DISClaimer Single Reviews: Brothers Osborne ‘Rock Out’ On Tom Petty Cover

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Brothers Osborne

This week’s country-music stew is about groups and collaborations.

One of those groups, Brothers Osborne, nails down a Disc of the Day prize. Matt Stell & Ne Yo, LoCash & Parmalee, Brad Paisley & Miranda Lambert, Ryan Bingham & The Texas Gentlemen and Elizabeth Cook & Evan Felker (of the Turnpike Troubadours) are also vying for your ear attention today.

Hand a DISCovery Award to Julianna Rankin.

ELIZABETH COOK & EVAN FELKER / “Razorwire Wall”
Writer: Elizabeth Cook; Producer: Shooter Jennings; Label: Agent Love Records
– Snarling, Dixie-fried country rock, complete with super-twang guitar grinding. Whiplash energy and down-home outlaw charm. Cook plays at The Hermitage on June 26 in an Americana-artists’ salute to the music of Steve Earle.

WARREN ZEIDERS / “Days of My Life”
Writers: Ashley Gorley/Ben Johnson/Jon Robert Hall/Warren Zeiders; Producer: Ben Johnson; Label: Warner Records
– Swirling, giddy romance with a frothy, churning rhythm track. An ultra-hooky song.

RYAN BINGHAM & THE TEXAS GENTLEMEN / “Let the Big Dog Eat”
Writer: Ryan Bingham; Producers: Grant Jackson Wilborn, Ryan Bingham; Label: The Bingham Recording Co.
– Loads of rocking energy. The song is just barely there.

BRAD PAISLEY & MIRANDA LAMBERT / “Someone Else’s Arms”
Writers: Brad Paisley/Chris DuBois; Producer: Brad Paisley, Luke Wooten; Label: BP
– Both stars excel on this instant-classic honky-tonk cheatin’ song. The twist is that the cheaters can’t bear the thought of being cheated on themselves.

DAVID NAIL / “Riverbank”
Writers: Anderson East/David Nail/Lori McKenna; Producer: none listed; Label: DN
– Soothing, sensuous and soft, this ballad of enduring love lingers long after the final notes echo away. Nail has always been an exquisite country voice. Co-writer McKenna provides gentle harmony on the poetic choruses.

LOCASH & PARMALEE / “Let the Country Music Play”
Writers: Brinley Addington/Matt Thomas/Rupert Holmes/Tommy Cecil; Producers: Jacob Rice, Tommy Cecil; Label: Galaxy Label Group
– Bopping and joyous. The song’s hook salutes ‘90s country by replacing the original lyrics of the 1979 pop smash “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” with the names of country stars and songs. A must listen.

JACKSON DEAN / “My Cross to Bear”
Writer: Julian Raymond; Producer: Julian Raymond; Label: Blue Highway Records
– This is the theme song of a new documentary film about Rock Hall of Famer Gregg Allman. Dean’s vocal on the ballad is appropriately wailing, soulful and bluesy. The string arrangement is gorgeous, as is the entire production. Greg Allman: The Music of My Soul was released to theaters this week. Dean’s current single remains the dynamic “Make a Liar,” whose video also dropped this week.

BROTHERS OSBORNE / “Runnin’ Down a Dream”
Writers: Jeff Lynne/Mike Campbell/Tom Petty; Producer: none listed; Label: Big Machine
– The brothers rock out on their cover of this Tom Petty classic. Robust, roaring, ripping and rambunctious. Toss out your energy drink and play this instead.

RAELYNN / “Come On Cowboy (Giddy Up)”
Writers: Geoff Warburton/Racheal Lynn Davis/Zach Abend; Producer: Zach Abend; Label: Red Van Records
– Get out on the dance floor and stomp those boots. This flirty, fun tempo tune features her saucy vocal over a monster-propulsive percussion track that screams summer party.

CHARLIE WORSHAM / “Powers That Be”
Writers: Charlie Worsham/James McNair/Jaren Johnston; Producers: Charlie Worsham, Jaren Johnston; Label: CW
– This brilliant, guitar-slinging troubadour is one of Nashville’s greatest hidden treasures. His new single is a poly-rhythmic delight with a personable vocal and some stinging, six-string work. Stay tuned for a star-studded new album in August.

JULIANNA RANKIN / “XYZ71s”
Writers: Chase McGill/John Pierce/Jon Decious/Micah Wilshire; Producers: Jon Randall, Miranda Lambert; Label: Big Loud Texas
– Don’t let the drawling, laid-back vibe fool you: She’s a habitual heartbreaker on a Chevy-truck roll. Highly promising. And dig those celebrity producers.

MATT STELL & NE-YO / “Better Angels”
Writers: Brett Aaron Truitt/Erik Dylan/Matt Stell/Shaffer Smith; Producer: Anthony Olympia; Label: Black River Entertainment
– These guys both sing up a storm on this r&b heartbreak tune. Stell’s robust baritone contrasts nicely with Ne-Yo’s falsetto.

BILLY RAY CYRUS / “You’re Not Here”
Writer: Billy Ray Cyrus/Braison Cyrus; Producer: Braison Cyrus; Label: Billion Streams Entertainment
– Billy Ray is the cover boy of this week’s People magazine. The article within describes the life-threatening health condition that took his voice. He now sings in a dramatically lowered range, somewhere between spoken-word and melodic. The dark, foreboding song features sighing steel over a deep-blue ambiance that mourns a dearly departed one. Haunting and poetic. It is drawn from his new album, The Hill, which dropped this week.

Robert K Oermann
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