Aerosmith and Yungblud- “My Only Angel” (Capitol)
A surprising, appropriately glammy, and thoroughly satisfying collaboration that proves to be a late-in-the-year addition to 2025’s best pure rock moments. At 77 years of age, Steven Tyler demonstrates that he can still out-rock the majority of this generation’s young guns, but you never get the feeling that Yungblud is one of them. The two acts fit together well, and this should serve as a capable gateway for young listeners into the grandeur of the Aerosmith universe.
Kelsea Ballerini- “I Sit In Parks” (Black River)
The continual blossoming of Kelsea Ballerini’s lyrical gift has been a wonderful thing to witness. “I Sit In Parks” is the kind of somber, mature, and self-aware composition that so few of her mainstream contemporaries would even dare to consider crafting. The imagery and subtle emotions of the song are utterly gutting, as an unwed Ballerini observes an expectant couple and wonders if she and future mother both desire what the other has (freedom and motherhood respectively), which then segues into the star wondering if her career choice has outpaced her body clock and cost her the opportunity to have a child. Another excellent single that quietly pushes her career trajectory to the next level.
Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande- “For Good” (Republic)
As a fan that nearly raced to the theaters the weekend that the second Wicked film opened, and loved it BTW, you’re only going to hear great things about “For Good”. Like my assessment of “Defying Gravity” at this time last year, Erivo and Grande once again achieve both movie and music magic on this grand finale performance. The song has already been a classic in Broadway circles for the past two decades, but this new version more than stacks up, gives us a fresh and instantly classic rendition, while providing both singers with yet another new centerpiece in their own canons.
George Jones and Alan Jackson- “He Stopped Loving Her Today (Full Circle Mix)” (Grand Ole Opry)
The Grand Ole Opry has done a fantastic job celebrating its heritage this year, honoring the magnitude of reaching the nearly unimaginable milestone of a century of broadcast on the revered WSM airwaves. There was the excellent springtime network special that reminded music award shows what a well-produced music show really looks like. Then there’s the recent member induction selections of under-appreciated greats like Steve Earle, Kathy Mattea, and now Suzy Bogguss. So, it’s a surprising disappointment that they leave so much gold unmined on the recent album compilation Opry 100: Country’s Greatest Songs, which whittles a century’s worth of archives down to just twenty songs. Nevertheless, this is supposed to be a review of the single, a mash-up of live renditions of this George Jones standard, by both Jones and then honky-tonk heir Alan Jackson, whose portion was recorded during Jones’ 2013 funeral at the Opry House. And as a standalone moment, it is indeed special, and worth the price of the album’s admission alone. But it’s also indicative of what could’ve been, had more extensive curating been done on the overall compilation itself.
Ella Langley- “Choosin’ Texas” (Columbia)
This swinging new single from Ella Langley is arguably the best release yet from the rising country darling. The guitar work recalls the very best elements of the Urban Cowboy era (Yes! There were positives!), and Langley herself delivers a lovely round of tear-in-her-beer despair, while inserting in clever call-backs to Texas greats like George Strait and Jerry Reed for good measure. It’s deceptively infectious as well, and strikes the perfect balance between rustic twang and contemporary country polish. This girl’s got the goods.
Mumford & Sons featuring Hozier- “Rubber Band Man” (Island)
In an unusually quick follow-up for the crown princes of folk-rock stomp, Mumford & Sons tee up their next album, a mere eight months after its predecessor’s drop date. “Rubber Band Man” is a refreshingly sparse collaboration with alt’s comeback kid, Hozier, in that it strips away the band’s signature arena rock anthemia and returns them to a more organic backdrop that recalls high-points from their classic 2009 debut. The song itself is a steadfast and heartwarming profession of loyal friendship, a bright element that is joyously palpable on the surface of Hozier and Marcus Mumford’s vocal interplay. I’m excited to see what’s next.
Joshua Slone- “Your Place At My Place” (Slone)
This Zach Bryan disciple may be happy (and smartly so) to walk through the doors that Bryan broke down for artists of his ilk, but Joshua Slone quickly asserts that he is no copycat. He has a unique vocal timbre that immediately sets him apart from his folk-rock and indie-country peers, and it has a sly way of initially masking the outright bitterness, defiance, and desperate despair of his lyrics on this downright devastating break-up tune. This quality only ends up heightening the impact of the overall story’s emotional wallop, not to mention the mysterious intrigue surrounding the music of this impressive new voice.
Todd Snider- “High, Lonesome and Then Some” (Thirty Tigers)
This month’s sudden passing of alt-country hero Todd Snider was an harsh punch to the gut for roots music lovers. And it was only underscored by the fact that it occurred just a month after the release of his latest record, High, Lonesome and Then Some, which illustrated that Snider was still very much vital creatively. The title track is a classic capturing of Snider’s inimitable quirkiness, clever stylings, and fierce individuality. It’s a greasy but soothing piece of slow-churning, modern walking-blues that deserves to be just the starting point of your exploration of both Snider’s recent work, and his overall body of music, which is as prolific as any of the contemporaries from his era.
Lucinda Williams featuring Brittney Spencer- “World’s Gone Wrong” (Thirty Tigers)
So long as the world keeps spinning chaotically off its axis, we can rely on Lucinda Williams to provide us with some fresh battle cries for these troubled times. For this round, she’s joined by country-soul singer Brittney Spencer, who graces the track with the perfect pinch of triumphant tenacity. So many of Lu’s work in this vein is snarlingly angry and fiery, and while we’re on board with that and can surely expect some of the same on this forthcoming album, I do love that there’s a more celebratory resilience anchoring this performance. It’s more escapist than either hopeful or realistic, but sometimes that’s precisely what we need from our rock & roll, especially in times of unrest.
Stephen Wilson Jr.- “Gary” (Big Loud)
Well, I don’t know the last year that my bingo card promised a surprising musical discovery from the CMA Awards show, but that’s exactly what happened in 2025 as it relates to Stephen Wilson Jr. He’s the underground country-rock hero who was nominated for New Artist of the Year, and brought the house down with his idiosyncratic cover of “Stand By Me”. (For those that were also unacquainted with Vocal Group of the Year winners (!!) Red Clay Strays, the show was doubly rewarding.) This new single perfectly capitalizes on that exposure, and is quickly making a convert out of me. In fact, “Gary” may make Wilson my new favorite musical storyteller. The way he vividly yet mysteriously weaves a story or a character sketch combined with his simple but deceptively resonant vocals and his clever wordplay; it all makes him feel like a transplant from a bygone golden era of singer-songwriters. Yet at the same time, he also sounds wholly unique and fresh for a new era, one that badly needs this kind of simple, authentic musical storytelling.
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