DISClaimer Single Reviews: Carter Faith Rules Disc Of The Day

/by

Carter Faith. Photo: Bree Fish

It is a week of surprises in DISClaimer.

Who knew that Brett Young could deliver a tempo tune so handily? What a pleasure to hear Post Malone and Morgan Wallen singing so gently and melodically. Pop diva Lana Del Ray checks in with a swoon-y, Nashville-tinged ballad.

The biggest surprise is this. In a star-studded column featuring Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett, Parker McCollum and Martina McBride, as well as Wallen, Malone and Young, it’s a baby act who goes home with this week’s Disc of the Day award. You ruled the listening session, Carter Faith

The DISCovery Award goes to Chase McDaniel. I can’t wait to hear what else he has up his sleeve.

CHASE McDANIEL / “Burned Down Heaven”
Writers: Chase McDaniel/Jon Nite/Lindsay Rimes; Producer: Lindsay Rimes; Label: Big Machine Records
– This is a stunning disc debut. McDaniel lays it all on the line with this pillar-of-fire performance. His heartache-on-steroids delivery ranges from an intimate, beautifully phrased baritone in the verses to an anguished, head-to-the-skies tenor shout in the choruses. A monumental musical moment.

BLAKE SHELTON / “Stay Country or Die Tryin”
Writers: Beau Bailey/Drew Parker/Graham Barham/Sam Ellis; Producer: Scott Hendricks; Label: Wheelhouse Records
– The proud-to-be-country imagery is fairly routine, but Shelton’s charismatic delivery of the lyric makes it sound mighty and profound. That’s the hallmark of a star.

THE BAND LOULA / “Running Off the Angels”
Writers: Logan Simmons/Malachi Mills/Peytan Porter; Producer: John Osborne; Label: Warner Music Nashville
– Bluesy, swampy and cool, this conjures a spell with its mysterious, haunting, Biblical images of damnation and redemption. Malachi Mills and Logan Simmons are a male-female duo whose vocal harmonies are stitched up tight. Highly engaging.

MORGAN WALLEN & POST MALONE / “I Ain’t Comin’ Back”
Writers: Austin Post/Charlie Handsome/Ernest Keith Smith/Louis Bell/Michael Hardy/Morgan Wallen; Producer: Joey Moi; Label: Big Loud Records/Mercury Records/Republic Records
– Surprisingly jaunty and breezy. Both men sing splendidly as the track wooshes along. Best line: “There’s a lot of reasons I ain’t Jesus/But the main one is that I ain’t comin’ back.”

HANNAH ELLIS & MARTINA McBRIDE / “All the Women I Am”
Writers: Ava Suppelsa/Eric Arjes/Hannah Ellis/Nick Wayne; Producer: Jason Massey; Label: Curb Records
– On this delightful bopper, Ellis offers a female-country tribute to Reba, Faith and her vocal guest Martina. “If you’re gonna love me, you gotta love them,” because her musical sisters forged her character.

BRETT YOUNG / “Drink With You”
Writers: Brett Young/Emily Weisband/Jesse Frasure/Tony Lucca; Producer: Jimmy Robbins; Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment
– In this toe-tapper, he realizes he can’t drink with her because she’s way too tempting. Meeting in the bar will only mean he’ll wake up next to her the morning after. A dandy little disc.

JENNA PAULETTE / “The Dirt”
Writers: Hillary Lindsey/Jenna Paulette/Will Bundy; Producer: Will Bundy; Label: Leo33
– Totally country. She’s in this for the long haul: Her love will last until she’s pushing up daisies. Her strong delivery is supported by a chugging track with ringing guitars and punchy percussion. This artist has been putting out quality country sounds all along, and this single is her finest yet.

JOHN MORGAN & JASON ALDEAN / “Friends Like That”
Writers: Brent Anderson/John Morgan/Lydia Vaughan/Will Bundy; Producers: Jason Aldean, Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy; Label: Broken Bow Records
– He doesn’t miss her a bit, because he has his buddies Willie and Jack alongside him by the fire, blowin’ smoke and sippin’ whiskey with Waylon turned up on the stereo. Sprightly and super catchy. Hit bound.

ADAM DOLEAC & THOMAS RHETT / “Bar Named Jesus”
Writers: Adam Doleac/Chris LaCorte/Josh Jenkins; Producers: Adam Doleac, Chris LaCorte; Label: Mommy and Daddy’s Money
– This song is about redemption. No matter how far down you have fallen, there is mercy and forgiveness. The quiet, acoustic opening passages are followed by an echoey, epic production that lifts and inspires. Well done.

DONNA FARGO / “You Can Count on Me”
Writer: Yvonne Silver; Producer: Stan Silver; Label: Primadonna Records
– Upbeat and utterly positive, somewhat in the bopping manner of her 1974 hit ‘You Can’t Be a Beacon.” It has been 53 years since Fargo lit up the country world with “Funny Face” and “The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA,” and she still sounds terrific.

PARKER McCOLLUM / “Hope That I’m Enough”
Writers: Jessi Alexander/Matt Jenkins/Parker McCollum; Producers: Eric Masse, Frank Liddell; Label: MCA Nashville
– Yearning and plaintive, nicely embellished with steel, organ, acoustic strings, twanged tremelo electric guitar and brushed drumming. Gently persuasive.

CARTER FAITH / “Grudge”
Writers: Carter Faith/Steph Jones/Tofer Brown; Producer: Tofer Brown; Label: UMG Nashville
– Witty and delightfully bitchy toward a back-stabbing former friend. The uptempo romp has a cute phrase around every corner. She needs to somebody to hold her beer, but she sure can hold one hell of a grudge.

LANA DEL RAY / “Henry, Come On”
Writers: Lana Del Rey/Luke Laird; Producers: Drew Erickson, Lana Del Rey, Luke Laird; Label: Polydor Records
– I realize she’s not a country act, but I just had to hear what this pop queen has been up to with Nashville’s Luke Laird. It’s a very pretty, melancholy, echo-swathed ballad with a full orchestral string section and piano accompaniment. Dreamy sounding.

Robert K Oermann
Latest posts by Robert K Oermann (see all)