Happy New Year from the land of country music.

Today’s DISClaimer is a guidepost of what’s ahead for this genre, since it features three first-timers, Ryan Griffin, Channing Wilson and Myron Elkins. Also along for the ride this week are such promising young folks as Brittney Spencer and Brandon Ratcliff, both of whom are readying debut albums. The DISCovery Award goes to the mighty voiced Channing Wilson.

As for our established headliners, a tip of the hat to Old Dominion, Shania Twain, Kenny Chesney, Charles Kelley and Parker McCollum. Not to mention the Disc of the Day winner, Ashley McBryde. Her Lindeville collection is a stunner, and her collaboration with Caylee Hammack and Pillbox Patti is a pure delight.

On behalf of all these talented folks, here’s a toast to a grand 2023.

BRITTNEY SPENCER / “Better As Friends”
Writers: Brittney Spencer/Hailey Whitters; Producer: Daniel Tashian; Label: Elektra
–Very cool. The song is a dandy piece of songwriting craftsmanship. The track boasts jaunty rhythm, acoustic instrumental accents and an admirably catchy groove. Then there’s her vocal, which is packed with personality and conversational asides. A winner.

OLD DOMINION / “Memory Lane”
Writers: Matthew Ramsey/Trevor Rosen/Brad Tursi/Jessie Jo Dillon; Producers: Old Dominion/Shane McAnally Label: Arista
–The onrushing energy is breathtaking. The vocal performances are stellar. The song is beyond hooky. The Group of the Year strikes again. Play this at once.

RYAN GRIFFIN / “Salt, Lime & Tequila”
Writers: Ava Suppelsa/Ryan Griffin/Jason Massey; Producer: Jason Massey; Label: Red Street
–This fellow is the flagship artist on the new Jay DeMarcus label. He has country charm, boyish grins and good vibes to spare as he advises taking life with a grain of salt….. lime and you-know-what. An engaging summery smile for a winter’s day.

PARKER McCOLLUM / “Stoned”
Writers: Parker McCollum/Brett James/Mark Holman; Producer: Jon Randall; Label: MCA Nashville
–“Handle On You” remains the single, but this gripping track is a keeper, too. As always, McCollum delivers the goods as a solidly country singer. The track crashes and pounds around him as he wails about staying blotto until he’s over her.

CHANNING WILSON / “Sunday Morning Blues”
Writers: Channing Wilson/Chris Canterbury; Producer: Dave Cobb; Label: Low Country Sound
–Wilson is an established Music Row writer, with cuts by The Oaks, Travis Tritt, Luke Combs (”She Got the Best of Me”), Robert Randolph & The Family, Jerry Jeff Walker and more. As an artist, he sings in a resonant baritone with a touch of tremelo and a whole lot of heart. While a steel sighs, he delivers a masterful performance of a classic country weeper. Somewhere a choir is singing “Just As I Am” and “When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder,” but he’s cracking open another beer. I hung on every line. You will, too.

KENNY CHESNEY / “Da Ruba Girl”
Writer: Kenny Chesney; Producers: Kenny Chesney/Buddy Cannon; Label: Warner/Blue Chair
–Kenny busts out a ukulele to accompany himself on this ditty in praise of his doggies. Ya gotta love it.

ASHLEY McBRYDE, CAYLEE HAMMACK & PILLBOX PATTI / “Brenda Put Your Bra On”
Writers: Ashley McBryde/Brandy Clark/Benjy Dvis/Connie Harrington/Nicolette Hayford/Aaron Raitiere; Producer: John Osborne; Label: Warner
–Howlingly good. White-trash domestic upheaval depicted with wit, sass and salt. The storytelling talent, funny-bone tickling and vocal panache in this are all beyond great. McBryde rules!

SHANIA TWAIN / “Giddy Up!”
Writers: David Stewart/Jessica Agombar/Romans/Shania Twain; Producer: David Stewart; Label: Republic Nashville
–Shania heads out on the country dance floor, sliding to the left and sliding to the right as she unleashes this ridiculously catchy, bopping, punchy and delightful ditty. Get ready for her comeback album, titled Queen of Me, dropping next month.

MYRON ELKINS / “Factories, Farms & Amphetamines”
Writer: Myron Elkins; Producer: Dave Cobb; Label: Elektra/Low Country Sounds
–The title track of Elkins’ album (due Jan. 13), is a bruising country rocker delivered in an urgent, blue-eyed soul roar. It’s a gritty word portrait of folks in a dead-end town that’s kinda hair-raising. The mix is a little muddy for my taste, but this shows real promise. Looking forward to more.

CHARLES KELLEY / “As Far As You Could”
Writers: Charles Kelley/Dave Haywood/Jimmy Robbins; Producers: Dave Haywood/Jimmy Robbins; Label: Big Machine
–Deeply moving and nakedly confessional, this is Kelley’s farewell letter to alcohol. The track is guided by his bandmate Haywood’s piano while the Lady A singer stretches into his upper vocal range to convey the tale of something that led him at first to high times and then to darkest lows. Heart stopping. Powerful.

BRANDON RATCLIFF / “Drove Me Country”
Writers: Brandon Ratcliff/Pete Good/AJ Babcock/Shane McAnally; Producers: Pete Good/AJ Babcock; Label: Monument
–One of my most anticipated albums of the new year drops tomorrow (Jan. 6). It’s Tale of Two Towns by Brandon Ratcliff, and this is its latest advance track. He’s a terrific singer, and this snappy, strummed ballad is a superb showcase of his skills. Big-city life has got him down, so he’s headed back to his Louisiana roots. I remain an enormous fan of this newcomer. He’s all heart and soul.

Unlike county music, the Americana field is brimming with female headliners.

This edition of DISClaimer spotlights seven of them–Joy Oladokun, Larkin Poe, Sierra Ferrell, Michelle Branch, Karen Waldrup, Nicolle Galyon and Kelsey Waldon. Waldrup is probably the best singer of the bunch, and Branch has the best production. Galyon has the songwriting chops, and Larkin Poe rocks hardest.

Mind you, there are male contenders, too, notably Nathaniel Rateliff, Devon Gilfillian, Sam Bush, The Milk Carton Kids and the Lone Bellow.

The easiest choice to make is the DISCovery Award. That’s a tossup, shared by Devon Gilfillian and Sierra Ferrell, two Nashville artists who demonstrate how diverse Music City’s sounds are.

Our songwriting community has produced few talents as bright as Nicolle Galyon. In a highly competitive stack of sounds, she wins the Disc of the Day.

THE LONE BELLOW / “Unicorn”
Writers: Zach Williams/Trent Dabbs/Brian Elmquist; Producers: Brian Elmquist/Jacob Sooter; Label: Dualtone
–Enchanting. Lead singer Zach Williams croons an echoey love lyric that swoons with cloud-like beauty. You’ll find this gorgeous gem on the band’s new Love Songs for Losers Collection. And you should. At once.

JORDY & JOY OLADOKUN / “I Get High”
Writers: none listed; Producer: Drew Polovick; Label: 300 Entertainment
–Rising pop artist Jordy teams with Americana star Oladokun as his collaborator on this new version of his elegant, escapist stoner anthem. Multiple sonic layers pile sound on sound as they swirl in tune. Joy Oladokun performed at the White House on Tuesday to celebrate President Biden signing the Respect for Marriage Act (as did Cyndi Lauper and Sam Smith). Oladokun also dropped a new single this week. It’s a dramatic anthem called “Power” from the soundtrack of an Al Sharpton documentary.

SIERRA FERRELL / “Hey Me, Hey Mama”
Writers: Ray Charles/Jack Lamontagne; Producer: none listed; Label: Rounder
–I’m still waiting for her sophomore album to drop. In the meantime, this jaunty, bluesy, acoustic performance will have to do. Sierra has haunted me all year long. She’s playing a hometown show at Brooklyn Bowl on New Year’s Eve. If you’ve never seen her live, I urge you to do so. She’s a superb showoman, just as dynamic on stage as she is on records. Also, Ferrell is on the bill of “Hello From the Hills,” an all-star Kentucky benefit concert at City Winery on Jan. 7.

DEVON GILFILLIAN / “Let the Water Flow”
Writers: Devon Gilfillian/Ran Jackson/Henry Brill; Producer: Jeremy Lutitio; Label: Fantasy
–This Nashvillian first attracted my attention with his audacious re-recording of Marvin Gaye’s masterpiece What’s Going On. He has also emerged as a champion of social justice. “Let the Water Flow” was issued to coincide with our recent mid-term elections. It’s a soulful plea for voting rights and true democracy. The slow, deliberate ballad depicts Georgia folks standing and suffering for hours, just to cast a vote. A gospel organ and choir gradually come into the mix, lending the track extra power.

SAM BUSH / “Radio John”
Writers: Sam Bush/John Pennell; Producer: none listed; Label: Smithsonian Folkways
–This is the title tune of a tribute CD to the late John Hartford. Bush and band kick up serious instrumental dust while the singer-songwriter wails the lyric reflecting Hartford’s biography and music. Joyous, dazzling and pulse-quickening.

KELSEY WALDON / ”Sweet Little Girl”
Writer: Kelsey Waldon; Producer: Shooter Jennings; Label: Oh Boy
–The Washington Post has declared that Kelsey Waldon’s current No Regular Dog collection is “this year’s best country album.” Her single from it is a thumping, moody, fiddle-embellished country rocker with loads of echoey atmosphere and a lyric about a lost soul on the Hillbilly Highway. The talented Waldon is booked to play The Station Inn tomorrow night (Dec. 16).

NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS / “Face Down in the Moment”
Writer: Nathaniel Rateliff; Producers: Brad Cook/RMB/Elijah Thomson; Label: Stax
–I remain a big fan. As always, this act pours soul and passion into its stately performance. A steady, marching tempo is the backdrop for Rateliff’s emoting. The track becomes ever more dense, soaring and audio loaded as it moves toward its finale. This has deservedly become a big Americana hit.

NICOLLE GALYON / “Self Care”
Writers: Nicolle Galyon/Sasha Sloan/Caroline Baker; Producers: King Henry/Jimmy Robbins; Label: Songs & Daughters
–This Nashville tunesmith’s album is a garden of delights. I’m particularly fond of this emphasis track. It is simultaneously tuneful and conversational, poetic and catchy. The lyric is about eschewing botox, hair dye, self-improvement, spiritual expansion and the like in favor of loving who you are, just as you are. “I think I like me,” indeed. An essential for your playlist.

KAREN WALDRUP / “All American Mistake”
Writers: Marcus Hummon/Stephanie Chapman; Producers: Biff Watson/Paul Worley; Label: KW
–Waldrup’s second album, Kendall County Road, is just as potent as her first was. Its emphasis track is the tale of a hopeful survivor. She stumbles in marriage but emerges with a baby she loves. As before, her country vocal is a beacon of truth and believability.

THE MILK CARTON KIDS / “Running on Sweet Smile”
Writers: Joey Ryan/Kenneth Pattengale; Producer: Kenneth Pattengale; Label: Far Cry/Thirty Tigers
–This lilting ditty is a sneak peak at the acoustic duo’s 2023 album. It maintains the team’s sweet, folkie charm, but the sound has moved from that of an old-timey country duo and more toward Simon & Garfunkel territory. Highly recommended.

LARKIN POE / “Southern Comfort”
Writer: Rebecca Lovell; Producers: Larkin Poe/Tyler Bryant; Label: Tricki-Woo
–Blood Harmony is the new, sixth album by this Nashville rock duo of sisters. This is its single, an electrified stomper about missing your roots. Compelling listening, as is always the case with these strong attitude women.

MICHELLE BRANCH / “Not My Lover”
Writer: Michelle Branch; Producers: Patrick Carney/Michelle Branch; Label: Audio Eagle/Nonesuch/Warner
–Sensual and kinda dreamy, this pop-rock outing features her breathy soprano vocals contrasted with a danceable, irresistibly rhythmic track. The production and perfect audio mix are stellar. Well worth your spins.

Country music’s men don’t have a lot to say, but they sure sound good doing it.

Lyrically, we have a crop of singles here that are either positive love songs or warmly nostalgic vignettes. There are strong vocal performances from Sam Hunt, Keith Urban, CB30 and Granger Smith.

Finishing in a dead heat for Disc of the Day are the ever-soulful Nate Smith and the team of Dierks Bentley & Billy Strings. Dierks gets the nod because he’s outside the box with a weed-loving lyric.

George Birge has no such competition for this week’s DISCovery Award.

NATE SMITH / “Wreckage”
Writers: Chris Sligh/Mary Kutter/Nate Smith/Paul Wrock; Producer: Joel Bruyere; Label: Arista
–The passion this man puts into his recorded performances never fails to stop me in my tracks. On this torrid outing, he pours emotion into a power ballad that praises a partner who loves him with all his faults. His debut album is finally coming on Feb. 17 next year. I, for one, cannot wait.

WALKER HAYES / “Face in the Crowd”
Writers: Walker Hayes/Emily Falvey/Tofer Brown; Producers: Walker Hayes/Joe Thibodeau; Label: Monument
–He’s not the world’s strongest singer, but the sincerity in this earnest, sweet performance is undeniable. It’s an ode to his wife, the “face in the crowd” who’s the only one who matters in his rocket ship career. He hopes that when his 15 minutes of fame ends, she’ll still be by his side.

BLANCO BROWN & T.I. / “Trap Still Bumpin’”
Writers: Blanco Brown/T.I.; Producers: Tre Trax/Blanco Brown; Label: Cinq
–Brown rode and performed “The Git Up” in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. That monster hit (reportedly 15 million sold) is an example of his self-anointed country sub-genre, “trailer trap” music. Now he’s teaming up with T.I. “the king of trap music.” The result is more Atlanta hip-hop than it is country music, but the “stoner,” easy-going groove is mesmerizing.

GRANGER SMITH / “Moonrise”
Writers: Andy Albert/Granger Smith/Jordan Schmidt/Justin Wilson; Producers: Granger Smith/John Marlin; Label: Wheelhouse Records
–This intensely romantic power ballad is produced and sung beautifully. I especially loved the extended, echoey, instrumental fade at the end. It’s the title tune of Smith’s first starring movie, which premieres via Pureflix on Dec. 15.

BRIAN KELLEY / “Florida Strong”
Writers: Brian Kelley”; Producers: Brian Kelley/Katlin Owen; Label: Big Machine
–It’s a jaunty, chin-up song dedicated to the resilience of Sunshine Staters. I could have done without the spoken-word bridge. Royalty proceeds benefit the Florida Disaster Fund and the Red Cross.

DIERKS BENTLEY & BILLY STRINGS / “High Note”
Writers: Charlie Worsham/Jim Beavers; Producers: Dierks Bentley/Ross Copperman/Jon Randall/F. Reid Shippen/Brett Beavers; Label: Capitol
–A total delight. Dierks and Billy sing the praises of weed in this witty, bluegrassy romp. Those fleet-fingered guitar notes rippling through the thing come courtesy of reigning Bluegrass Entertainer of the Year Billy plus the always welcome Charlie Worsham.

CLEDUS T. JUDD / “Shoot a Deer”
Writers: Cledus T. Judd/Chris Clark; Producer: none listed; Label: CDX
–Sung to the tune of Luke Byran’s “Drink a Beer,” this parody goofs around with silly hunting imagery. The video features Cledus and someone in a deer costume competing for laughs in the woods. You might not chuckle out loud, but I guarantee you’ll smile.

KEITH URBAN / “Street Called Main”
Writers: Chris LaCorte/Josh Miller/Scooter Carusoe; Producers: Keith Urban/Dann Huff; Label: Capitol
–This one’s another from Urban’s apparently bottomless well of uptempo love celebrations. Cheerful, joyously toe-tapping, bright and sunny. Highly listenable. But the radio single remains the also hearty “Brown Eyes Baby.”

GEORGE BIRGE / “Mind on You”
Writers: George Birge/Jaron Boyer/Michael Tyler/Colt Ford; Producers: Ash Bowers; Label: RECORDS/Sony
–A fevered dream of obsessive romance that swirls with electronics and hypnotic lyric repetition. Birge staged his Opry debut with it on Nov. 22.

SAM HUNT / “Start Nowhere”
Writers: Sam Hunt/Zach Crowell/Shane McAnally/Josh Osborne; Producers: Zach Crowell/Chris LaCorte/Shane McAnally/Sam Hunt; Label: MCA Nashville
–Very sweet. Hunt sings in a soft, heartfelt tenor as he wistfully ponders his youthful innocence. This one is ideal for the holiday season, since it yearns for hearth and home.

ALEX MILLER / “When God Made the South”
Writers: Jerry Salley/Aaron Wilburn/Lee Black; Producer: none listed; Label: Billy Jam
–The 6’6” American Idol alum rocks out on this Dixie anthem. At just 19, Miller is still maturing as a vocalist. In a few years, he’ll be able to bring out the baritone dips that this melody should have.

CB30 / “Now We’re Talkin’”
Writers: Christian Clementi/Brody Clementi/Dan Agee/Nick Wayne; Producer: Paul DiGiovanni; Label: Buena Vista
–These two brothers always bring a youthful vibe to a listening session. This groove-soaked bopper is a cute barroom pick-up ditty with a smart, innovative production. Highly engaging, as always.

This is country music’s week to shine, so no wonder there is a cornucopia of tasty tracks in this week’s DISClaimer column.

Mickey Guyton, Chase Matthew and Luke Bryan bring the opening devotionals. Brothers Osborne, War & Treaty and Chase Rice rock the house.

But it’s the most “country” of the country releases that rule the day. They belong to the divine Miranda Lambert, the sublime Dailey & Vincent, the hearty Eddie Montgomery and the King of the Hill, Luke Combs. The Entertainer of the Year also has the Disc of the Day

Give a DISCovery Award to Warner newcomer Chase Matthew.

LUKE BRYAN / “Prayin’ in a Deer Stand”
Writers: Luke Bryan/Nicolle Galyon/Jimmy Robbins; Producer: Jody Stevens/Jeff Stevens; Label: Capitol
–Good listening. The echo on his vocal is big help, and the vibrating, atmospheric electric guitars in the production are dynamite. I doubt that there is a huge percentage of listeners who spend their Sundays hunting deer, but whatever….

JESSIE JAMES DECKER / “Grow Young With You”
Writers: Emily Weisband/Alysa Vanderheym/Jordyn Shellhart; Producer: Alysa Vanderheym; Label: Big Yellow Dog/Warner/Atlantic
–This multi-hyphenate seems to hit on all available platforms, from books to fashion to TV to music. As before, she proves to be a fine singer on this choppy, clappy bopper about a sunny love. I always like the little falsetto hiccoughs in her delivery.

LUKE COMBS / “Going, Going Gone”
Writers: James McNair/Luke Combs/Ray Fulcher; Producer: Luke Combs/Chip Matthews/Jonathan Singleton; Label: River House/Columbia
–This is a lovely change of pace. Combs exchanges his brawling, bruising vocal style for a gentler, more contemplative delivery. He’s wistful yet resigned over a lost love. As usual, the song is a model of country craftsmanship. He so deserves every award we give him.

BRITTNEY SPENCER / “A Hundred Years Old”
Writers: Ashley Ray/Brittney Spencer/Sean McConnell; Producer: Daniel Tashian; Label: Elektra
–Does this artist set the record for the longest set-up ever for a real radio release? She’s on television, in social media, on others’ records, in print and all over the map without ever actually stepping up to bat. Now she has a new live EP recorded acoustically at Blackbird Studio. This charming, wafting, yearning performance is yet another tease. The lady has the talent. Somebody light a fire under this career kindling.

EDDIE MONTGOMERY / “Thank a Beer Drinker”
Writers: Wynn Varble/David Lee/Don Poythress; Producers: Noah Gordon/Shannon Houchins; Label: Average Joe’s
–Like that road you drive on? How about the food you eat, the electricity in your house, running water and the car you own? Give thanks to the blue-collar folks who keep our factories and our infrastructure running. I love the message of this. Eddie delivers it perfectly. Oh by the way, he adds, if you like this song, thank another beer drinker.

MIRANDA LAMBERT / “Geraldene”
Writers: Miranda Lambert/Jack Ingram/Jon Randall; Producers: Jon Randall/Luke Dick/Miranda Lambert; Label: RCA
–With her performance of this at the CMA Awards, Lambert again demonstrated that she is the finest, pure-country female singer in our current music biz. She calls out a temptress with just the right touches of envy and smoldering threats. The spare, snappy track keeps things crackling. It’s a model of restraint, throwing the spotlight on her superb, twangin’ delivery. “Geraldine” is just one of the many gems on her 15-track Palomino collection. Available on double vinyl, by the way.

CHASE MATTHEW / “She Loves Jesus”
Writers: Chase Matthews/Will Pattat; Producer: Austin Shawn; Label: Warner
–Nashville native Matthew stages his Warner Music debut with this pristine ballad about a pure, devout, beautiful woman. His mellow baritone is loaded with warmth. The steel guitar and piano accompaniment is poetry.

MICKEY GUYTON / “I Still Pray”
Writers: Mickey Guyton/Tyler Hubbard/Ryan Daly/Steph Jones; Producer: Corey Crowder/Tyler Hubbard/Ryan Daly; Label: Capitol
–One associates praying with silence. But Guyton’s emotional soprano is a shout of blazing affirmation as she explains the depth of her devotion. An extraordinary, stately vocal performance by one of our most gifted artists.

DAILEY & VINCENT WITH RHONDA VINCENT / “Those Memories of You”
Writers: Alan O’Bryant; Producer: Paul Worley; Label: DV
–The harmonies in this performance will send shivers through your whole body. Opry greats Dailey & Vincent have turned from bluegrass to country on their new CD, but this bluesy, electrified revival of the Dolly/Linda/Emmylou 1987 smash proves their vocal backgrounds are solidly in place. Jamie Dailey’s lead vocal is a masterpiece, and the thrilling support of the Vincent siblings sends the whole thing into the stratosphere. Breathtaking is the word.

BROTHERS OSBORNE WITH THE WAR & TREATY / “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)”
Writers: Keith Richards/Mick Jagger; Producer: Robert Deaton/Danny Rader; Label: BMG
–The forthcoming Stoned Cold Country is an all-star Nashville tribute to the songs of the Rolling Stones. These two sterling duos join forces for its first advance track, which they introduced on the CMA Awards. T.J. kicked it off in a deep, rumbling baritone. Tanya lit the track ablaze. Michael shot off fireworks, then the whole ensemble burned the house down. The official studio track underwhelms by comparison.

CHASE RICE / “Way Down Yonder”
Writers: Blake Pendergrass/Chase Rice/Corey Crowder/Hunter Phelps/John Byron; Producer: Oscar Charles; Label: BBR
–A menacing, loud outlaw anthem with big percussion and an abundance of attitude. It wears out its welcome fairly quickly.

CARTER FAITH / “Already Crazy”
Writers: Carter Faith/Tofer Brown/Lauren Hungate; Producer: Tofer Brown; Label: CF
–The lyric is very nicely crafted and her vocal is spot on. I kept waiting for the ballad’s track to take off, but it stuck with its piano-and-strings wash throughout.