Drive All Night – Wyatt Flores Written By Adam Delahoussaye
At least from what we’ve heard so far, it feels like Wyatt Flores is trying his hardest to make up for lost time. He had us feeling the g-force on “Runnin’ On E,” a freewheeling track that flew through personal progress to play catch-up, but his latest single is a little more singularly minded in the object of its affection. “Drive All Night” is pretty set and standard as far as its skeleton outline goes. A phone light illuminates a dark and lonely room, hearts start palpitating, and we’re behind the wheel with Flores before he can give the gesture a second thought. It’s a thumping, wild-eyed number that plays well into the anguished young-adult Flores is becoming. But it’s a hard sell to buy a lot of the fill-in-the-blank lyrics in the verses that the road he’s riding is populated with. Sure, he’ll be picking up clothes off the floor tomorrow, and sure, there will be bags under his eyes, but there isn’t a whole lot of detail to convince us that the insomnia is quite worth the dirty laundry. But the proof has never been in the process with Flores as much as in the feeling. When his rasp feels like it’s hitting the ceiling, it’s hard not to get suffocated and a little intoxicated by notes that sound like they’re being pulled up from the bottom of his stomach. Flores has never failed to understand an assignment, but sometimes it feels like he has trouble articulating it with all that steam in the way.
7.1
Wannabe – Gavin Adcock Written By Adam Delahoussaye
Though it’s not nearly as on the nose as HARDY’s “REDNECKER” or as in your face as Bailey Zimmerman’s “New To Country,” Gavin Adcock’s newest single feels like the announcement he’s been teasing in the footnotes of his career for the past three years. If you couldn’t tell by just looking at him, the 27-year-old loves to dip, take lifted trucks for joyrides, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a pair of khakis in his closet. But if you couldn’t figure that out for yourself, “Wannabe” asserts his branding as the biggest, baddest card-carrying member of the country boy brotherhood. Either he’s poking the bear on purpose, or it’s just a side effect of playing this far into the bit, but Adcock sounds like he’s giving in to all the nitpicks his haters pin on him here. The arrangements are mixed into a noxious blend of subwoofer fodder; the adjectives and proper nouns never stray too far from the code of conduct carried below the Mason-Dixon. Still, it’s hard not to sense that this is the most fun he’s had in a while, maybe because he knows it’ll get the snobs to roll their eyes. All the digital additives and big-rig audio tricks would be more annoying if they didn’t sound like the kind of music Adcock has been emulating the more he’s wedged himself into the spotlight.
6.4
The Hallelujah Trail – Charley Crockett Written By Joel Reuben Pauley
For a Charley Crockett fan, April was a great month, with not one but two new albums being released. After all the anticipation and the release of trilogy-ending Age of the Ram, the new, independently produced Clovis came as an unexpected yet sweet surprise. Although some disdainful non-indulgers may never give this project a chance, some will find that upon their first listen, there’s a wonderfully complex world of art in his music that they’ve only scratched the surface of. The opening track, “The Hallelujah Trail,” hooks listeners immediately, with an undeniable swagger that complements its compelling western tale. Like Poncho and Lefty, or any classic western duo, this song revolves around Cuatro and Cholla, painting their “fabled story” over almost five minutes. While there isn’t a clear start-to-finish narration of the exact events that take place for Cuatro and Cholla, little hints like “Cuatro died, but then he came back again” make you wonder if you’ll hear more about them in the future. Aside from all the written aspects, there’s also so much to love about the actual sound of this song. The opening riff immediately sets a serious tone, with a “cool factor” that matches the outlaw-ish attitude Charley has shown since departing the music industry’s release-friendly approach. When he belts “Out here on the hallelujah, stick it to ya, outlaw trail,” Crockett brings that angsty attitude into his voice in a way that’s not familiar to longtime fans. Although western themes and high-quality storytelling aren’t out of the ordinary in Charley Crockett’s discography, there’s a new confidence and fluidity that is found in his latest record.
8.2
How Did You Know – Jon Pardi Written By Joel Reuben Pauley
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost ten years since Jon Pardi’s California Sunrise. The lead single for the anniversary edition of the iconic album sounds like it easily could’ve originally been included alongside hits like “Heartache On The Dance Floor” and “Head Over Boots.” Like those songs, the new “How Did You Know” shares similarly playful qualities, singing about how getting turned down by a girl was exactly the thing that got him “so hooked” in the first place. Written with Bart Butler and Rhett Akins, this song was let out of the vault because Pardi believed it fit in with the original California Sunrise collection, and after a full listen, most fans would likely agree. Compared to much of the less focused music that followed Heartache Medication, “How Did You Know” feels much more appealing, not straying from the charming sound and heart that drew to Jon’s catalog in the first place. While it’s hard to argue that there have been too many major changes to his overall artistry since those days, the obvious “it factor” appears clearest in his earlier albums which felt more like art, rather than a continuation of an already established style. Although there was a fair share of unserious silliness lines from tracks like “Dirt On My Boots” and “All Time High,” the gimmickiness of the more recent “Friday Night Heartbreaker” and “Reverse Cowgirl” feels significantly less memorable, softening the impact of even the best songs from each of their respective projects. That said, it’s refreshing to hear an anniversary project feature more of the music made with the simpler, widely-loved formula that delivered his biggest hits.
8.0
We Go Back – Keith Urban feat. Michael McDonald Written By Max Buondonno
Keith Urban is making 2026 the year he (briefly) pivots to yacht rock, and the soundscape looks good on him. The infamous Australian guitar slayer is opting for a gentler, breezy aesthetic on his album flow state, which features covers of classic yacht rock standards. The only original song on the record, “We Go Back,” has been released over a month before the album drops, and it manages to blend Keith’s classic sound with enough Doobie Brothers to sound good on a boat. Maybe that’s because he got Michael McDonald, one of the group’s original members, to lay keys and vocals all over it. But when Urban stands alone, he’s able to shine too. The soft-rock production behind each verse lets the song’s story unfold right before your eyes, as someone tries to win back the love they once had. When the chorus finally builds to its climax, you feel like you’ve been whisked away into a classic Doobie Brothers song, despite McDonald’s vocals not being quite as strong as they once were. Urban sounds reasonably natural throughout the entire track, if only because it tends to live in a country-adjacent world until each chorus arrives. The retro arrangement and relatable storytelling carry “We Go Back” to the heights that Urban needs to qualify it as yacht rock: mellow vibes, yearning for something in the distance, and an airy production that begs to be played on low-quality speakers at your next pool party.
7.4
Waste a Day – ERNEST Written By Max Buondonno
As far as lazy, summertime escapism songs are concerned, ERNEST might have just released the unofficial king of them all. “Waste a Day,” track eight on his latest LP Deep Blue, sees the singer-songwriter keep a laid-back composure and enjoy the passing of time with his partner. While there’s no doubt that songs like this have been done a million times before, it’s in the writing and pacing of the track that help it stand out. Its bouncy melodies and gentle rhythm paint a warm, vivid picture in your mind of doing nothing but enjoying what life has to offer, making the simple things feel extraordinary. ERNEST’s plucky acoustic guitar is laced throughout the track, making it feel like the perfect back-porch anthem to unwind after a long day by the water. It’s a celebratory track about dropping responsibilities and obligations, while cosplaying as a tender love song. The way it’s able to work in both ways puts ERNEST’s lyrical and creative chops on full display, proving once again that he can hit age-old topics in country music and make them feel fresh, familiar, and new at the same time.
8.6
Diamond in Your Pocket – Sela Campbell Written By Noah Sneath
A well-balanced portfolio always includes a little risk. Sure, you can put everything in ETFs and enjoy the rising tide, but the real money is made by the people who spotted the undervalued asset before everyone else did. Sela Campbell has under a thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, but if we can infer anything from “Diamond in Your Pocket,” her career is no penny stock. This debut single from the Virginia native is a honky tonk song built around one of the sharpest kiss-off lines in recent memory: “You had a diamond in your pocket / but you were still picking pennies off the ground.” The metaphor is simultaneously anachronistic (surely, nobody’s picking up pennies anymore) and immediately understood. The honky tonk arrangement is clean, and the whole band sounds like it’s in the same room. The mysterious intro smartly gives way to a stripped-down verse (just vocal and guitar) before harmonica, drums, and bass voices are carefully stacked one at a time to build the first chorus, with everything in place. The restraint of the first chorus is, as they say, chef’s kiss. There’s no unnecessary texturing, no effects, no swinging for the fences. Just good production sense that puts the listener right in the pocket. Well-crafted as it may be, this debut single is really a vessel for Campbell’s voice. She has a Natalie Maines quality, but her approach leans more toward melisma and baroque flourishes than raw power. In this song, she sings with clarity and a strong command over an attitude that smolders rather than rages. Two words for all you would-be country music speculators: buy now!
9.2
Roses – Marcus King, The Marcus King Band Written By Aishwarya Rajan
The transition towards sounds that once defined the 1960’s era of music, accompanied by the likes of Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, is rare and hard to replicate. Powerhouse vocals, balanced by the wind instruments, saxophone, and trombone, are a missing element in the nostalgic sounds of music’s golden age. That is, until Marcus King and The Marcus King Band’s new album Darling Blue / No Room For Blue. In this project, King reintroduces concepts now foreign to modern ears, most specifically through “Roses.” Within six seconds, Kyle Snuffer’s trombone and Mike Runyan’s organ explode in a fire of glory, as though stripped from a gospel church choir, or a ballroom scene from The Princess and the Frog. He meshes psychedelic soul with the emotionally vulnerable narration characteristic of country music and jazz. “Roses” is King and Sierra Ferrell’s playful tune about escaping the toxicity of a relationship with a regretful inception. Through lyrical jests, “if you prune a rose, it will grow” and “tried so hard to hate you, but it just made me want you more,” the story unfolds as something both animated and entertaining. The song’s richness transpires through jazz storytelling. Where layers of conversation between every instrument: saxophone, organ, and each guitar, offer a nuanced turn at this ballad about walking away. It transfers a warm energy from the consortium of instrumentalists bound together by a single high-energy throughline, as King’s electrifying, grainy tone hones a similar gravitas to that of Gnarls Barkley. One that’s dense with emotion and impossible to shake.
8.0
Truck Bed Mixtape – Lee Brice Written By Will Chapman
After screaming into the void about his inability to drive his truck in “Country Nowadays,” Lee Brice is now ironically, back in his truck; or rather, parking it (take that liberals!). “Truck Bed Mixtape,” the third single from his upcoming album Sunriser, leans fully into a very familiar bro-country blueprint: getting out of a neon-lit bar and heading for back roads, tailgates, and sundresses. It stands on a laundry list of imagery that was cycled through Nashville over the 2010s. At its core, “Truck Bed Mixtape” is another entry in that late-era bro-country lane that never quite evolved past its own clichés. There’s a slight tonal discomfort in how it frames intimacy through a checklist of rural iconography. Unlike songs such as Keith Anderson’s “Pickin’ Wildflowers” or Brad Paisley’s “Ticks,” there’s no cleverness or wink to it. At some point, you do kind of have to ask…When Lee Brice is kissing this unnamed woman all night to a truck bed mixtape, does the fedora stay on? Sonically, it doesn’t offer much resistance to the writing. The production is polished, bland, electric guitar-forward, and completely interchangeable with anything else that came out of Nashville circa 2013. Taken as a whole, “Truck Bed Mixtape” is a directionless mess that drags country music back into a caricature of itself. The bro fatigue resonates strongly on a song this openly built around leaving a bar and winding up in a truck bed in the middle of nowhere. Additionally, it’s hard to ignore how quickly songs like this make people think they hate country music altogether, or remind people who love it why they got tired of what it became in the mid-2010s.
3.4
Hello Lonesome – Cody Johnson Written By Will Chapman
Cody Johnson is often regarded for his vocal power and commanding delivery, but his most recent release, “Hello Lonesome,” showcases his world-class control. There’s still plenty of strength in his voice, but he’s not leaning on the belt as much here. His latest effort sees him slipping into an extremely traditional country approach that feels derivative of the Lefty Frizzell school of singing, where the melody is decorated with bent notes and lines that pedal across chord changes with deliberate phrasing. Lyrically, it leans on fairly standardized classic country subject matter. However, “Hello Lonesome” stands out because it personifies a feeling: “lonesome” itself. We’ve seen barroom staples personified time and time again (whiskey, jukeboxes, mirrors, etc.), but transforming an emotion into someone who actually shows up and sits down at the table is a subtle expansion of tried-and-true country songwriting hallmarks. Musically, it’s a borderline ideal country arrangement. The verses sit in a classic two-feel, two-feel, and the chorus opens into a bouncing four-beat shuffle with a walking bass line underneath. Fiddle, steel, and piano all sit exactly where they should, each given space to soar, cry, and bellow without crowding one another. “Hello Lonesome” presents a clear adherence to established country traditions while executing each element with precision and restraint. The result is a fully realized recording that sits comfortably within its stylistic lineage and reflects a strong sense of artistic control across every component.
8.9
