DISClaimer: Chris Janson Offers “True Country Excellence” With New Single “Done”

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We have no complaints about musical quality this week, since everyone is giving us their best.

From the pop end of the spectrum, we have a dandy collaboration between FGL and Tayla Parx. For bluesy finesse, check out Stoney LaRue & Tanya Tucker, or take a murder-fantasy ride with Lockwood Barr. For nostalgia, we have The Righteous Brothers teaming with Ronnie McDowell and John Schneider on an oldie rewrite.

And for true country excellence, we bring you our Disc of the Day winner, Chris Janson and our DisCovery Award honorees Carvin Walls.

LOCKELAND/Drive
Writers: Susie Brown/Kyndon Oakes/Mark Vikingstad; Producer: Michael Boris/Sean Spence; Publishers: none listed; Lockeland
– The title says it all: This is a roll-down-the-windows, put-the-pedal-down, shout-to-the-heavens, open-road rock, rock, rocker. If this doesn’t quicken your pulse, you need a heart transplant. Loved, loved, loved it.

CHRIS JANSON/Done
Writers: Chris Janson/Mitch Oglesby/Jamie Paulin/Matt Roy; Producer: Chris Janson/Tommy Cecil; Publisher: none listed; Warner Music
– Well done, son. The stately tempo, his expressive vocal, the rolling-similes lyric, the swirling production and the emotional heft of this love song are all in their perfect places. This is a smash.

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RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS, JOHN SCHNEIDER, RONNIE McDOWELL/Country Heaven
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Debut (CDX)
– It’s a rewrite of the 1974 Righteous Brothers hit “Rock & Roll Heaven,” this time name-checking Conway, George, Tammy, Merle, Johnny & June, Patsy, Hank and Waylon. The massed-vocal choruses work especially well in the finale.

LOCKWOOD BARR/6 Feet Deep
Writers: Lockwood Barr/Tim McGeary; Producer: Matt Odmark; Publisher: none listed; LB
– Dark and swampy and bluesy. The intense vibe in the music is matched by a lyric with murder on its mind. Haunting and creative.

JEFF BATES/If I Get Drunk Tonight
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Skydancer
– It’s a slow jam with a midnight-misery feeling. He can’t shake her memory, and it is torturing him. As usual, Jeff’s voice is a gripping, compelling and spirit-capturing instrument. Last call for alcohol, bar patrons.

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STONEY LaRUE & TANYA TUCKER/Meet Me in the Middle
Writers: Stoney LaRue/Gary Nicholson; Producer: Gary Nicholson; Publishers: none listed; One Chord Song
– Here’s a heartily recommended, bluesy, roadhouse bopper about making a relationship work. Tanya is a Grammy-nominee queen this week, and Stoney is always worth a listen. You’ll find this on Okie/Texas road-warrior LaRue’s new CD Onward, which also features such luminaries as John Cowan, The McCrary Sisters, Colin Linden, Kenny Greenberg and Mickey Raphael. In addition to producer Gary Nicholson, songwriting contributors include Shawn Camp, Lee Roy Parnell, Guy Clark, Merle Haggard and Jesse Winchester. Great stuff.

BRANTLEY GILBERT/Fire’t Up
Writers: Brantley Gilbert, Brandon Day, Justin Weaver; Producer: Brandon Day; Publisher: none listed; Valory Music Co.
– Let’s all get drunk and rowdy. The track rocks, and Brantley sings with charisma, as always.

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JACKSON MICHELSON/Stay Over
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Curb
– Plaintive sounding, with a jittery rhythm track under a sexually frustrated storyline. His best effort to date.

TAYLA PARX & FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Fight
Writers: Tayla Parx, Alysa Vanderheym, Tyler Hubbard, Josh Miller, Robin Oliver Frid; Producer: Alysa Vanderheym, Oliver “junior” Frid, Tayla Parx; Publisher: Taylor Monet Music/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., Castle Bound Music, Inc., Big Loud Mountain and T Hubb Publishing (All Rights Administered by Round Hill Works), Josh Miller Publishing Designee, Parx Publishing Designee
– Powerhouse pop songwriter/producer Parx is often underrated as a singer. Teaming up with country’s FGL really gives her a place to shine in that department. I can hear this tuneful outing as a big crossover success for both acts, with ease. Essential listening this week.

CARVIN WALLS/Sometimes I Lie
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Carvin Walls (CDX)
– It’s a male-female duo. Both of them phrase beautifully as country vocalists, and on the choruses, they soar with equal power. The lyric is about pretending to get over a heartbreak. The crisp production and soft-to-shouted audio dynamics are pretty special here. Lend this your ears.

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DISClaimer: Hannah Dasher Gets “Wildly Imaginative” On Funky Track “Stoned Age”

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The emphasis was on female country artists on this year’s CMA Awards show.

So I am happy to report that the women didn’t let us down in this week’s edition of DisClaimer. Kelsea Ballerini, Farewell Angelina, Henriette, Honey County and JaeLee Roberts all turned up with stellar performances.

Best of ‘em all is witty Hannah Dasher, who wins the Disc of the Day award. Right behind her is an equally deserving DisCovery Award winner, Kelsey Lamb. Listen to these ladies. Now.

FAREWELL ANGELINA/More Problems
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Farewell A
– Feisty and frisky, with a touch of sass and a lotta class. These ladies have it all going on with this uptempo, devil-may-care romp. Not a care in the world, because you know what they say, “more money, more problems.”

KELSEA BALLERINI/Club
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Black River
– Catchy and clever. The pop track is super rhythm happy, even though the lyric is downbeat. She’s particularly effective in her lower register here, as well as in the double-tracked choruses.

HONEY COUNTY & SPENCER CRANDALL/Under Your Influence
Writers: Dani Rose/JP Williams/Maks Gabriel; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; 117Group
– They sing well, but the song meanders aimlessly. Tenor vocalist Spencer sounds especially promising here.

CHRIS STAPLETON/Second One To Know
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Mercury
-His Southern-rock influences are front and center on this rousing, bluesy, roaring outing. The video features Chris and the band as Lego figures battling evil ninjas and a dragon.

JAELEE ROBERTS/One’s Real Life
Writers: Jaelee Roberts; Producer: Deanie Richardson & Brandon Bostic; Publisher: none listed; Euphony
– This newcomer has a harmony-soaked approach to bluegrass. Liquid vocals and fiery picking. What’s not to like?

MORGAN EVANS/Diamonds
Writers: Morgan Evans/Chris DeStefano/Evans Bogart; Producers: Evans/DeStefano; Publisher: none listed; Warner Music
– The plinkety plunk rhythms and looped guitar notes tip you off that this is another gem from the one-man band. It ain’t very country, but it definitely gets your attention.

HENRIETTE/Dream Boy
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Dr. Music
– She is from Germany, but her recent sojourn in Music City has evidently paid off in songwriting chops. This lilting, charming tune comes wafting through the speakers like a summer breeze. An audio vacation trip to a lovely land.

MATT STELL/Everywhere But On
Writers: Lance Miller/Matt Stell/Paul Sikes; Producer: none listed; Publishers: W.B.M./Sony-ATV Accent/Pedal Down/Presley Jake, no performance rights listed; Arista
– Very cool. She’s left him, but he can’t stop thinking about her. “I’ve moved everywhere but on,” he sings. This “Prayed for You” fellow shows here he’s got more where that came from. There’s a soaring guitar solo in it that I really liked, too.

KELSEY LAMB/Girl at the Bar
Writers: Kelsey Lamb/Taylor Goyette/Jean Nolan; Producers: Matt McVaney/Josh Hoge; Publisher: none listed; Marco
– Best song of the listening session, hands down. The lyric is full of terrific details and emotional truths and poignant passages. Her performance is an arrow to the heart, and the production is a wonder of dynamics and power. A total winner.

HANNAH DASHER/Stoned Age
Writers: none listed; Producer: Jaren Johnston/Oscar Charles; Publisher: none listed; ASCAP; Sony
– Ya gotta love this lyric, with its echoes of ‘60s icons, references to Southern rockers and comments on getting high. Janis Joplin, Keith Richards, The Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker and Burt Reynolds are all name dropped as she drawls with abundant personality and the beats lay funky on top of funky. Wildly imaginative, addictive listening.

DISClaimer: Kane Brown’s “For My Daughter” Tops New Releases

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Kane Brown

Variety is the spice of life.

This is an adage that all country radio programmers should take to heart, because back in the day, their stations’ playlists were a lot more diverse than they are today. And everyone liked terrestrial radio a whole lot more than they do now.

So in today’s column we have everything from bluegrass to pop, from neo-rockabilly to hardcore honky tonk, from tender emotionalism to party-hearty romps. Sample them all.

The Disc of the Day goes to Kane Brown, who has the sweetest song about fatherhood that I’ve heard in ages. Give Mike Alan Ward a DisCovery Award.

STEPHANIE QUAYLE/Whatcha Drinkin’ ‘Bout
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed, ASCAP/BMI; Rebel Engine
-A sprightly barroom anthem, delivered with verve and abetted by some dandy guitar twanging. I’m in.

MONTGOMERY GENTRY/Outskirts
Writers: Dallas Davidson/Rodney Clawson/Ashley Gorley; Producers: Noah Gordon/Shannon Houchins; Publishers: Big Red Tow/EMI Blackwood/Round Hill Compositions/Round Hill Works/Shirt at Work/Two Chord Georgia/Copyright Control Ashley Gorley, BMI/ASCAP; Average Joes
– Nicely thumping and sung with conviction. The topic isn’t exactly news — it’s the one about partying in the countryside after work with a honey. “Heartland,” “ball cap,” “hot girl in a t-shirt,” “red dirt,” “cold beer” “simple life,” it’s all here.

MIKE ALAN WARD & DIERKS BENTLEY/No Getting Over You
Writers: Ward/Bentley; Producers: Carl Jackson/Randy Kohrs/Ken Triphan; Publishers: Colonel Rebel/Wooteeny/Blue Nugget/Big White Tracks/Sony-ATV, ASCAP; Twang-Gang
– If you ask me, every country playlist needs a splash of bluegrass. The two voices are the calling cards of this dandy toe-tapper, but the picking will dazzle you just as much. The supporting cast is a who’s-who of instrumentalists. Ward’s album is titled Whiskey, Trains and Lonesome, and it is simply stellar from top to bottom.

KANE BROWN/For My Daughter
Writers: Kane Brown/Tom Douglas/Chase McGill; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; RCA
– Kane became a first-time Daddy on Oct. 29, and he’s wasted no time in celebrating the event in song. “I grew up without a dad/I’m gonna be the best one I can be.” That’s just one of the honest lyrics in this heart-tugging mini-masterpiece. A lump-in-throat performance of a song packed with truth and beauty.

DANIELLE BRADBURY/Blackout
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; BMLG
– Drawn from the Charlie’s Angels soundtrack, this sounds like a big bid for pop stardom. The echoey atmosphere, stately keyboard work, crashing rhythms and layered, multi-part vocals all are very, very involving. There’s a richness of vocal tone here (reminiscent of Sia) that’s a long way from her days as a contestant on The Voice.

CLINT BLACK/This Old House
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; CB
– Clint enlists eight buddies as vocal collaborators here — Trace Adkins, Dierks Bentley, Sara Evans, Cody Jinks, Michael Ray, Darius Rucker, Travis Tritt and Steve Wariner. The song is a ballad about nostalgia for a homeplace. It’s solidly country, but the tempo plods a bit. There’s an extremely effective music video that equates the “house” with the Grand Ole Opry, with memories coming alive off the photos on the walls, in visions in dressing rooms and hallways and via historic clips on the storied stage. Recommended.

ADAM DOLEAC/Famous
Writers: Adam Doleac/Andy Skib/Bobby Hamrick; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Arista Nashville
– Smooth. His gently persuasive vocal is right on the money in this pop-country slow jam. The overall vibe is a kinda bland, yet kinda pleasant.

HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH/Hold On
Writers: Jim Beavers/Chris Stapleton; Producer: Frank Rogers; Publishers: Sony-ATV Tree/Dontcallmebrett/WB/Ken Tucky, BMI/ASCAP; Capitol
– Despite the seeming hopelessness of our modern world, this jaunty ditty advises us that love will see us through. Optimistic and upbeat. The band “gang” vocals as the song reaches its finale are just the right touch.

GRANGER SMITH/That’s Why I Love Dirt Roads
Writers: Chris DeStefano/Jon Nite/Brad Rempel/Granger Smith; Producers: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Wheelhouse/BBR
– Stirring and anthemic. It’s hard to produce an up-tempo tune with this much crispness, while maintaining its rushing forward momentum. This does all that and more. Charisma on the hoof.

CHUCK MEAD/Shake
Writers: Charles Mead/Paul Cebar; Producer: Matt Ross Spang; Publishers: Pagan Idol/Groovesburg Joys, BMI; Plowboy
– The latest single from Chuck’s fine Close to Home CD is a swampy, groove-a-minute outing with dollops of blues, rockabilly and roots-rock in its countryboy DNA. This guy is a one-of-a-kind talent, and more power to that.

DISClaimer: Luke Bryan, Rissi Palmer Lead New Releases

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Today, we’re visiting with some of our old country-music buddies.

Veterans Shenandoah, Charlie Daniels, T.G. Sheppard and Exile are here with new music. So are perennial DisClaimer faves Shane Owens and Aubrie Sellers.

The Disc of the Day is a toss-up between Rissi Palmer and Luke Bryan. Both of them deserve your audio attention at once.

We have no newcomers to the column today, but both Rissi and Dallas Remington are making just their second appearances, so welcome them both with open arms.

RISSI PALMER/Seeds
Writers: Rissi Palmer/Deanna Walker/Rick Beresford; Producer: Shannon Sanders; Publishers: Rissi Palmer Stypmann/Go Little Kayak/Main Squeeze, BMI; Baldilocks
– Stirring, thumping and anthemic, this is a call to unity and battle cry of freedom, hope and power in the face of oppression. March on, sister: I hear you loud and clear.

MITCHELL TENPENNY & SEAFORTH/Anything She Says
Writers: Mitchell Tenpenny/Tom Jordan/Mitch Thompson/Andy Albert/Jordan Schmidt; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Riser House/Columbia
– Gently bopping with a white-guy r&b vibe, this has nicely contrasting lead vocals and a steady, bob-your-head rhythm groove. I can hear how the not-too-country kiddies would dig it.

SHANE OWENS/Hard Luck Girl
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Amerimonte
– It’s a toe-tapping honky tonker that’s bound to bring a smile of recognition to anyone nursing a beer and a busted heart. Also, there’s just the right revenge-touch of “payback’s a b*tch.” With this guy, real country music never goes out of style.

T. G. SHEPPARD/I Wanna Live Like Elvis
Writers: Chip Davis/Billy Davis/Doug Graham; Producers: T.G. Sheppard & Buddy Hyatt; Publisher: none listed; Leopard
– We can all aspire to live like fabulously wealthy folks do. When you fantasize about being fabulous in over-the-top, tasteless excess, now you’re talkin.’ Very cute. I especially liked the ad-libbed “thankyaverymuch.” You’ll find this on T.G.’s first new solo CD in more than 20 years, Midnight in Memphis.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD/Drinking Alone
Writers: Brett James/Carrie Underwood/David Garcia; Producers: Carrie Underwood/David Garcia; Publishers: Warner Chappell/Capitol Christian Music Group
– She’s not looking for a pick-up. She just wants to be drinking alone, together, in a misery-loves-company kinda way. The fourth single from Cry Pretty is a slow jam, but she’s still hitting that vocal “money note” every chance she gets.

EXILE/16 Tons
Writer: Merle Travis; Producer: Exile; Publisher: none listed; Big Horse (track)
– The new double album is called The Garage Tapes. So this is the reunited band, jamming live on what sound like demos in an echoey garage. But you know what? It all comes across kinda cool, especially this homey, funky revival of a Tennessee Ernie Ford 1955 country classic. I dig it.

SHENANDOAH & CHARLIE DANIELS/Freebird in the Wind
Writers: Nelson Blanchard/Scott Inness; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Shenandoah
– Charlie recites a poem visible at Ronnie Van Zant’s gravesite to begin this Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute ballad. The band apes the Southern-rock idiom instrumentally while lead singer Marty Raybon pleads a lyric that recalls the 1977 plane crash that claimed Skynyrd bandmembers’ lives. There’s an accompanying video with vintage Skynyrd performance footage, B-roll of the band on board the fateful plane and some somewhat ghoulish shots of the crashed aircraft.

AUBRIE SELLERS/Worried Mind
Writers: none listed; Producers: Aubrie Sellers & Frank Liddell; Publishers: none listed; Soundly Music
– As before, her country-as-grits vocal contrasts strikingly with a garage-rock backing band. This time, the anxiety in the lyric matches perfectly with the discordant electric guitar. She’s one of a kind, and more power to her.

DALLAS REMINGTON/Huntin’ Season
Writers: Dallas Remington/Allie Colleen/Cyndi Limbaugh Torres/Scott Barrier; Producers: Eric Torres/Kim Franca; Roadwarrior
– She’s still a teen, but this feisty, blunt gal knows exactly who she is. This tongue-in-cheek ditty is a no-nonsense sass-attack on a cheating ex. Stomping and catchy.

LUKE BRYAN/What She Wants Tonight
Writers: Luke Bryan/Ross Copperman/Hillary Lindsey/Jon Nite; Producers: Jeff Stevens/Jody Stevens; Publishers: none listed; Capitol/UMG
– Hot, hot, hot. This is one of the most overtly sexual country singles in recent memory. The throbbing track steams as warmly as the lyric. He’s coming off yet another No. 1 hit, and I think I just heard another.

DISClaimer: The Enduring Greatness Of Tanya Tucker

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Greetings, and welcome to an all-female DisClaimer column.

If the boneheads at country radio won’t give you a fair shot, ladies, I certainly will. Especially when there’s this much talent to showcase.

Among those leading the charge today are Lauren Alaina, Mandy Barnett, Maddie & Tae, Allie Colleen and Kalie Shorr, all with worthy new tracks.

But I am completely awestruck by newcomer Caroline Watkins, who easily claims the DisCovery Award. If the rest of her songs are as strong as this, she’s a humongous talent.

I’m sure all of the women here will join me in bowing down to the enduring greatness of Tanya Tucker. She’s the Disc of the Day…..today and every day.

CAROLINE WATKINS/Drunk Girls in Bathrooms
Writers: none listed; Producer: Jason Massey; Publishers: none listed; CW
– “Where everybody’s your new best friend.” Gals cheer up one another, talk clothes and shoes, dry your tears, hold your beer while you fix your makeup. What a wonderful place the Ladies Room is. This song is genius. I totally love it.

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TANYA TUCKER/Bring My Flowers Now
Writers: Tanya Tucker/Brandi Carlile/Tim Hanseroth/Phil Hanseroth, Producer: Brandi Carlile/Shooter Jennings; Publisher: none listed; BMI; Fantasy
– If this doesn’t tug at your heart, you haven’t got one. A magnificent, meaningful ballad from one of the greatest country voices in history. I say, yes, bring this woman the accolades and praise she deserves RIGHT NOW. I say, yes, let’s give her a Grammy Award NOW. I say, yes, let’s put her into the Country Music Hall of Fame NOW.

ALLIE COLLEEN/Along The Way
Writers: Allie Colleen/Stephen McMorran; Producer: none listed; Audiam
– The percolating rhythm anchors a sweet vocal that urges you to climb your mountains and dream, but with love by your side. Very uplifting.

MADDIE & TAE/Everywhere I’m Goin’
Writers: Maddie Marlow/Taylor Dye/Josh Thompson/Jimmy Robbins; Producer: Derek Wells; Publisher: none listed; Mercury Nashville
– I so much welcome the return of these two. The title tune of the duo’s new EP has a similar feisty/sunny quality as their earlier work, but with added maturity and confidence. The vocal blend is as perfect here as it is on their excellent single “Die From a Broken Heart.”

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CLARE DUNN/Gold to Glitter
Writer: Clare Dunn/Ben West/Jamie Moore; Producer: Ben West/Clare Dunn; Publisher: none listed; MCA Nashville
– Her husky, powerful voice is in full flight here, as are her electric guitar chops. I still think she has a solid shot at pop stardom, because both this and her other new track, “Money’s All Gone,” rock a little too hard to qualify as “country.”

MANDY BARNETT/The End of the World
Writer: Arthur Kent/Sylvia Dee; Producer: Fred Mollin; Publisher: none listed; Melody Place/BMG
-Luminous. She towers over most of the competition as a Nashville Sound chanteuse. The song is a gorgeous Skeeter Davis classic from 1963. No current country stylist could bring it back more beautifully. The strings are super, too.

LAUREN ALAINA/The Other Side
Writers: Lauren Alaina/Jon Nite/Zach Kale; Producer: David Garcia; Mercury Nashville
– Lauren introduced this echoey ballad during her Dancing With the Stars spotlight earlier this week. It is a touching, spiritual ode to her late stepfather, whom she believes is her Guardian Angel watching her from the Other Side.

EmiSUNSHINE & THE RAIN/Crimson Moon
Writers: none listed; Producers: EmiSunshine/Tony Brown; Publisher: none listed; EmiSunshine
-She’s only 15, but she’s growing in leaps and bounds. The vocal performance and the songwriting are still on the juvenile side. I’d keep an ear on her future.

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LAINEY WILSON/Dirty Looks
Writers: Brent Anderson/Lainey Wilson/Smith Ahnquist; Producer: Jay Joyce; Publisher: none listed; BBR
– There’s something uncomfortably compressed about this audio. It makes her sound artificial. She clearly has ability, but I don’t think this is a career-launching recording.

KALIE SHORR/Lullaby
Writers: Kalie Shorr/Robyn Collins/Will Stone; Producers: Skip Black/Kalie Shorr; Publisher: none listed; KS
– She’s getting over a relationship and sleeping alone with her own lullaby to soothe her. The mix is loaded with dynamics, ranging from hushed intimacy to full-on rocking. Tougher sounding than she used to be, this young woman is going places.

DISClaimer: Luke Combs Tops New Tracks

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Luke Combs. Photo: David Bergman.

It’s Diversity Day here at DisClaimer.

I have always said that country music is a bigger tent than most people realize. Gathering under the Big Top today are representatives from New Zealand, Norway and Ireland. Two of the genre’s emerging African-American stars are here. The gay country community is represented, too. Exactly half of our entries today are by women, which is as it always should be.

There’s no denying the mighty Luke Combs as our Disc of the Day winner. The newly-minted Opry star is a worthy standard bearer for the entire genre.

Former New Zealand pop star Jamie McDell has migrated both geographically and stylistically. She’s now living in Toronto and is making country music in Nashville. Give her a DisCovery Award.

ERIN ENDERLIN/Whatever Gets You Through The Night
Writers: Erin Enderlin/Jimmy Melton; Producer: Jim “Moose” Brown/Jamey Johnson; Publisher: none listed; Blaster
– This indie artist is definitely picking up steam. Her Faulkner County CD includes a bevy of high-profile supporters in its cast — Alison, Vince, Jon Randall, Terri Clark, Cody Jinks, Melonie Cannon and co-producer Jamey Johnson, for starters. The collection’s lead-off single is a midnight ballad of loneliness and longing. Dillon Carmichael provides a perfectly shaded harmony vocal as she recites a litany of cold comfort — bourbon, Haggard songs, the motel Bible, TV, lousy coffee, a truck stop. Languid and poetic.

SAM HUNT/Kinfolks
Writers: Sam Hunt/Zach Crowell/Jerry Flowers/Josh Osborne; Producer: Zach Crowell; Publisher: Universal/Between the Pines/Spirit Two Nashville/Miller Crow/Kyler’s Kinda Night/Twelve6 Dogwood/JFlo Records & Tapes/Downtown DLJ/Sony-ATV Accent/Smackborne, ASCAP; MCA
– Welcome back. This pretty much picks up where he left off — the whispery, semi-spoken verses with a hip-hop flavor followed by a hooky, sung chorus. Also as before, it’s a come-on, this time to a gal he likes so much that he wants her to meet his family.

MALIN PETTERSEN/Alonesome
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Die With Your Boots On (track)
– It says here that she is, “widely known for possessing one of Norway’s greatest country voices.” Okay, you’ve got my attention. Truth to tell, this newcomer has already won the Norwegian equivalent of a Grammy. Her six-song EP’s title and lead-off track is a lilting heartbreak tune. It’s quite spare, featuring only her catch-in-throat soprano and an acoustic guitar. Somebody hook her up with a producer.

LUKE COMBS/What You See Is What You Get
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; River House/Columbia
– Luke’s sophomore CD drops on Nov. 8. This is its title tune and the theme song of his road tour. It’s a solid thumper with plenty of grinding guitar. But what stays with you is his extraordinarily relatable singing. Vocalists that sidle up next to you and get under your skin are so rare, and this guy is one of ‘em. I remain a gigantic fan.

JAMIE MCDELL/Botox
Writer: Jamie McDell; Producer: Nash Chambers; Publisher:peer, no performance rights listed; Essence
– I have to admit, I was immediately intrigued by the title, alone. The back story here is that she is an award winning New Zealand pop star who has fallen under Nashville’s spell. She and Oz producer Nash Chambers have crafted a three-song EP with this as its title track. It’s kinda wordy, and the garage-country track crowds the vocal. But the gist of it is that she’s willing to do Botox or whatever it takes, “so you can get your manhood back.” Yikes.

BLANCO BROWN/Honeysuckle & Lightning Bugs
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; BBR/BMG
– I loved his dancefloor sensation “The Git Up.” Now to prove he’s not a novelty, one-hit wonder comes this genuine heartache lament with cool looped audio effects. It takes him awhile to get to the full production, but the wait is worthwhile. Super soulful.

LANCO/What I See
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Arista
– I dig Brandon Lancaster’s whole thang — the always-melodic hooks, the plaintive vocal, the crunchy band. I love the way this new single builds from simplicity to epic grandeur. Ear candy.

KAREN & THE SORROWS/Guaranteed Broken Heart
Writer: Karen Pittelman; Producer: Pittelman; Publishers: Ocean Born Mary, ASCAP; KS (track)
– They’re billed as “queer country trailblazers…creating space for people who love country music, even if country music doesn’t always love them back.” The band runs the Gay Ole Opry festival and the Queer Country Quarterly in New York. The title tune of their album, which drops tomorrow, is a twangy ditty featuring Karen’s twee, Dolly wanna-be voice backed by steel guitar and plenty of reverb.

MATT STELL & JIMMIE ALLEN/Home in a Hometown
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Pubisher: none listed; RECORDS/Arista Nashville
– Very sweet. It’s lovely word portrait of contented, small-town life with nostalgia and gentility to make you smile. Their voices brush up against each other comfortably, sounding terrific at every turn of phrase.

MAGS/Emotional Honesty
Writers: David M. Ross/Steve O’Brien; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Mags
– Mags is an Irish fiddler/singer who resides and records in Music City. Her throaty, clear delivery of this love plea is spot-on. “Emotional honesty” isn’t a phrase that “sings” easily, but she pulls it off.

DISClaimer: Brantley Gilbert Brings “Great Country Craftmanship” To “Bad Boy”

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Brantley Gilbert.

There’s an awful lot of pop music being marketed as “country” in today’s listening session.

But there are roses among the thorns. Chief among these is Brantley Gilbert. The “outlaw” star achieves new heights with “Bad Boy” and easily claims the Disc of the Day prize.

The DisCovery Award goes to Kentucky mountain boy Ian Noe. This is a singer-songwriter to be reckoned with as a true troubadour of working-class, small-town woes. Embrace his music at once.

RYAN GRIFFIN/Right Here Right Now
Writers: Ryan Griffin/Josh London/Jason Massey; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Warner
– His plaintive tenor soars over a lively rhythm track augmented by electric guitars in an echoey sonic bed. The song is a “live-for-today” romantic come-on that’s attractive and hooky.

DAN + SHAY & JUSTIN BIEBER/10,000 Hours
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Warner
– A sugary sweet pop confection that’s a lot more Bieber than backroads.

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IAN NOE/Between The Country
Writers: none listed; Producer: Dave Cobb; Publisher: none listed; Silver and Gold
– He’s an Appalachian troubadour from East Kentucky with a gripping way with a song. The slight echo on his voice and the stark production throw a spotlight on his storytelling skill on this dramatic murder ballad. A superb disc debut. By the way, Noe is showcasing tonight at the Exit/In. Seek an invitation from Sacks & Co.

THE MAVERICKS/Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way
Writers: Waylon Jennings; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed, Thirty Tigers
– The band slightly slows down this Waylon Jennings classic, adding harmonica, horns and some extra guitar jangle to the arrangement. The 1975 original has more snarl and snap.

TREA LANDON/What Feelin’ Good Feels Like
Writers: Landon/Danny Myrick/Bryan West; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Warner
– Rural imagery abounds in this wistful, airy ode to letting the silence in and slowing life down. The details in the lyric are just dandy.

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MAREN MORRIS & HOZIER/The Bones
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed, Columbia
– Even without Hozier, it was a pop performance. To his credit, his vocal sounds as “country” as hers does.

RUNAWAY JUNE/Head Over Heels
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed, BBR/Wheelhouse
– “I Can Buy My Own Drinks” has been one of the breakout, against-all-odds country success stories of 2019. The follow-up is a chronicle of a dating misadventure that’s frothy and cheeky.

BRANTLEY GILBERT/Bad Boy
Writers: Brantley Gilbert, Andrew DeRoberts, Josh Phillips; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Valory
– Exquisitely well written. I have repeatedly raved about his distinctive, haunting vocal tone. This illustrates what an underrated songwriter he is. The brushed-velvet ballad tells the story of a girl in love with a supposed delinquent as told from the point of view of her concerned mother. This is what great country craftsmanship sounds like. Brantley’s new Fire & Brimstone collection is out now. Get it.

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BRANDON LAY/Still Rock and Roll
Writers: Brandon Lay/Shane McAnally/JT Hodges; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; EMI
-He’s carrying a torch for a hottie who can still captivate with just a glance. It must be that insistent beat and impossibly catchy tune, because they wind up back together as the night winds down. Tap your toes and sing along.

KRISTIN CHENOWETH, JENNIFER HUDSON & REBA McENTIRE/I’m A Woman
Writers: none listed; Producer: Steve Tyrell; Publisher: none listed, Concord
-Chenoweth is a Tony winning Broadway star (You’re a Good Man Charley Brown, Wicked, etc.) and an Emmy winning TV actor (Glee, Pushing Daisies, etc.). Her new CD is For the Girls, and it salutes Patsy Cline, Barbra Streisand, Lesley Gore, Judy Garland, Doris Day, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt and other women who have influenced her. She’s joined on this update of a feisty Peggy Lee classic by Reba and Oscar winner Hudson, and the result is delightful. Dolly is her duet partner on “I Will Always Love You.”

DISClaimer: Collaborations Abound On Duo Day

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It’s Duo Day here at DisClaimer.

This week is a bountiful harvest of collaborations — Tim McGraw & Shy Carter, Colt Ford & Mitchell Tenpenny, Carly Pearce & Lee Brice, Maddie & Tae, Logan Ledger & Courtney Marie Andrews. Gone West & Colbie Caillat sounds like a collab, but it’s really the name of a lovely new four-person harmony ensemble.

But all of them take a back seat to our Disc of the Day. It belongs to Craig Morgan, and it is a breathtaking reminder of just how moving great country singing and songwriting can be.

The DisCovery Award goes to Lower Broadway vet Logan Ledger. I am enthralled by his sound.

JUSTIN MOORE/Why We Drink
Writers: Justin Moore/Casey Beathard/David Lee Murphy/Jeremy Stover; Producer: Stover; Publisher: none listed; Valory
– Romping and rollicking, this is a boatload of boozy fun. Plus, the boy can sing.

CARLY PEARCE & LEE BRICE/I Hope You’re Happy Now
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Big Machine
– I’m a big fan of both of these artists, so I was tickled to see them as a duet. The song is about being completely devastated in a breakup, and they’re both singing their faces off in it. The thumping rhythm is just right. The harmony vocals are mixed a mite soft, as though each one wants to let the other have the total spotlight when it’s their turn to sing lead. A sterling single.

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GONE WEST & COLBIE CAILLAT/What Could’ve Been
Writers: Gone West/Jamie Kenney; Producer: Kenney; Publisher: none listed; Triple Tigers
– Lustrous. I fell hard for the stacked vocal harmonies and the swirling melody. Heartache has seldom sounded as glorious as this. Top pop Grammy winner Caillat has moved to Music City and formed Gone West as a four-part, two-couples vocal fiesta. This is its captivating, stunning debut disc. What a treat.

MADDIE & TAE/Everywhere I’m Goin’
Writers: Maddie Marlow/Taylor Dye/Josh Thompson/Jimmy Robbins; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Mercury Nashville
– Shimmering and sparkly, this twirls and spins like a glittering dancefloor ball. The sound of falling in love.

COLT FORD & MITCHELL TENPENNY/Slow Ride
Writers: Colt Ford/Taylor Phillips/Josh Mirenda/Jared Sciullo/Justin David Bertoldie; Producer: J. Sclullo; Publishers: Average ZJS/Warner-Tamerlane/Mirendawrites/Reservoir Media Management/Riley Payton/Lacey Branch, BMI/ASCAP/SESAC
-Hick-hop rides again. It’s a slow groove with a languid vibe alternating with rapid-fire white-boy rap. It loops back on itself over and over again. Colt’s new CD is We the People, and his other guests on it include Jimmie Allen, Michael Ray and Eddie Montgomery.

TIM McGraw & SHY CARTER/Way Down
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Columbia
– It has a gritty, funky, crunchy guitar/percussion track topped with a spoken-sung vocal about getting Southern-fried in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and other Dixie locales. Carter provides a brief rapped breakdown. Repetitive, but ear-wormy.

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LOGAN LEDGER & COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS/Oh Sister
Writers: none listed; Producer: T Bone Burnett; Publisher: none listed; Rounder
– Drenched in steel and oozing barroom authenticity, this is utterly mesmerizing. Is it about incest? Logan is following the Nashville path of Margo Price and Joshua Hedley, taking a left-field route to remind us what real country music sounds like. His I Don’t Dream Anymore EP drops tomorrow. Sign me up for the fan club.

CRAIG MORGAN/The Father, My Son and the Holy Ghost
Writer: Craig Morgan; Producer: Craig Morgan; Publisher: none listed; BBR
– Powerful. He has always shaken and moved me as a vocalist. Never more so than now, as he pours out his heart in memory of his late son. I was sobbing by the time he hit the finale. So grateful for this artist’s honesty and bravery.

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CAYLEE HAMMACK/Just Friends
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Capitol Nashville
– I still say she’s a pop act.

ZAC BROWN BAND/The Woods
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; BBR/Wheelhouse
– As cool and listenable as ever, these guys continue with their one-of-a-kind sound. This tickles the ears with non-stop rhythm, soulful singing and mega-hooky melody. Love them to pieces.

DISClaimer: Irene Kelley Is Tops With “Bluegrass Radio”

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Photo: Jadon Lee Denton

This is bluegrass-music week.

What’s that you say? You don’t hear much bluegrass in the clubs right now? That’s because Nashville let the genre’s annual convention slip through its fingers in 2013. It now takes place in Raleigh, NC.

So that’s where you’ll hear wall-to-wall, real country music all this week, and the IBMA’s annual awards show takes place there tonight.

In this column’s roundup of current bluegrass CDs. Irene Kelley takes home a Disc of the Day award, and the DisCovery prize goes to Mickey Galyean & Cullen’s Bridge.

MERLE MONROE/This Town
Writer: Roger Miller; Producers: Tim Raybon, Daniel Grindstaff & Stephen Burwell; Publisher: Sony/ATV Tree, BMI; Pinecastle (track)
– Ya gotta love the band name. The wry, downbeat song is taken at a lightning tempo, but somehow all five members keep pace, both instrumentally and vocally, complete with harmonies. The banjo and fiddle playing are exemplary, in particular. What the group lacks in vocal distinctiveness is compensated by crisp perfectionism. Vocalist/bassist Tim Raybon is the brother of Shenandoah’s lead singer Marty Raybon, and the two formerly performed as a country duo (1997’s “Butterfly Kisses”).

STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN & RICKY SKAGGS/Dive
Writer: SCC; Producers: Brent Milligan/Steven Curtis Chapman; Publishers: Primary Wave Brian/BMG Rights/Sparrow Song/CapitolCMG, BMI; SCSEE (track)
– CCM superstar Chapman hails from Kentucky, and he saluted his rural roots with a 2013 collection titled Deep Roots. The bluegrass community welcomed him by making it a No. 1 album in the genre. Deeper Roots is the follow-up, and this lead-off single enters the bluegrass top-20 this month. He’s aided on the choppy, uptempo, inspirational tune by Bluegrass and Country Hall of Famer Ricky Skaggs.

LARRY STEPHENSON & RONNIE BOWMAN/Two Ol’ Country Boys Like Us
Writers: Stephenson/Bowman; Producers: Ben Surratt/Stephenson; Publishers: Lee Dawn/Eclipse Music/Whenever You’re Around, BMI; Whysper Dream
– The Larry Stephenson Band is storming the bluegrass charts with this, a vocal and songwriting collaboration with stellar ‘grass vocalist Ronnie Bowman. It’s a light-hearted, midtempo jaunt about downhome friendship. The other songs are equally topnotch, since they boast authors such as Boudleaux & Felice Bryant, Ernest Tubb, Randy Van Warmer, Kostas and Donna Ulisse. The album is titled 30, because this year marks the band’s 30th anniversary.

DALE ANN BRADLEY/Hard Way Every Time
Writer: Jim Croce; Producer: Dale Ann Bradley; Publishers: BMG Gold, no PRO listed; Pinecastle
– Bradley is a five-time Female Vocalist IBMA winner, and she’s competing for that prize again this year. She’s also a member of the Grammy-nominated, all-female band Sister Sadie, which is nominated for IBMA Vocal Group and Album of the Year. Her new solo album’s title tune and lead single enters the top-10 on the field’s popularity chart this month. It’s a rippling, lilting, folkie tune that looks back at tough times as learning experiences. It comes from the pen of one of the great pop troubadours of the 1970s.

MICKEY GALYEAN & CULLEN’S BRIDGE/No Candy In My Bluegrass
Writers: Rick Pardue; Producers: Mickey Galyean/Cullen’s Bridge; Publisher: Mitchell River, BMI
– These mountaineers have the goods. This is hard-core, straight-from-the-heart, unapologetic, pure bluegrass. The single has blasted into the top-5 on the Bluegrass Unlimited Chart, and it is a defiant, statement-of-purpose anthem for traditionalism. I am completely into these guys. The album is appropriately titled Songs From the Blue Ridge, and I heartily recommend it.

IRENE KELLEY/Bluegrass Radio
Writers: Irene Kelley/Jerry Salley; Producer: Kelley; Publisher: Shiny Stuff/Very Jerry, BMI/SESAC; Mountain Fever
– This Nashvillian is the hottest bluegrass act heading into this week’s IBMA convention. Her album, Benny’s TV Repair, sits at No. 1. This single has already topped the chart in Bluegrass Today and seems poised to repeat the feat in Bluegrass Unlimited (where it currently sits at No. 3). She’s also the subject of a laudatory feature in the new issue of BU. “Bluegrass Radio” sounds so sweet and Appalachian that she might as well be a mountain angel. Heavenly, heavenly, heavenly.

LONESOME RIVER BAND/Little Magnolia
Writers: Adam Wright/Milan Miller; Producer: Lonesome River Band; Publishers: Songs From the Stillhouse/Wrightone, SESAC/BMI; Mountain Home
– It’s an upbeat waltz, so I was hooked from the opening notes of this heartache tune. The twin-brother harmonies of Brandon Rickman and Jesse Smathers are electrifying. The song is at No. 14 and is taken from the Lonesome River Band’s current Outside Looking In CD. Group leader Sammy Shelor is the key to the band’s flawless grooves and is a five-time winner of IBMA Banjo Player of the Year honor.

GENA BRITT/Over and Over
Writers: Eli Johnson/Kevin KcKinnon; Producer: Gena Britt; Publisher: Top O Holston, BMI; Pinecastle (track)
– Chronicle is the solo debut of this sweet-singing banjo player. On it, Britt collaborates with such top talents as Brooke Aldridge, Alecia Nugent, Marty Raybon, Charli Robertson (of Flatt Lonesome) and her Grammy and IBMA nominated Sister Sadie bandmates Dale Ann Bradley, Deanie Richardson and Tina Adair. The set kicks off with this zippy, high-lonesome, heartbreak train tune. Promising.

UNSPOKEN TRADITION/Dark Side of the Mountain
Writers: paula Breedlove/Brad Davis: Producers: Unspoken Tradition/Scott Barnett; Publishers: PaulaJon, Brad Davis, ASCAP/BMI; Mountain Home
– This spent six months on the bluegrass charts this year. It’s a haunting, graveside tune bolstered by slightly gritty, bluesy vocals and a minor-key melody. With their edgy vocals and passionate instrumental attack, Unspoken Tradition is a band to watch. The CD is titled Myths We Tell Our Young.

LONELY HEARTSTRING BAND/The Other Side
Writers: Lonely Heartstring Band; Producer: Bridget Kearney; Publishers: Lonely Heartstring, BMI; Rounder (track)
– This Boston band definitely pushes at the bluegrass boundaries. It is an acoustic act, but draws from pop, folk, jam-band and even classical influences. The vocals here are soft and mesmerizing. The instrumentation is accomplished, improvisational and experimental. The lyric expresses youthful hope in a time of political distress. Challenging, beautiful and altogether wonderful. The CD that contains this is titled Smoke & Ashes. It will dazzle and delight you. It’s definitely going into my repeat-play stash.

DISClaimer: Sister Hazel, Niko Moon Top New Releases

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As we continue to slog through the dog days of summer (even though it’s September), country music is doing its best to keep our spirits up.

Dolly and Vince are here with touching inspiration. Trisha and Garth are bringing the romance. FGL has family values in mind.

The Disc of the Day goes to the enduringly great Sister Hazel. These guys are bona fide survivors who have sold millions on their independent road.

Give Niko Moon a DisCovery Award. I don’t know much about him, except that he shows real promise.

SISTER HAZEL/Raising a Rookie
Writers: Andrew Copeland/Darius Rucker/Barry Dean; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Country Paper/Pulse Nation/Creative Pulse, no performance rights listed; Rock Ridge
– This five-piece Florida band has been at it for 25 years and continues to gather momentum since its move into country music in 2015. This lead track from its new EP finds the vocal harmonies in fine fettle. Lead singer Ken Block delivers with immense heart and charisma, and the power ballad about raising a boy to manhood is infused with truth and tenderness.

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Blessings
Writers: Tyler Hubbard/Brian Kelley/Tom Douglas/Jessie Frasure/Jordan Schmidt/Keith Urban; Producer: Joey Moi & FGL; Publishers: Big Loud Mountain/T Hubb/Pranch Ringle/Round Hill Works/Sony-ATV Tree/Sony-ATV Countryside/Tomdouglasmusic/Warner-Tamerlane/Telemitry Rhythm House/Songs of Roc Nation/WB/Freshy/We-Volve, BMI/ASCAP; BMLG (track)
– I’ve been liking these guys more and more since they simplified things and got back to their country roots. The song is a lilting ode to home and family that glows with fireside comfort.

NIKO MOON/Good Time
Writers: Niko Moon/Anna Moon/Josh Murty; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Kobalt; RCA
– I like his country drawl laced with some r&b tones. The relaxed, back-porch vibe of this lazy-bones track is a little different, but decidedly ear catching. I could have done without the electronic loops.

KELSEA BALLERINI/Homecoming Queen?
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Black River
– All teens suffer from self-doubt and pain. Even homecoming queens. The new Opry member’s aching delivery of the ballad is perfect.

SEAN STEMALY/Back on a Backroad
Writers: Michael Hardy/Josh Kerr/Cole Taylor; Producer: Joey Moi, Lex Liptiz; Publisher: noen listed; Big Loud
– Processed vocal. Wall-of-electronics track. Cliche-cluttered, generic backroad lyric. This is contemporary “country” music.

JASON ALDEAN/We Back
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed: Publisher: none listed; Broken Bow
– His superstardom continues to mystify me. With its irritating rock instrumentation, his back-of-throat singing and the blue-collar lyric, this sounds like just about everything else he has put out. Very successfully, I might add.

CHELY WRIGHT/Say The Word
Writers: none listed; Producers: Jeremy Lister and Dustin Ransom; Publishers: none listed; Painted Red
– As refreshing as a splash of cool water. The echoey track swirls around her minor-key melody while she sings in a dreamy, distant whisper. Americana programmers take note.

FOR KING & COUNTRY WITH DOLLY PARTON/God Only Knows
Writers: Josh Kerr/Jordan Reynolds/J. Smallbone/L. Smallbone/Tjornhom; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Curb/Word
– I know, I know, it’s Christian pop. But I was overcome with curiosity to hear what Dolly sounded like with the Smallbone brothers. Guess what? She can be just as pop, pop, popping as those CCM rockers. In that genre, this has already been an award-winning No.1 smash in 2018. With her extraordinary voice on it now, I predict a revival.

TRISHA YEARWOOD & GARTH BROOKS/What Gave Me Away
Writers: none listed; Producer: Garth Fundis; Publisher: none listed; Gwendolyn
– Trisha’s new CD includes her newest collaboration with her hubby. It has a sexy, after-midnight, groove-soaked vibe. The stinging r&b guitar solo and simmering organ notes in the background give it some extra juice. It’s really Trisha’s performance, but Garth’s supportive harmony vocal shadows her at every turn.

VINCE GILL/Nothin’ Like A Guy Clark Song
Writer: Gill; Producers: Gill/Justin Niebank;Publishers: none listed; MCA Nashville
– Over a rippling guitar track, he quotes Guy’s song titles, even sounding a little like his hero as he sing-speaks the verses. The choruses drive home the homage eloquently. On the last verse, he asks, “What do you do when your heroes die?” and answers again in Guy’s “voice.” Vince’s new Okie CD also includes “A World Without Haggard,” which is another elegy gem that’s well worth your attention.