yes. Finally we have a Swamp Dogg album that fits in the country music world. It’s bluegrass. It’s “blackgrass” if you will. And it’s also decidedly a Swamp Dogg album, which means it’s all served with offbeat weirdness.
Years ago an up-and-comer like Jayce Turley would be lucky to cause a stir locally in Kentucky. Now this is the sound folks crave. But it’s only native to a few distinct voices. One of those voices is Jayce Turley.
Taking a quick detour from her towering albums of original songs, the “Pearl of Kentucky Country Music” Kelsey Waldon stops down to leave behind some signature versions of her most favored songs.
If you’re looking for some hard-charging, hard-twangin’, old-fashioned truck drivin’ honky tonk music, Bo Outlaw and Løiten Twang Depot kick in like a handful of truck stop Mini Thins with “Bars – Brunettes – Big Rigs.”
For many listeners, this is exactly what they think of when they think “country music,” and hearing a young man like Alex Key sing these songs doesn’t just fill the ears with favorable sounds, it fills the spirit.
This is the moment for artists like Scotty McCreery to step up and take advantage of the music opening up and sounding more country. It’s the moment he’s been waiting his whole career for.
Hearkening back to a time when country sounded country, and singers were required to come with a distinctive sound, Emily Nenni has released a fun, infectious, twangy, diverse, and career-defining album.
“Easin’ On” is not just another country album. Meech finds an interesting moment in country history to be inspired from, and turns in something different than everything else you will hear in 2024.