HARDY. Photo: Tanner Gallagher
Through writing No. 1 hits for Blake Shelton (“God’s Country”), Morgan Wallen (“Up Down”), Florida Georgia Line (“Simple”), “I Don’t Know About You” (Chris Lane), and most recently LOCASH (“One Big Country Song”), HARDY has quickly become one of Nashville’s most trusted songwriters in the past two years.
Along the way, he’s offered fans a taste of his own innately detailed, at times irreverent brand of music and pledged his allegiance to songs that celebrate the Mississippi native’s rural roots with songs like “Rednecker.” He proved his rising star status with his Hixtape Vol. 1 EP, featuring a staggering 17 collaborators, including Keith Urban, Thomas Rhett, Tracy Lawrence, and Lauren Alaina.
His current single, “One Beer,” featuring Alaina and Devin Dawson, is currently in the Top 20 on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart and at No. 1 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart; and he is currently nominated for Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year (for “God’s Country”) at the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards. Earlier this year, he took home the AIMP Songwriter of the Year honor.
But on his full-length album A ROCK, out today via Big Loud Records, HARDY expands on the narrative and his soundscape, both leaning into that “Rednecker” vibe on new songs such as “Unapologetically Country As Hell,” while adding a harder edge, pulsating percussion such as “Boots” and deepening lyrical craft with the somber “Give Heaven Some Hell.” Throughout, HARDY’s ability to convey evocative details with universal appeal through his lyrics bodes well for his longevity in the format.
HARDY spoke with MusicRow about crafting the new album during the COVID-19 pandemic, his evolution as a songwriter and artist, and his hopes to soon be able to play his music live for fans again.
MusicRow: When did this full-length project begin coming together?
HARDY: I wrote “Boyfriend” around a year ago and I would say that’s the first thing that I put on hold. I sent that song to everybody, and [HARDY’s manager and Co-Founding Partner/CEO, Big Loud] Seth England was like, “Hey, you need to hold this one. We are getting ready to do a record and you need to start being conscious of the songs you write and keeping them on hold.” We started recording around Christmas of this past year, cut four songs, and kind of during quarantine and maybe a little bit before, I just started writing and holding songs, recording them as we went.
What was it like recording this during quarantine?
You would have the recording files from making the demo and Joey [Moi, HARDY’s producer] would ask for the stems, the individual instrument recording, so he would get 20 different stems and just pick that apart. For a song like “So Close,” he might say, “Let’s take the drums out,” and send the drum-less recording to Jerry Roe and Jerry would play real drums on it. Joey would get it back and then take the guitars out and send them to Derek Wells and Derek would play guitar on it and send it back. It was just that process all the way through until it’s done. It’s just a matter of mixing and editing after the playing. But yeah, not a lot of it went down in the actual studio, which is crazy.
Ashland Craft is featured on “So Close.”
She opened some shows for me, and I love her personality. She’s a bad ass. She’s authentic and she’s gritty and she’s got a great voice. At first, “So Close” wasn’t even going to be a duet, at least not when we wrote it. That came after the fact. I just shot her a text and I said, “Look, I have this song and I’d love for you to sing it with me.” I wanted her on this record, and she crushed it.
Between “So Close,” and especially “One Beer,” which appeared on Hixtape Vol. 1, those feel very transitional from your last project to this one.
To be honest, the song is doing really well at radio right now, and I think it deserved a spot on this record because of that.
“Boots,” which you wrote with David Garcia and Hillary Lindsey, definitely features an edgier sound than fans are used to hearing from some of your earlier work.
I think that “Boots” at this point may never be a single or anything, but I think it’s a good flagship. If someone I never met said, “Play one song that describes your sound,” I think that’s the one I would play, because it’s the direction I’m going. Even when I did the demo, I told David [Garcia], “I want this thing to rock your face off.” And Joey just took it that much farther. The drums got heavier, the guitars got heavier. They made it sound one hundred times better.
The title track kind of goes back to that classic country triad of lyrics, where it progresses from childhood and ultimately through the end of a life. It just feels like such a great throwback in the way it’s structured.
You’re the first person I’ve heard compare it to old country and I think that’s really cool. It’s like “Don’t Take the Girl,” or “There Goes My Life.” It’s a life progression song.
I was driving down the road one day, and I thought, “Man, there are so many moments where a rock plays an important part in everything.” I saved the idea and later me and Smith Ahnquist and Jake Mitchell were out drinking at the bars and decided to go back to the house and write. I told them about the idea, and I was like, “I don’t really want to write a chorus, I just want to tell a cool story about the direction of life and I wonder if there is a way to do it without a chorus.” Thank God that they were two of my buddies that kind of trust me and some of my weird ideas.
“Hate Your Hometown” is a clever twist on a topic, and it’s one of your most personal songs.
That is the most true of any song on this entire record. That came from a real place. Caleigh is my girlfriend and we’ve been together for about two years. She’s from San Diego which, who could hate San Diego, right? She went to Ole Miss, but then she went back to San Diego for a few months and the plan was for her to move to Nashville. I didn’t say this to her, but I had the thought, “I really hope you go back, and I kind of hope that you hate it and you don’t fall back in love with your hometown, because if you do, I feel like I might get a phone call one day that says you’re staying.” And I would hate for that to happen. So it’s a really specific subject matter, but I wanted to write about it. It’s something that I was really going through, so I wanted write that hook exactly how I thought it. It was the last song I wrote for the record.
You still have some very country songs on this project, most obviously “Unapologetically Country As Hell.”
I know how much my fans love the redneck side of me and I would have cut the song anyway, but I did it for them. That song is still very much me, and I’m going to have a song like that on every piece of work I put out. I wrote that chorus in the deer stand, too. I was hunting.
That’s kind of a lane that’s wide open. I can’t remember the last time I heard a song in the “Country Boy Can Survive” kind of category, and that’s what I wanted to say. I’m proud of how I grew up and I just think that there are a lot of people out there that are true blue, they’re rednecks and I think that there’s a certain negative stigma that goes along with that sometimes. But I think as long as you’re a good person, if you’re a redneck, you should own it and be proud of it.
Like most artists, I’m sure you wish you could play your new songs in concert. Would you consider doing a drive-in show?
I would consider it, yeah. At the beginning, I didn’t think I would, but I’m just so fricking down to play a show that I would play for a bunch of three-year-olds right now.
I’ve seen concepts where it’s a big field and each group of people has a little pod they stay in or whatever. That looks like it could be a real thing. I just want to get out there and play shows and see faces. If anything, it’s making me more appreciative of everything. Because you can get burned out from anything. And there was a time where I was like, “I just want a break.” Now I want to do the opposite. If anything, it’s given me a little bit of perspective on how strong shows really are and how important it is to get out there and let your fans see you, and sing songs with you.
Q&A: HARDY Discusses His Songwriting Evolution, And Crafting His Debut Album ‘A ROCK’
/by Jessica NicholsonHARDY. Photo: Tanner Gallagher
Through writing No. 1 hits for Blake Shelton (“God’s Country”), Morgan Wallen (“Up Down”), Florida Georgia Line (“Simple”), “I Don’t Know About You” (Chris Lane), and most recently LOCASH (“One Big Country Song”), HARDY has quickly become one of Nashville’s most trusted songwriters in the past two years.
Along the way, he’s offered fans a taste of his own innately detailed, at times irreverent brand of music and pledged his allegiance to songs that celebrate the Mississippi native’s rural roots with songs like “Rednecker.” He proved his rising star status with his Hixtape Vol. 1 EP, featuring a staggering 17 collaborators, including Keith Urban, Thomas Rhett, Tracy Lawrence, and Lauren Alaina.
His current single, “One Beer,” featuring Alaina and Devin Dawson, is currently in the Top 20 on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart and at No. 1 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart; and he is currently nominated for Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year (for “God’s Country”) at the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards. Earlier this year, he took home the AIMP Songwriter of the Year honor.
But on his full-length album A ROCK, out today via Big Loud Records, HARDY expands on the narrative and his soundscape, both leaning into that “Rednecker” vibe on new songs such as “Unapologetically Country As Hell,” while adding a harder edge, pulsating percussion such as “Boots” and deepening lyrical craft with the somber “Give Heaven Some Hell.” Throughout, HARDY’s ability to convey evocative details with universal appeal through his lyrics bodes well for his longevity in the format.
HARDY spoke with MusicRow about crafting the new album during the COVID-19 pandemic, his evolution as a songwriter and artist, and his hopes to soon be able to play his music live for fans again.
MusicRow: When did this full-length project begin coming together?
HARDY: I wrote “Boyfriend” around a year ago and I would say that’s the first thing that I put on hold. I sent that song to everybody, and [HARDY’s manager and Co-Founding Partner/CEO, Big Loud] Seth England was like, “Hey, you need to hold this one. We are getting ready to do a record and you need to start being conscious of the songs you write and keeping them on hold.” We started recording around Christmas of this past year, cut four songs, and kind of during quarantine and maybe a little bit before, I just started writing and holding songs, recording them as we went.
What was it like recording this during quarantine?
You would have the recording files from making the demo and Joey [Moi, HARDY’s producer] would ask for the stems, the individual instrument recording, so he would get 20 different stems and just pick that apart. For a song like “So Close,” he might say, “Let’s take the drums out,” and send the drum-less recording to Jerry Roe and Jerry would play real drums on it. Joey would get it back and then take the guitars out and send them to Derek Wells and Derek would play guitar on it and send it back. It was just that process all the way through until it’s done. It’s just a matter of mixing and editing after the playing. But yeah, not a lot of it went down in the actual studio, which is crazy.
Ashland Craft is featured on “So Close.”
She opened some shows for me, and I love her personality. She’s a bad ass. She’s authentic and she’s gritty and she’s got a great voice. At first, “So Close” wasn’t even going to be a duet, at least not when we wrote it. That came after the fact. I just shot her a text and I said, “Look, I have this song and I’d love for you to sing it with me.” I wanted her on this record, and she crushed it.
Between “So Close,” and especially “One Beer,” which appeared on Hixtape Vol. 1, those feel very transitional from your last project to this one.
To be honest, the song is doing really well at radio right now, and I think it deserved a spot on this record because of that.
“Boots,” which you wrote with David Garcia and Hillary Lindsey, definitely features an edgier sound than fans are used to hearing from some of your earlier work.
I think that “Boots” at this point may never be a single or anything, but I think it’s a good flagship. If someone I never met said, “Play one song that describes your sound,” I think that’s the one I would play, because it’s the direction I’m going. Even when I did the demo, I told David [Garcia], “I want this thing to rock your face off.” And Joey just took it that much farther. The drums got heavier, the guitars got heavier. They made it sound one hundred times better.
The title track kind of goes back to that classic country triad of lyrics, where it progresses from childhood and ultimately through the end of a life. It just feels like such a great throwback in the way it’s structured.
You’re the first person I’ve heard compare it to old country and I think that’s really cool. It’s like “Don’t Take the Girl,” or “There Goes My Life.” It’s a life progression song.
I was driving down the road one day, and I thought, “Man, there are so many moments where a rock plays an important part in everything.” I saved the idea and later me and Smith Ahnquist and Jake Mitchell were out drinking at the bars and decided to go back to the house and write. I told them about the idea, and I was like, “I don’t really want to write a chorus, I just want to tell a cool story about the direction of life and I wonder if there is a way to do it without a chorus.” Thank God that they were two of my buddies that kind of trust me and some of my weird ideas.
“Hate Your Hometown” is a clever twist on a topic, and it’s one of your most personal songs.
That is the most true of any song on this entire record. That came from a real place. Caleigh is my girlfriend and we’ve been together for about two years. She’s from San Diego which, who could hate San Diego, right? She went to Ole Miss, but then she went back to San Diego for a few months and the plan was for her to move to Nashville. I didn’t say this to her, but I had the thought, “I really hope you go back, and I kind of hope that you hate it and you don’t fall back in love with your hometown, because if you do, I feel like I might get a phone call one day that says you’re staying.” And I would hate for that to happen. So it’s a really specific subject matter, but I wanted to write about it. It’s something that I was really going through, so I wanted write that hook exactly how I thought it. It was the last song I wrote for the record.
You still have some very country songs on this project, most obviously “Unapologetically Country As Hell.”
I know how much my fans love the redneck side of me and I would have cut the song anyway, but I did it for them. That song is still very much me, and I’m going to have a song like that on every piece of work I put out. I wrote that chorus in the deer stand, too. I was hunting.
That’s kind of a lane that’s wide open. I can’t remember the last time I heard a song in the “Country Boy Can Survive” kind of category, and that’s what I wanted to say. I’m proud of how I grew up and I just think that there are a lot of people out there that are true blue, they’re rednecks and I think that there’s a certain negative stigma that goes along with that sometimes. But I think as long as you’re a good person, if you’re a redneck, you should own it and be proud of it.
Like most artists, I’m sure you wish you could play your new songs in concert. Would you consider doing a drive-in show?
I would consider it, yeah. At the beginning, I didn’t think I would, but I’m just so fricking down to play a show that I would play for a bunch of three-year-olds right now.
I’ve seen concepts where it’s a big field and each group of people has a little pod they stay in or whatever. That looks like it could be a real thing. I just want to get out there and play shows and see faces. If anything, it’s making me more appreciative of everything. Because you can get burned out from anything. And there was a time where I was like, “I just want a break.” Now I want to do the opposite. If anything, it’s given me a little bit of perspective on how strong shows really are and how important it is to get out there and let your fans see you, and sing songs with you.
Adam Hambrick Goes ‘Top Down, Southbound’ On New Release Out Today
/by Lorie HollabaughAdam Hambrick has released the first of three “flip sides,” his new series of two-track releases each bound together by a common thread. The first, Top Down, Southbound, on Capitol Records Nashville/Buena Vista Records, is comprised of his two new songs “Sunshine State of Mind” and “Do The Math.”
Written by Hambrick, Kelly Archer and Gordie Sampson, the hypnotic “Sunshine State of Mind” creates a mood evocative of driving down a warm Spanish coast. The poignant “Do The Math,” penned by Hambrick, David Fanning, and Nick Donley, measures a man’s pain by adding up the drinks he uses to drown it.
Hambrick will continue to drop Flip Sides through the Fall and the beginning of 2021, culminating into a complete body of work. He previously released his Amazon Original cover of Alan Jackson’s classic hit, “Midnight In Montgomery,” and has written hits for Dan + Shay (“How Not To”) and Justin Moore (“Somebody Else Will”), among others.
Creature Comfort Release Newest Track From Upcoming Album, ‘Home Team’
/by Lorie HollabaughCreature Comfort. Photo: Daniel Chaney
Nashville-based band Creature Comfort have released a new track, “Single Soul,” from their upcoming LP Home Team, due out on Oct. 30. The song was penned in 2017 by lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Jessey Clark in reaction to the shootings of Philando Castile and Charles Kinsey.
“I was on my computer one day and saw a video of yet another black man being shot by police… but this was different because he didn’t lose his life,” Clark told V13, referencing the 2016 shooting of Kinsey. “He was able to tell his side of the story and the whole situation angered me deeply. He was literally doing his job, taking care of an autistic child, and someone called the police on him. As he was lying there, not being aggressive at all, an officer decided to shoot him. This song is sort of my attempt to grasp what he must have been feeling in those moments.”
To coincide with the release, Creature Comfort will donate all proceeds from sales of “Single Soul” raised today via Bandcamp to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund.
The band, whose lengthy tour experience includes performanc
Sheryl Crow Announces ‘Songs From The Big Green Barn’ Virtual Shows
/by Lorie HollabaughSheryl Crow will perform two new virtual concerts from her home property on Sept. 18-19. Titled “Songs From The Big Green Barn,” the shows will be broadcast live at livestream.sherylcrow.com.
“I’m really excited to bring fans inside the Big Green Barn for this pair of shows, they’re going to be special,” Crow said. “Obviously with COVID, we haven’t been able to tour this year. We put a lot of thought into how to make these shows unique, and to reach people around the world in countries that we haven’t played for in a long time, perhaps ever.”
Tickets for each performance are available for $19.99, as well as a bundle ticket combo which provides access to both shows for the discounted price of $34.99 (until day of show). Unique merchandise has been created to commemorate the shows, and will be available in limited quantities. “Songs From The Big Green Barn” tickets and merchandise are available for purchase starting today (Sept. 4) at livestream.sherylcrow.com.
Alabama Adds Martina McBride To “50th Anniversary Tour” Concerts In 2021
/by Lorie HollabaughALABAMA has recruited Martina McBride to join them as their very special guest at the band’s rescheduled 50th Anniversary Tour concerts in Nashville next year. ALABAMA and McBride will perform back-to-back concerts at Bridgestone Arena on July 2-3, 2021.
Tickets for both shows are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster locations and at the Bridgestone Arena box office. Pre-pandemic, the shows were originally slated to happen July 17-18 of this year but were rescheduled due to COVID-19.
Five decades since starting the band, ALABAMA has charted 43 No. 1 singles, including 21 chart-toppers in a row, and have won dozens of CMA, Grammy, and ACM Awards. They are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame and have their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Wade Bowen Releases ‘The Waiting’ EP
/by Jessica NicholsonWade Bowen released a surprise EP today (Sept. 4), featuring studio recordings of some of his biggest live-only favorites. The Waiting features six tracks, including “Who I Am,” one of the first songs Bowen ever penned.
“Who I Am” has become a fan-favorite moment in every Bowen show. A 2003 live recording from Lubbock’s famed venue The Blue Light Live has organically garnered more than 12 million streams and is one of Bowen’s most popular songs on streaming platforms.
The album also includes three other fan favorites, a Phil Collins cover and a new song, “Fairest Lady,” which Bowen co-wrote with Brent Cobb.
“I figured folks have been waiting long enough to hear these songs,” Wade Bowen says. “We’ve all been playing “the waiting game” and I couldn’t think of a better way to thank my fans than to put this EP out as soon as I had it in my hands.”
Bowen and his band recorded the main tracks together at Gruene Records in New Braunfels, Texas. Then, musicians in Austin and Nashville added steel guitar, background vocals, and keyboards, sending parts and overdubs to Bowen via email.
“Recording this project during the pandemic was both a fun and frustrating experience” Bowen says. “I usually am in the room while every part of my record is being played but due to circumstances beyond my control that wasn’t possible,” Bowen concedes. “So giving up that control was a little nerve-racking.”
Bowen hit the ground running in the early 2000s, and has released a steady stream of records, averaging nearly an album a year over the past six years including his famed collaboration with fellow artist and longtime friend Randy Rogers. The Waiting marks Bowen’s first collection of original solo tunes since 2018’s Solid Ground.
THE WAITING EP Track List
1.“Getaway”
2.“Who I Am”
3.“Red Headed Woman”
4.“Mystery Of A Woman”
5.“Fairest Lady” (written with Brent Cobb)
6.“I Wish It Would Rain Down” (Phil Collins cover)
Weekly Radio Report (9/4/20)
/by Alex ParryClick here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Radio Report.
Spotify Enhances Indigo Playlist With Video Feature
/by Jessica NicholsonOrville Peck
In March, Spotify gave a visibility boost to artists across the spectrum of country and Americana music with the launch of its Indigo playlist. The playlist now has more than 255,000 followers and highlights artists from country radio mainstays such as Eric Church, Maren Morris and Miranda Lambert, but also Americana and singer-songwriter favorites such as Brandy Clark, Cody Jinks, Will Hoge, Marcus King, Rhiannon Giddens, Tyler Childers, and more.
Today, the streaming service is doubling down on ways to bring music fans deeper into the artists’ stories, with the launch of a new playlist video format that will run weekly throughout September for the Indigo playlist.
Beginning today, the first artist to be highlighted through the new video assets is Orville Peck, who released his EP Show Pony on Aug. 14. Peck focuses as intensely on the visual aspects of his work as the musical side, and recently issued an attention-grabbing music video for “Legends Never Die,” featuring superstar Shania Twain.
MusicRow Magazine discussed the new video playlist enhancement with Mary Catherine Kinney, Manager, Spotify Artist & Label Partnerships, Spotify Nashville.
Since the Indigo playlist launched earlier this year, what kind of response have you been getting from listeners and from artists and their management teams about this new offering?
Kinney: The response to Indigo has been resounding excitement from artists, fans and our industry partners. More than a year ago, our Spotify Nashville team identified the opportunity for a playlist of Indigo’s nature by observing user listening habits on-platform combined with what was happening in the culture as well. We had an inkling this playlist would strike a chord, but the overwhelmingly positive response and consistent growth of daily consumption has been really thrilling to witness.
The first artist you will highlight with the video feature is Orville Peck. What makes him such a great artist to launch this feature with?
With this new video feature, the goal is to bring an artists’ music to life for their fans in another dimension within a playlist and Orville felt like a great fit. His creative vision combined with the stories behind his new project Show Pony really created a beautiful piece.
He is a highly visually-oriented artist. What was it like working with his team to select and create content to further promote his work on the Indigo playlist?
I’ll never forget the first meeting the team had with Orville at WME’s office in Nashville last year. We were spellbound by the music, his stories, the authenticity of his sound and his vision for the lines he is writing in the country music narrative. In between talking about his vision for Pony and his deep affection for country music, he shared the iconic images from his first GQ photo shoot and the concept behind his stunning mask collaboration with Dior. He brings his music to life in all forms of art and design, so working with him on this feature, we knew he’d have a great eye for what to create. Due to the circumstances and social distancing practices, we leaned on self-shot content from Orville and he was incredibly creative in how he used the tools at hand for this piece.
Can you say more about the playlist video format and what is most exciting to you about that?
Country music is built on stories and songs, so this video feature for Indigo truly provides an exciting opportunity for Spotify to offer artists a chance to take fans behind the curtain and into the creative process of their music.
Could this promotion go beyond September?
Spotify is always exploring new on-platform avenues that bring artists and fans closer together to encourage discovery and listening. The inaugural slate for September is really exciting, so stay tuned!
What message do you hope offerings like this send to artists who have a harder time getting airplay on traditional country radio?
I think this is a really exciting time for country artists as there are more diverse opportunities than ever before to connect with fans. From Spotify playlists to radio and social media, the various lanes to reach current and future fans are growing as the genre’s audience continues to expand.
Ricky Skaggs, Loretta Lynn, Michael W. Smith Set For "Pure River At The Ryman" Livestream
/by Jessica NicholsonRicky Skaggs
Several country and CCM artists, including Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss, Michael W. Smith and more, will take part in a 24-hour livestream event, “Pure River At The Ryman.” The event will be livestreamed from the Ryman Auditorium over the course of two days, on Sept. 21-22, 2020, from noon until midnight each day.
Others appearing and/or performing include The Katinas, Danny Gokey, Phil Keaggy, Jason Crabb, Rhonda Vincent, Eddie James, Beckah Shae, Jason Upton, and more.
“We’re going to have 24 hours over two days of praise and worship, music, prayer, in Nashville, for not just our city, but for our nation, and the nations of the world because our world needs Jesus now more than ever,” said Skaggs.
“Pure River At The Ryman” will feature a wide collection of artists spanning across genres. Every half hour, an artist will perform a semi-acoustic set as part of the livestream. The event will be hosted by Harvest Sound International.
DISClaimer Singles Reviews: Miranda Lambert, Brett Eldredge, Eric Church, And More
/by Robert K OermannThere are so many bogus “artists” in the country format, but they are absent today.
It gives me so much pleasure in this week’s DISClaimer to review new music by such quality people as Miranda Lambert, HARDY, Eric Church, Alecia Nugent, Brett Eldredge and Chris Stapleton. They are the sort of folks who all current country artists should aspire to emulate.
In a stack of platters that is an embarrassment of riches, choosing a Disc of the Day is ridiculously hard. I’m going with Brett Eldredge, but the award could easily belong to any of the above.
The DISCovery Award goes to Matt Castillo.
LAINE HARDY/Tiny Town
Writers: Michael Tyler Spragg; Publisher: none listed; Sony-ATV/Pink Dog/Emileon/Little Louder/Songs of Kobalt/Wrucke For You/Songs of Universal, BMI; Producer: Michael Knox; LH
– As a former American Idol winner, he has an established fan base. What I like most about this is the clarity and simplicity of his delivery. It’s an acoustic-based production, so there’s plenty of room for his easy-going vocal presentation. The song is an okay, small-town salute that country listeners seem to love so well. By the way, Laine Hardy is a coronavirus survivor.
MIRANDA LAMBERT/Settling Down
Writers: Luke Dick/Miranda Lambert/Natalie Hemby; Publisher: none listed; Producer: Jay Joyce; RCA
– Congratulations to her for now being the most nominated female artist in CMA history. This spectacular little single is a total celebration of her voice, her songwriting and her personality. What a groove. This is the stuff of greatness.
MATT CASTILLO/Say It
Writers: Roger Brown/Tommy Conners/Don Rollins/Matt Castillo; Publisher: none listed; Producer: Roger Brown; MC
– It’s a toe tapper with stuttering guitar and steel. Hard to resist. Props to producer Brown and the relentless rhythm section.
LOCASH/Beers To Catch Up On
Writers: Jeremy Stover/Rhett Akins/Paul Charles Digiovanni; Publisher: Warner-Tamerlane/Anthem Entertainment/Universal/Ole Red Cape/Real Big Red Tunes/Ritten By Rhettro, BMI/ASCAP; Producer: none listed; Wheelhouse/BBR
– Buddy-buddy, warm and brotherly. A dandy sentiment about old friends, delivered with heart.
BRETT ELDREDGE/Sunday Drive
Writers: Barry Dean/Don Mescall/Steve Robson; Publisher: none listed; Producer: none listed; Warner
– Righteous and true. “It’s the ordinary things that mean so much.” The ballad takes him from his childhood riding with his folks to driving them himself when they get old. It choked me up, big time. During this pandemic, one of the things we do to keep our mental health is to go for drives with no destination. I guess partly because I remember my Dad taking us on Sunday drives. So Amen, to this song.
CHRIS STAPLETON/Starting Over
Writers: Chris Stapleton/Mike Henderson; Publishers: I Wrote These Songs/WC/Straight Six/Wixen, ASCAP/BMI; Producers: Dave Cobb/Chris Stapleton; Mercury
– He’s down, but hopeful. No matter how dark it seems, there is always a bright tomorrow and a shiny renewal. Strummy and upbeat, but grounded in gritty reality. A pure country-music delight.
ALECIA NUGENT/They Don’t Make ‘Em Like My Daddy Anymore
Writers: Alecia Nugent/Carl Jackson; Publishers: Hillbilly Goddess/Bluewater/Colonel Rebel/BMG, ASCAP; Producer: Keith Stegall; Hillbilly Goddess
– Known for her prior work in bluegrass, Nugent’s comeback CD The Old Side of Town is a move into mainstream country. She’s been off the radar for nearly a decade, and I have sorely missed her. Nugent remains an absolutely heart-stopping, old-school country singer. This lilting, nostalgic single is not the 1974 Loretta Lynn hit with the identical title (penned by Jerry Chestnut). It is a tribute to her childhood singing partner and pop, who has passed away. Sweet, endearing and totally autobiographical.
ERIC CHURCH/Crazyland
Writers: Eric Church/Luke Laird/Michael Heeney; Publisher: none listed; Producer: none listed; EMI
– Super creative. The songwriting here is just excellent. “Crazyland” is a tavern populated by characters named “Fool,” “Sorrow,” “I Told You So,” “Regret,” “All My Fault” and “Out of His Mind.” They hang out together in misery, singing the songs of a fellow named “Blues.” The shuffling percussion, piano notes and soft echo are just a few of the highlights in the airy production. This man is as good as contemporary country music gets.
HARDY/Boyfriend
Writers: Zach Abend/HARDY/Andy Albert; Publisher: none listed; Producer: none listed; Big Loud
– Love this. Love him. It shows a softer and super romantic side of this gifted writer-artist. His approach to country music always gives me hope for the future.
ARLO McKINLEY/Die Midwestern
Writer: Arlo McKinley; Publisher: none listed; Producer: Matt Ross Spang; Oh Boy
– A weaving honky-tonk band with a slippery fiddle are the loosey-goosey accompaniment to this love-hate ode to dead-end Ohio. It’s kinda like a mashup of The Band, John Prine and Austin country. He’s a Cincinnati native, and the video tours you through that city’s urban neighborhoods.
MITCHELL TENPENNY/Broken Up
Writers: Devin Dawson/Mitchell Tenpenny/Kyle Fishman/Ernest K. Smith; Publishers: Audium/Sony-ATV/Universal/Warner-Chappell; Producer: Jordan Schmidt; Riser House/Columbia
– A break-up song that’s also a solid banger. The “echo” answering vocals, rippling electronics and beats make this as much a jam as it is a lament. Recommended.