The Band Camino- “Told You So” (Elektra)
The Band Camino’s first proper single release in nearly two years is the classic example of a fairly pedestrian song on paper reaching an unearthed potential on record, thanks to a pulsating power pop-rock production, a palpable sense of sonic tension, and a personality-packed vocal. This one’s ripe for excessive spring airplay and streaming.
Beabadoobee- “Glue Song” (Dirty Hit)
A lilting chamber-pop charmer from the Philippines-native that has steadily built a bubbling following as an alt-pop noisemaker. It takes just one jaunt through this track’s brief two-minute run-time and it will have lured you into a sweet, alluring trance as intoxicating as the infatution she’s singing about. By the time the rich horns signal the song’s end, your head’s right up in the clouds with Beabadoobee.
Kristian Bush- “Aready Yours” (Big Machine)
With his prolific quartet of full-length albums released during the past twelve months, Kristian Bush seems hell-bent on releasing more music during his fifty-second year than all of the material he’s released individually and as part of Sugarland, combined. This latest single travels down a well-trodden path in both country and pop circles: a delirious celebration of love-at-first-sight that was long ago predetermined by the fates of romance. Bush’s take on it excels beyond the typical paint-by-numbers scheme thanks to his unique vocal personality and all of the subtle charms that come with it.
Chapel Hart- “Glory Days” (Self-Released)
Despite a recent stint on America’s Got Talent, and the national exposure that came with it, Chapel Hart remain only on the cusp of mainstream country success, but they certainly remain among the buzziest acts on the Music City fringes. “Glory Days” is another quality performance from the soulful, twangy trio, highlighted by a warm and clean 90s-sounding production. The sound of the record immediately had me recalling all of Trisha Yearwood’s classic hits with Garth Fundis at the producer’s helm. With 90s country back in full-throttle vogue, now’s as good as any time for Chapel Hart to score the mainstream breakthrough they’re clearly hungering for. Good on them for not compromising their core sound to make it happen.
Luke Combs- “Love You Anyway” (Columbia)
A heart-tugging tribute to his wife, the first single from Luke Combs’ upcoming fourth album could have easily become the kind of treacly, maudlin sap-fest that gives country music a bad name Instead, it’s one of the simplest and strongest performances the country superstar has released to date, thanks to a refreshing fiddle backdrop and a vocal that stays more tempered and tender rather than going for the glory-notes that we now his bold twang is capable of.
Lana Del Rey- “A&W” (Interscope)
A bold as a statement it is to make given the overall arc of Lana Del Rey’s catalog, this second single from her most recent album, is inarguably the most daring and experimental track of her bewildering career. None of us should be surprised at this point by the stark, bare nature of any of Del Rey’s music, and that’s why it’s so impressive that she can still manage to surprise and alarm us with new material. The title “A&W” is a symbolic representation of an American whore, and the accompanying song is a morose, trippy peek inside the life of a down & out prostitute. When the second half of the song suddenly pivots from Del Rey’s signature confessional alt-rock to a psychedelic trap breakdown, it proves to be the perfect illustration of the juxtaposition between the acts that this narrator commits and the feelings they leave her drowning in afterwards.
Robert Ellis- “Yesterday’s News” (Niles City)
Robert Ellis has definitely established himself as one of Americana’s most restlessly adventurous stylists, with an array of albums exploring everything from straight-forward country and folk of his early records to 2019’s most recent pivot with a full-fledged collection of piano-rock. He follows that artsy and dazzling melodrama by stripping things back completely in the opposite direction. “Yesterday’s News” is a hushed and meditative dip into bare-boned, jazzy folk, which once again proves just how flexibly adaptive and versatile his soul-stirring singing and songwriting truly are.
Nate Fredrick & The Wholesome Boys- “Paint the Town” (Wanda)
Man, what a frigging fantastic slice of modern country-rock this track is; equal-parts breezy and rollicking. It’s difficult to distract from just how eerily similar Nate Fredrick’s voice is to that of Sturgill Simpson’s, but “Paint This Town” finds Frederick and his crackling band settling into the kind of Waylon-esque troubadour sound that Simpson himself was far too restless to fully commit to. Fredrick fills that void splendidly with an electric confidence and smooth swagger that is irresistible. Be sure to check out his excellent new EP for which this is a mighty tasty appetizer.
Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers- “The Last Ovation” (Universal)
This excellent indie band is continuing to give Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness a run for its money in terms of ability to curate the most hypnotic brand of shimmering, artsy, dance-inflected folk-rock. “The Last Ovation” finds Hertler’s narrator grappling with the idea of finality, both in terms of a relationship and life itself. The fear of the unknown that is depicted in the verses is put at peace by a declaration in the chrous from a lover who vows to be there for their partner, no matter how much time they have together. In typical Rainbow Seeker fashion, it’s all wrapped up in a dreamy soundscape of space-rock sonics and vocals that are simultaneously folksy and soulful.
The Interrupters- “Raised By Wolves” (Epitaph)
This is fittingly the most ferocious vocal from Aimee Interrupter to date, and her bandmates match that intensity with a crashing wave of uninhibited ska-rock jamming. The Interrupters are undoubtedly one of the most enticing young bands in all of rock. It’s time they got the recognition as such.
Jonas Brothers- “Wings” (Republic)
The launching pad to the newest Jo-Bros era further expands on the familial group’s signature pop sound with generous layers of their trademark harmonies, heavy synth and electronica effects that briefly recall Daft Punk. It has an atmosphere that just feels like it’s upped the emotional stakes of the group’s music, and the trippy combination of harmonies and sonics at the song’s climax transfixes you before abruptly ending just before the two-minute mark. It’s short length is rather puzzling, but nevertheless effective in leaving listeners hungry and curious for whatever’s to come on their pending LP.
Karen Jonas- “Rock the Boat” (Yellow Brick)
A spooky spell of country noir in which the narrator makes no bones about the fact that’s done living her life in fear of mortality. Jonas’ voice has the purity of an angelic songbird, however she sings with a deliciously devilish intention to create a dichotomy that is so tantalizing. There are some major Amanda Shires vibes at hand here, which immediately makes her a favorite to watch.
Lucero- “Macon If We Make It” (Liberty & Lament)
Sonically, “Macon If We Make It” is a perfect distillation of what Lucero does best: a raucous country-rock rave-up that is as suited for performance in an arena as it is in the back-room of a dive bar. At the heart of it is a bittersweet sentiment surrounding the acceptance of a relationship’s end and one’s admission that you’re the one to blame. The ragged edges of Ben Nichols’ voice perfectly capture this crossroads with a multi-faceted sense of regret, resignation, acceptance, and humble appreciation.
Ashley McBryde- “Light On in the Kitchen” (Warner)
I’m just so in love with the limitless range of Ashley McBryde’s storytelling capability. She can wax sexual politics with frank honesty and maturity on “One Night Standards” or be a flat-out ravenous psycho in “Martha Divine”. She can get down-home and raunchy with the best of them throughout all of Lindeville. And then she can turn around and deliver a tender family-oriented punch to the gut like “Bible and a .44”, or on this excellent new single. The intimacy with which she vocally and lyrically captures the simple things that make one’s relationship with their mother so impactful is so moving, and immediately will transplant any listener back to the kitchen table conversations of their adolescence. This is the stuff that classic country music is made of.
Tim McGraw- “Standing Room Only” (Big Machine)
Dating all the way back to “Don’t Take the Girl” in 1994, one of the major building blocks of Tim McGraw’s catalog has been emotional, heart-tuggers that have ranged from gracefully restrained to utterly bombastic- in the very best ways. “Standing Room Only” is clearly looking to split the difference between those two spectrums, like a middle-ground between 2004’s “Live Like You Were Dying” (of which the song shares a songwriter in Craig Wiseman) and 2016’s Lori McKenna gem, “Humble and Kind”. This song doesn’t measure up to either of those benchmarks, but very few songs do. But this is ultimately another winning performance for McGraw thanks to his humble and mature vocals and a sprinkling of lyrics that manage to express a lot of the common platitudes in different ways (“I wanna live a life like a dollar and the clock don’t own me…Stop judging my life by my possessions, start thinking ‘bout how many headlights will be in my procession.”).
Kip Moore- “Damn Love” (MCA)
It’s no secret that I love me some Kip Moore. And I also don’t really mind that this era-launching single sees him venturing outside his typical Heartland Rock vibe that I love toward a latter-day Keith Urban leaning pop sound littered with heavy synch and loops. I don’t think he pulls off this kind of arrangement as well as Urban has; I think it’s far too monotonous and customer-service-hold-music-esque for my taste. But man does he ultimately elevate it with the husky passion and conviction of his voice. The dude’s got some of the most passionate sounding pipes around and in cases like “Damn Love”, that makes or breaks a record.
Willie Nelson- “Tiger By the Tail” (Legacy)
It looks like we blinked again and Willie Nelson released another album; this time a collection covering the songbook of iconic country tunesmith Harlan Howard. It comes as no surprise that Nelson’s version of the Buck Owens chestnut is an outstanding dose of classic country, thanks to the combination of a timelessly entertaining tune, superlative country musicianship and a signature vocal from Willie, who still sounds spry and lively as hell on the verge of his 90th birthday.
Portugal. The Man- “Dummy” (Atlantic)
Sure, there’s a whole lot about this intended comeback track from Portugal. The Man that lives up to its title with its undeniable insipidity. But that’s also been the main ingredient in plenty of iconic pop bops since the dawn of time, and this does take flight once it reaches its destination as a goofy, celebratory welcome to apocalypse. So, it has that going for it, even if too much time has likely passed for it return PTM to the summit of alternative airplay enjoyed by equally weird and addictive jams like “Feel It Still”. and “Live In the Moment”.
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