Pretty Privilege – Hudson Westbrook Written By Adam Delahoussaye
From the jump, Hudson Westbrook has been sold to listeners as a beau in boots. His Stetsons are dust-laden, flecks of red clay caked into the soles, with rosy cheeks and shiny plucks hiding under dusty ballcaps. It’s almost like he skipped a step in the McCollum trajectory, hurling straight into breakup ballads and pop-adjacent, one-note hits without any of the red dirt foreplay. Which is fine; a young artist shouldn’t be tasked with combing the Texas archives for influence, but it does paint Westbrook in a corner as soon as his house is built. “Pretty Privilege,” a triple-time love tale, labels his lover with some Gen-Z slang that invites an eyebrow raise. Would Hudson Westbrook, born out of a breathy, Bieber-like tone with blue eyes that could pierce diamonds, not be a victim of the same profiling he’s projecting onto his song’s subject matter? That’s not to say that the contents of the dish aren’t still soulful; Westbrook is quick to employ his traditional yet form-stretching sonic aesthetics to achieve a sound synonymous with Nashville’s newest soft and glowy sensitivity, averting the DJ-board deviations that got him into that hot mess of a Marshmello track just earlier this year. In his first real effort since his long-form debut, it’s still unclear if the hand gets better for Westbrook, or if he’s content with knocking on the green felt and sticking with the cards he was dealt. If he isn’t going to raise, then he might be better suited playing to his strengths, or at least acknowledging their existence.
6.8
Back to Me – Colter Wall Written By Adam Delahoussaye
There aren’t many artists who have as sturdy a world built around them as Colter Wall does, though it’s no surprise that he’s taken the vast plains of his home in Saskatchewan and cultivated a totally one-of-one crop on its soil. If his last few longform projects have spent time illustrating the different variations of that stark space, the lead-up to his newest record seems to point to a seventh-day attitude. The Canadian is past the point of proving himself, now content to dwell in the fruits of his labor and maybe even pondering the point of planting them in the first place. On “Back to Me,” a dreadfully ebullient moment of fighting the forgetting feels celebratory in a moment when his previous self would’ve wept and wallowed. Wall punches through a chorus that clings onto memories, pointing to the more personal passions that are maybe shaping his influence over a decade into his career. He’s now fully living, thriving in the world he’s built, or maybe the one he resuscitated, as proven by more jaunty instrumental fills and a gruff voice that’s flighty and a touch frenetic. The first two tidbits of the cowboy’s latest effort feel far more weightless than anything in Wall’s catalog before them, maybe a testament to the satisfaction that comes with being at peace with one’s own identity and its impression on the people and places that have informed it.
9.0
Gone – Flatland Cavalry Written By Ryan Lippe
Freshly signed to the relaunched Lost Highway Records, the iconic six-piece band from Lubbock, Texas, returns with their third single since January. All around a quieter tune, “Gone” is guided by the spectacular fiddle from Wesley Hall; it remains a focal piece of the track and closes out with a soothing riff. Produced by Dwight Baker, the track adopts a more subdued sound reminiscent of their 2023 Wandering Star album. While still on brand for the band, the mellow tone lacks the fresh energy to draw fans back into a new era following their 10th anniversary project in 2024. The tempo picks up after the first verse with a much more uplifting energy, but it’s arranged in a very comfortable manner that doesn’t feel like any risks or creative liberties were taken as frontman Cleto Cordero remains in a comfortable point in his vocal range all throughout. Cordero penned the track alongside Aaron Eshuis and Ryan Beaver; the lyrics explore common themes of a nomadic lifestyle and of traveling around to find purpose in life. Although the song may not transform the band’s landscape, for many listeners, it is a return to normalcy as they begin to ring in a new era for the band.
7.3
Choosin’ Texas – Ella Langley Written By Joel Reuben Pauley
Although fall has officially begun, Ella Langley sends off the summer with one last burst of warm, vibey energy. “Choosin’ Texas” comes bearing potential to be one of Langley’s household staples, sort of like her own “7 Summers.” The almost beachy electric guitar in the instrumentals adds texture to the track that creates a whole new category for Ella, opening the door to a poppier, yet more carefree style. On the song, her voice has less belt and more of a spoken tone, which is a large factor that adds to the laid-back sound. As the storyline goes along, you are told a tale of a runaway lover, and as Ella explains, “It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see a cowboy always finds a way to leave.” Most of the story is easy to follow, but the lyrics sort of contradict themselves in a way that makes the plot confusing. From the line “I should have known better than to take him back to Abilene…I put him right back into her arms,” you get the sense that Langley is losing her man to one of his exes, but then she starts making assumptions like “she’s from Texas, I can tell,” which makes the other girl feel like a total stranger, unknown to Ella. However, this can be solved with the belief that the “her” from the first verse is referring to Abilene, Texas using female pronouns (especially when considering the title of the song). Unfortunately, with so little explanation or evidence, the “she’s and “her’s get a little too muddy. On another note, the chorus melody is eerily similar to Thomas Rhett and Riley Green’s “Half Of Me” (which is also almost identical to another the melody of Rhett’s “Beer Can’t Fix”). All things considered, there are many enjoyable qualities in “Choosin’ Texas,” but the underlying confusing pronouns and familiar melodies dull its overall impact.
7.8
Hot Shottin’ – Bottomland Written By Joel Reuben Pauley
On just about every country station or curated country playlist, you’ll hear the usual songs about bars and broken hearts. But every now and then, someone drops a genuinely great trucker anthem, and Bottomland’s latest track, “Hot Shottin’,” is exactly that. Stating “that money’s gonna take me wherever I gotta go,” they explain their job as a means of survival, letting fate take its course as they drive. At first glance, with the band decked out in their coin Bottomland camouflage, you might expect them to lean into a more modern, mainstream country sound. Instead, this track delivers a twangy, traditional tone that lands somewhere between Muscadine Bloodline and 49 Winchester. It shines a light on the everyday struggles of truck drivers, but does so in a playful, rowdy way. One of the strongest elements of the track is the band’s use of harmonies, giving both voices equal weight. Despite the rocking, hard-hitting arrangement, the mix keeps the vocals clear and balanced, making sure nothing gets drowned out. The mixture of redneck relatability and traditional country twang adds a wide range of appeal for fans of all types of country music, meaning truck drivers and Uber drivers alike can enjoy rocking out to “Hot Shottin’.
8.6
The Sum – Zac Brown Band Written By Jack Humphrey
If there’s one thing more difficult to listen to than a stupid song, it’s a stupid song masquerading as a profound one. With his vapid single “The Sum,” Zac Brown and his cohorts delivered one of the most egregious entries of this sort of artistic egomania in recent memory. For the better part of the last decade, Brown has tried to adopt an image and attitude that his work just can’t justify; he fancies himself as some kind of provocative wunderkind, whether he’s spitting white-boy rap bars that would make Fred Durst cringe or stringing together unrelated idioms against an ambient, churchy backdrop. But make no mistake, the worst thing about “The Sum” isn’t Zac Brown’s goofy self-deception as country music’s Bob Dylan. Sure, the song is pretty brainless (looking at you, too, Lukas Nelson), and uses a lot of words to say precisely nothing about “the sum of what we are,” but the noisy production, clearly inspired by contemporary worship music, truly makes this one of the most embarrassing tracks released all year. Brown seems to really believe that lines like “you need the dark to see the stars” are the sort of thing that would inspire self-reflection from his listeners. In the end, you’re left wondering if there’s a secret meaning understood only by Zac Brown, or if he thinks his audience is dumb enough to accept any empty anthem he releases as some Shakespearean musing.
3.0
Vince Gill – I Gave You Everything I Had Written By Will Chapman
After signing a lifetime deal with MCA, Vince Gill is celebrating fifty years in music with an ambitious new project called 50 Years From Home. It’s a series of EPs, releasing one each month, each reflecting a different chapter of his life and artistry. The first installment, I Gave You Everything I Had, opens the series on a fittingly personal note. The title track feels like a curtain call delivered with grace, humility, and deep gratitude. At 68, Gill sings like a man who’s made peace with time: humble, grateful, and still giving everything he’s got. His voice, aged but still remarkable as always, rings out with the same tenderness and golden timbre that’s carried him through decades. The song reads like a letter from an artist who’s seen it all and still finds beauty in what’s left. Lyrically, Gill captures the bittersweet weight of memory and the passage of time through the aching fingers, the ghosts of friends gone, and the simple peace of having lived a life full of song. There’s wisdom here, not in grand revelations, but in the acceptance that life, even with its pain and brevity, has been good. Produced by Gill himself, “I Gave You Everything I Had” is gorgeously restrained and organic. It’s gentle acoustic guitars, subtle steel, and warm room tone that lets the words breathe. Nothing distracts the sound of a man sitting in his memories, pouring out his life. “I Gave You Everything I Had” is an artist’s final bow that somehow feels eternal, proof that when you give everything, what remains is enough.
9.8
Old Tricks – Thomas Rhett (feat. Niall Horan) Written By Max Buondonno
Reimaging previously-released songs with guest appearances from other artists can go one of two ways: it can help breathe new life into a song that’s fallen by the wayside, or it can be used purely for marketing purposes to drum up headlines. A new version of Thomas Rhett’s “Old Tricks” falls into the second category, and it doesn’t even do a good job at that. Now a collaboration with One Direction alumni Niall Horan, the track originally featured Blake Shelton who brought his strong, signature presence that helps give it definition and contrast with Rhett’s comparatively brighter vocals. The new version with Horan makes a far less impactful impression; instead, Horan’s vocals get lost among Rhett’s and sound out of place altogether. Some artists aren’t meant to sing contemporary country songs, and Horan is one of those people. His softer voice and aesthetic would be better used in a ballad or mid-tempo track, not over-engineered album filler like this. That brings us to the song itself, which is a complete dud. Harping on growing old and saying goodbye to previous ways of navigating life, the track tries to make a depressing topic fun and lively while coming off as nothing more than appeasing the geriatrics that buy Thomas Rhett concert tickets. A collaboration with someone like Niall Horan could have led to something interesting for any country artist who wants to experiment with different styles and subjects, but lazily throwing his vocals on “Old Tricks” does a disservice to Horan, the song itself, and Rhett’s ear for good music.
4.5
Boots on the Ground – Chris Young Written By Max Buondonno
It’s tough to imagine any artist on the face of the earth going through a thicker patch of creativity-block than Chris Young. After having a number of successful singles earlier in his career and staying true to his own unique style, something must’ve happened in the span of 10-12 years that brainwashed him into thinking he has to make the most boring country music of all time, all while fans beg and plead for something that sounds remotely like his earlier work. Case in point, “Boots on the Ground” is straight-up shameful. Yes, it will probably sound good live at one of his shows for the 20 people who still decide to come to them, but the shallow writing and regurgitated synonyms for partying and drinking have to stop. There is nothing enjoyable about this song, and it’s further worsened by its predictable production which is so completely overdone that Young’s vocals and instrumental sound almost robotic in their perfection. Young used to be a charismatic cowboy with enough catchy tunes in his pocket to make a memorable impression, but his evolution to a Nashville sell-out keeps making itself known. It’s impossible to see “Boots on the Ground” as anything but another new low for someone who seems willing to sacrifice his first-born to have a #1 song at radio.
1.2
