DISClaimer Single Reviews: Three Share Disc Of The Day

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Pictured (L-R, top row): Reba McEntire & Hudson Westbrook. (L-R, bottom row): Boyz II Men & Lady A

We have three winners in this stack of sounds in today’s DISClaimer.

The uncontested Female Disc of the Day performance is Reba McEntire’s. The Male Disc of the Day award belongs to Hudson Westbrook. The Group honor goes to the pop triumph by Lady A with Boys II Men.

For our DISCovery Award we look to Warner newcomers Highway Home.

Happy listening.

MAE ESTES / “You Can Feel Bad”
Writers: Matraca Berg/Tim Krekel; Producer: Paul Sikes; Label: Blue Highway Records
– For her debut on Blue Highway, Estes is issuing an EP titled The 90s Called, a collection of oldies from the 1990s that influenced her. The songs were originated by K.T. Oslin, Shenandoah, Brooks & Dunn, and Lee Ann Womack. The single is a pert, punchy revival of the 1996 Patty Loveless classic. I’m in.

BROTHERS OSBORNE / “Doors (Sellout Edit)”
Writers: Chris Pixton/Jesse Frasure/John Osborne/Lee Miller/TJ Osborne; Producer: Jay Joyce; Label: MCA
– This pumping thumper uses the metaphor of doors to symbolize passages through the stages of a life. It’s catchy as the dickens and thoughtful, too. These CMA nominees are always luscious listening.

HIGHWAY HOME / “Never Had Nothing”
Writers: Conner Sweeny/Corey Crowder/Eamon Owen/Stanton Langley; Producer: Ryan Gore; Label: Warner Records
– String-tickling guitar work and flawless, sunny, bright, three-part vocal harmonies are the calling cards here. The song celebrates finding the Right One to love. The trio’s EP, No More Drinkin’ Songs, drops tomorrow (Oct. 2).

KENNY CHESNEY / “Remember Me That Way”
Writers: Michael Hardy/Shane McAnally/Zach Abend; Producer: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney; Label: HEY NOW Records
– Rosey-hued nostalgia with a dreamy vibe. He wants to be remembered by her for beach-y romance, not the lovers’ hard times. The vocal is clear and honest. The track is very techno-electronic.

FRANKIE STATON / “Forever, Loretta”
Writer: Frankie Staton; Producer: none listed; Label: FS
– Staton was the driving force behind the Black Country Music Association 30 years ago and remains a vital contributor to this day. The pianist/songwriter quotes The Coal Miner’s Daughter’s hit song titles in her lilting, lovely tribute single. Sweetly enchanting.

LADY A & BOYS II MEN / “I Love the One”
Writers: Hillary Scott/Jonathan Smith/Mitch Wong/Steven Furtick; Producer: Jonathan Smith; Label: 5&2 Studios
– This is a soaring gospel ballad. As you might expect from the assembled talents, the six-part vocal harmony work is beyond spectacular. Christian-pop nirvana. The track is drawn from an album of songs inspired by the TV series The Chosen.

DOM FLEMONS / “Shultz’s Dream”
Writers: Dominique Flemons; Producers: Dom Flemons, John Troutman; Label: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
– Of all the alumni from The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Flemons has stayed the truest to the group’s mission of revitalizing vintage country music. On his forthcoming LP Making American Music, he broadens his palate to include early jazz, Hawaiian instrumentation, blues, and other roots-music styles. The record was recorded using antique instruments in the Smithsonian’s collection. Its advance single is a bluegrass tribute to Bill Monroe’s mentor, Arnold Shultz. It is very pitch-y vocally, but the verve in the picking is infectious. Flemons’ two previous Folkways releases have both been Grammy nominated.

REBA McENTIRE / “Could Have Been Raining”
Writers: Benjamin West/Dave Barnes/Rachel Wammack; Producers: Buddy Cannon, Reba McEntire; Label: Rockin’ R Records
– She’s devastated by the breakup, but things could have been worse. The ballad performance is sensational, ranging from her hushed alto tone to falsetto leaps and full-throated cries to the heavens. Utterly compelling listening.

MUSCADINE BLOODLINE / “Escatawpa Hollow”
Writer: Gary Stanton; Producers: Gary Stanton, Ryan Youmans; Label: Trenches Records/Republic Records
– The durable, decade-long duo—Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton—is riding into this fall with a CMA Award nomination. Muscadine Bloodline’s new single is a slammin’ country rocker about a blue-collar worker up North who yearns for his old girlfriend down in Dixie.

WYNONNA + IRON & WINE / “Hear Me Now”
Writers: CACTUS MOSER/Sam Beam/Wynonna; Producer: CACTUS MOSER; Label: Anti/Epitaph
– Wy’s new album, The Hard Truth, drops tomorrow (Oct. 2) and is accompanied by this moody pop single. The lyric muses about her current state of existence and poetically ponders what her late mother would think of her daughter today.

FLATLAND CALVARY / “Cinnamon Sugar (It’s Love)”
Writers: Cleto Cordero/Jay Knowles; Producer: Dwight Baker; Label: Lost Highway Records
– These perennial Americana faves have a new track that’s an ode to blissful love, set to a rather plodding tempo. A lighter, more lilting, approach would have been better.

HUDSON WESTBROOK / “One Night Wonder”
Writers: Beau Bailey/Hudson Westbrook/Lukas Scott; Producer: Lukas Scott, Ryan Youmans; Label: River House Artists/Warner Records Nashville
– In a plaintive tenor tone, Westbrook reflects on a hook-up that left him hopelessly love struck. Was it a one-time thing or will she wander on back to him? The tune is drawn from his forthcoming sophomore album, with which he’s graduating to being a tour headliner.

STELLA LEFTY & VINCENT MASON / “Something to Lose”
Writers: Grace Enger/Jon Decious/Luke Dick/STELLA LEFTY; Producer: Joe Reeves; Label: Atlantic Outpost
– Newcomer Stella Lefty has “Boston” as her solo breakthrough. She teams with Vincent Mason as her duet partner on this lovey-dovey outing. Breezy, relaxed, warm, and charming. Also: They are dating in real life, making them country’s cutest new couple.

Robert K Oermann
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