DISClaimer Single Reviews: Luke Bryan & Luke Combs Team For Disc Of The Day

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Luke Combs & Luke Bryan. Photo: Courtesy of MCA

DISClaimer is visited by three Country Music Hall of Famers this week, Randy, Vince and the Oaks.

They’re joined by a bevy of new country stars, and who could deny the Luke-and-Luke show? Luke Bryan and Luke Combs cart off a Disc of the Day award, despite heavy competition from Warren Zeiders, Randy Travis, Mackenzie Carpenter and the Jackson Dean & Laci Kaye Booth duet.

This week’s DISCovery Award goes to Sunny Black.

LEE BRICE & VINCE GILL / “Never Meet Your Heroes”
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Label: Curb Records
– An ode to Lee’s hero, his selfless, steadfast, good-guy grandfather. Vince’s harmony is, of course, celestial. The beautifully spare production is rhythmically innovative and intriguing.

LITTLE BIG TOWN / “The Idea”
Writers: Lauren Hungate/Liz Rose/Tofer Brown; Producer: Gena Johnson, Karen Fairchild; Label: MCA
– Beautifully sad. The relationship is dead, and the singers softly croon its epitaph. This one’s for anyone who has ever experienced the pain of divorce.

PYNK BEARD / “On My Hood (I’d GIve It All for Love)”
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Label: PB
– This man is a star. I hope somebody on Music Row has been paying attention while Pynk Beard and his band have been blowing the roof off of the America’s Got Talent TV stage with this and “Mine Lord Willing” for the past couple of weeks. He’s not making it to the show’s finale, but surely these rousing, full-throated performances will bring him the fame he deserves. 

DUSTIN LYNCH / “Made In a Bottle”
Writers: Geoff Warburton/Jesse Frasure/Mark Holman; Producer: Zach Crowell; Label: BBR Music Group/BMG
– This chugging country rocker is a big fave at his concerts. It is also the lead single and opening track of his forthcoming album. Energetic and celebratory.

JACKSON DEAN & LACI KAYE BOOTH / “The Moon and the Wolf”
Writers: Chris Tompkins/Jessie Jo Dillon/Luke Dick; Producer: Luke Dick; Label: Blue Highway Records
– Haunting and lonesome. Alone at midnight with only your thoughts for company. Booth’s ethereal voice contrasts and harmonizes beautifully with Dean’s echoey moans.

LUKE BRYAN & LUKE COMBS / “Finders Keepers”
Writers: Beau Bailey/Jimi Bell/Sam Ellis; Producer: none listed; Label: MCA
– The mighty Combs pushes Bryan to his finest vocal to date on this wailing country rocker with its honky-tonk hallelujah lyric. A dynamite duet.

BELLAH MAE / “Gimme Gimme”
Writers: Bellah Mae/Janeva Burrill; Producers: Brett Truitt, JANEVA; Label: Sony Music Nashville
– Processed vocal. Electronic track. Pop production. Throw-away lyrics.

RANDY TRAVIS / “Same Old Way”
Writers: Kyle Lehning/Randy Travis; Producer: Kyle Lehning; Label: Warner Records Nashville
– Another discovery from the vault of previously unreleased unissued performances. This is the best one yet, a dreamy, aching, bluesy heartache tune that the Hall of Famer sings with soft resignation and steamy soul. A slam-dunk brilliant single.

MACKENZIE CARPENTER / “Kinda Want Your Man”
Writers: Chris Tompkins/Jamie Moore/Jonathan Hutcherson/Mackenzie Carpenter; Producer: Jamie Moore; Label: Big Machine Records
– She’s sultry and blurry boozy-woozy on this dreamy, languid ballad. She’s looped and relaxed while she contemplates temptation with someone else’s guy. The gentle backup vocals at the fade are enchanting, too.

THE OAK RIDGE BOYS / “Buried Treasure”
Writer: Aaron Raitiere; Producer: Anderson East; Label: Lightning Rod Records
– This is the title tune and theme song of a collection of classic songs (due Oct. 30) by the durable quartet. It’s kinda plodding and draggy, plus there isn’t nearly enough four-part harmony singing. The Oaks will be appearing on the Opry for the next three nights (Sept. 3-5).

VINNY TOVAR / “Yellow Roses”
Writers: Alyssa Micaela/Gerardo DeLeon Jr./Vicente Andres Tovar/Victor Badillo; Producer: Stormy Cooper, Will Braun; Label: Azteca Ranch Music
– Solidly country. A smoothly rolling heartache tune wherein he’s begging for one last chance by bringing posies. The longer he sings, the more you love it.

WARREN ZEIDERS / “Looks Good On You”
Writers: Ben Johnson/Jon Robert Hall/KK Johnson/Sam Backoff/Warren Zeiders; Producers: Ben Johnson, KK Johnson; Label: Warner Records
– He is utterly and passionately besotted with her beauty. She’s pulling him in while she’s letting him go. “Even leaving looks good on you,” he sings as he tears into the soaring choruses.

SUNNY BLACK / “Turn on the Radio”
Writers: Cole Miracle/Sam Martinez/Sunny Black; Producer: Sam Martinez; Label: P2026
– He’s been on the road opening shows for Jelly Roll. Black’s new single is a charming, jaunty, hillbilly toe tapper addressing his aspirations of making it big in country music, even though he’s no “Okie From Muskogee” or a “No-Show Jones.”

Robert K Oermann
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