Eric Church- “Johnny” (EMI)
“Johnny” could have easily become a maudlin and heavy-handed mess in the wrong hands. It’s inspired by the nation’s epidemic of school shootings and uses Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” as a lyrical device to grapple with today’s violent and polarized society. Thankfully, it’s in the hands of Eric Church, who has proven himself reliable in this arena multiple times before, particularly on 2017’s “Why Not Me”, the still unreleased song he wrote after the Route 91 massacre. Brash as he can be, Chief knows when to reign it in and he delivers this narrative with the authenticity and emotion of a man who has trouble understanding the world we’re living in, from the perspective of a citizen, but especially from that of a parent. The heavy soul production of Evangeline vs the Machine is still present here on the album’s most restrained moment, but it wisely picks its spots and only adds to the emotional weight of the track.
Luke Combs- “15 Minutes” (Sony)
Arguably his best rendition of stone-cold country storytelling to date, “15 Minutes” is told from the perspective of a man serving a life sentence making his weekly prison phone call to his mother. Similar to Outlaws like Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard generations ago, Combs’ tender and humble performance brings humanity and empathy to a sector of the population that is usually lumped into one, derogatory box. Performances like these are why Combs promises to go the distance in terms of building his own country legacy, long after the hits dry up.
Olivia Dean- “Man I Need” (Capitol)
An illuminating pop-soul gem that is deserving of every bit of the runaway, viral success that it has achieved in recent months. Dean impressively displays her ability to balance crystalline vocals that recall great classic voices of the past, with earworm confectionary skills that recall great classic hitmakers of the past. It’s smooth as silk and catchy as a virus; we may very well have a new source for both smash anthems and fresh soul revivalism on our hands.
Demi Lovato- “Fast” (Island)
“Fast” finds Demi Lovato’s affinity for pop hooks and dance beats raised from the dead, three years after she held a funeral for that phase of her career, as she pivoted toward a more rock-oriented on 2022’s Holy Fvck. I enjoy both iterations of Demi, but there’s no doubt that dance-pop is her ultimate wheelhouse, and she further proves it on this seductive, pulsating electropop orgy. This sounds straight out of 2012 in the best ways, even if it doesn’t immediately register on the same infection scale as past peaks like “Cool For the Summer” or “Sorry Not Sorry”.
Megan Moroney- “6 Months Later” (Sony)
Look, Megan Moroney certainly has a lot of work to do in terms of upping her live performance game, and it’s a problem that she needs to get ahead of yesterday. In terms of her recorded output however, she and producer Kristian Bush have certainly found a way to maximize her strengths. That’s not me calling her a “studio creation” or excusing her if she was one; it’s just simply stating that this is one of the year’s most enjoyable studio slices of country-pop. Her lyrical skills are sharp, Bush’s sparkling production is on point, and the sardonic dead-pannery of her limited but tuned range actually services the song splendidly. I’ll still be skipping her concert for now (remember that Taylor Swift’s own live-singing trajectory is proof that these things can course-correct), but I certainly won’t be skipping this track when it comes on my playlist.
Charlie Puth- “Changes” (Atlantic)
The first taste of Charlie Puth’s forthcoming spring LP is a bit of a slow grower, but a grower nonetheless. Nearly a decade into his pop hit-parade, the song finds Puth reckoning with the changing winds in his life and career, first to a lilting cloud of whispering pop beats, before bursting into a cacophony of contagion on the chorus. The bright piano bridge adds some nice texture, recalling 80s-era Bruce Hornsby, and it sends the song into a well-built and thoroughly enjoyable crescendo.
Red Clay Strays- “People Hatin'” (RCA)
A thrilling, fire-breathing barn-burner from the modern act who has unequivocally cornered the market on such fare. Brandon Coleman’s voice is in its most commanding sphere, the sing-along nature of the chorus is low-key one of the best pure pop hooks of the year, and the band lets loose with fearless abandon on the kind of rock jamming that used to define the airwaves in a bygone time. Meanwhile, the subject matter finds the Strays fed up with all of the sociopolitical polarization and division in today’s society. This era of music has, unfortunately out of necessity, been loaded with songs that address this problem. The Strays’ exercise in this realm, despite all of its ferocity, will unfortunately fail to change things just like its predecessors. But damn, if this isn’t the most exhilarating musical assessment of the problem thus far. There are zero things to hate here.
Maggie Rose & Grace Potter- “Poison In My Well” (One Riot)
Two of the present day’s very best, and most criminally overlooked, female forces unite and it comes as no surprise that it’s absolutely divine to hear. For those of you bemoaning the extinction of great female singers in the rock and soul fields, “Poison In My Well” should give you great comfort, and prove that you just weren’t looking hard enough. These two distinctively special voices blend so seamlessly well, and their unified take-down of a toxic lover is both stinging and triumphant.
Taylor Swift- “The Fate of Ophelia” (Republic)
The lead single from The Life of a Showgirl is both haunting and catchy as all get-out. The Shakespearean literary references will be an extra little treat to chew on for those listeners that are into that sort of thing. Everyone else meanwhile will simply be entranced by the alluring nature of both Swift’s vocals and the kaleidoscopic Max Martin/Shellback production that sprinkles in everything from synth and funk to country steel and Omnichord magic. This is easily her most obvious pop home-run since at least “Anti-Hero”, and probably further back, and there’s plenty of others waiting in the Showgirl bullpen as well.
Tame Impala- “Dracula” (Columbia)
Let it be noted that “The Dead Dance” is not the only new Halloween standard added to the pop music lexicon this season. Featured on their new record, Deadbeat, “Dracula” has all the very best hypnotic tendencies of Tame Impala’s best-known moments, but the song’s spooky storyline brings out new, and even more ethereal elements of both Kevin Parker’s production, and especially his vocals. It’s a chilling good time that sends shivers down your spine, while also demanding you to dance.
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