DISClaimer Single Reviews: Ella Langley ‘Has Never Sounded Better’

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Ella Langley. Photo: Caylee Robillard

Pop influences permeate this week’s country outings in DISClaimer.

The Jonas Brothers are here. So is Jimmy Webb. And the tunes by Charles Kelley, Slater Nalley and Graham Barham sound more related to pop artists than they do to anyone named Hank.

The hillbilly bright spots here include new music from Ashland Craft, Rissi Palmer, Luke Combs and Dylan Gossett, not to mention our Disc of the Day winner, Ella Langley.

The DISCovery Award goes to Sammy Arriaga. He sure can sing.

BRENDAN WALTER / “Pipe Dream”
Writers: Brendan Walter/Grady Smith; Producer: Grady Smith; Label: Sony Music Nashville
– Jangly and plaintive, with a driving acoustic guitar and rumbling rhythm track underpinning his aching vocal. In the lyric, he has a yen to make it in music, no matter the cost.

LITTLE BIG TOWN & JIMMY WEBB / “Wichita Lineman”
Writer: Jimmy Webb; Producer: Little Big Town; Label: Capitol Records Nashville
– LBT has delighted fans for years with its live covers of pop hits. It has collected several of these in an EP titled Scattered, Smothered and Covered. This echoey, lovely, harmony-drenched interpretation of the Glen Campbell classic features its composer setting the ethereal tone with his rippling piano accompaniment.

ASHLAND CRAFT / “Kick Rocks Cowboy”
Writers: Ashland Craft/Jonathan Singleton/Shane Minor; Producers: Ashland Craft, Jess Grommet, Lee Starr; Label: Leo33
– Love the snappy attitude in this kiss-off country rocker. Her personality and sass shine in every drawled note. I remain a big fan of this lady.

RUSSELL DICKERSON & THE JONAS BROTHERS / “Happen to Me”
Writers: Chase McGill/Christopher LaCorte/Jessie Jo Dillon/Robert Hazard/Russell Dickerson; Producers: Chris LaCorte, Josh Kerr, Russell Dickerson; Label: Triple Tigers
– Adding the pop superstars to his joyous, rocking hit country tune sounds like a good move, since this mix simply soars with positive energy.

SLATER NALLEY / “Foolish Pride”
Writer: Slater Nalley; Producer: none listed; Label: Warner Music Nashville/Warner Records
– This teen was a finalist on American Idol earlier this year. His gripping delivery of this anguished ballad was a big factor. Now it’s an electrifying country disc debut. The production is admirably spare, which throws the spotlight on his rasping, soulful voice.

THE WAR AND TREATY / “Whiskey River”
Writer: Johnny Bush; Producer: Michael Trotter Jr.; Label: W&T
– Michael and Tanya alternately swap lead vocal lines and bring their gospel-influenced style to Willie’s perennial show-opening song. The result is audio excitement.

GRAHAM BARHAM / “Buckshot”
Writers: Brent Anderson/Graham Barham/Ryan Hurd/Sam Bergeson; Producer: Sam Bergeson; Label: Sony Music Nashville
– This is country music? Electronic loops and processed, compressed vocals. A heartbreak drinking song in a busy-sounding pop production.

CHARLES KELLEY / “Steal Your Heart”
Writers: Charles Kelley/Josh Kear/Lindsay Rimes/Michael Whitworth; Producer: Lindsay Rimes; Label: Southern Accent Entertainment
– Soaring and scintillating, this has an ‘80s pop-music vibe. Kelley reaches into his upper vocal register on the choruses, which gives the performance a very different tone than his work in Lady A.

RISSI PALMER / “Old Black Southern Woman”
Writers: Kyshona Armstrong/Rissi Palmer; Producer: Shannon Sanders; Label: RP
– Reflective and emotionally honest, Palmer imagines life as a senior citizen while a fiddle saws along and guitars strum in sympathy. Gently warm and comforting.

LUKE COMBS / “Days Like These”
Writers: Aaron Raitiere/Brent Cobb/Luke Combs; Producer: Chip Matthews/Jonathan Singleton/Luke Combs; Label: Columbia Nashville
– The ballad extols the simple joy of a pretty day lived with love. As usual, Luke’s singing is a beacon of emotional beauty. The enduring country truth triumphs again: Money can’t buy happiness.

SAMMY ARRIAGA / “Before the Next Teardrop Falls”
Writers: Ben Peters/Vivian Keith; Producer: Adam Mitchell; Label: Walk Off Entertainment
– Arriaga is a vocal soulman who issued a collection titled Heart In Texas that is billed as “the industry’s first fully bilingual country Latino album.” Seven tracks are in English, and six track are in Spanish. Plus, it contains this lovely, acoustic, Spanglish revival of Freddy Fender’s 1975 classic. The plucking guitar work and sweet fiddle notes plus Arriaga’s heart-in-throat vocal give this an audio eloquence that can’t be beat.

ELLA LANGLEY / “Choosin’ Texas”
Writers: Ella Langley/Joybeth Taylor/Luke Dick/Miranda Lambert; Producers: Ben West, Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert; Label: SAWGOD/Columbia
– She loses her Tennessee lover to a temptress from the Lone Star State. Langley’s singing has never sounded better than it does on this delightful two stepper. Park this on your playlist right next to Strait.

DYLAN GOSSETT / “Windy City”
Writer: Dylan Gossett; Producer: Dylan Gossett; Label: DG
– Wistful and tender. He’s far from home, up north in Chicago. But he hopes his songs will resonate with unfamiliar audiences and carry him along. Written and performed with the panache of a true troubadour.

Robert K Oermann
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