Pictures of You – Buffalo Traffic Jam Written By Aishwarya Rajan
Delivering haunting, depressing narratives of life, loss, and love, underscored by the lingering of intensely layered instrumentals, is one of the most identifiable marks of Buffalo Traffic Jam. At the forefront of that is the smoky, husky tone of lead singer Frankie Cassidy. In anticipation of their upcoming album, the title track “Pictures of You” holds the same attribute that’s made them a name: vehement lyricism matched by characteristically somber melodies. In many ways, the song further accentuates a resemblance to artists such as the Lumineers, Tom Odell, or Lord Huron, where meaning is rarely handed to you directly, and interpretation shifts with every listen. The central focus of their art is closer to provoking a feeling than necessarily resonating with the exact story. The songwriting envelops you in the artist’s world, as though you’re watching secondhand as the main character relives painful experiences, overwhelmed by images that provoke memories of someone lost. The intensity of the single feels as though it’s in a pursuit to force your own painful memories out of hiding. “Pictures of You” is a cinematic piece of music that travels through a thrilling instrumental arrangement laden with sadness. The sharp plays of a fiddle funnel into the daunting strikes of a drum, infusing the listener with feelings of angst, pain, anxiety, and urgency. The tune lures the audience into a soundscape of vulnerability through a quick-picked acoustic guitar script intense enough to cause calluses, and orchestral depth from Nathan Ross’ mandolin with strings on the cusp of tearing. BTJ has a special knack for meshing qualities familiar to folk and country, and each release further emphasizes it.
8.8
Baby Blue – Ben Chapman Written By Adam Delahoussaye
Songwriters are a self-indulgent bunch, but it’s facing down fatherhood that gets Ben Chapman shifting his worldview out of his own head. Sure, “Baby Blue” walks us through the day-to-day of what it’s like to be expecting for the first time, but more importantly, it refocuses some of Chapman’s best traits into a mode that’s admittedly selfless by reaction. The track issues something new despite old tricks, warm, glowy keys pattering around the mix, a gentle welcome into the world that’s comfortingly hesitant, as if not to overwhelm. Chapman handles the track with kid gloves on, literally. Never reaches too loud for the top note, never smashes into the next chord too hard, never does anything that could disturb the new peace he’s been tasked with maintaining as he welcomes his proudest creation into the world. It’s a pretty intentional choice, reflected as he whispers, “can’t do nothin’ without thinkin’ ’bout you anymore.” The songwriter knows that what comes next isn’t an explosion of emotion that most of country music’s plot points turn into, but one that he doesn’t have to work as hard to feel any permanence toward. While Ben Chapman usually soars above the clouds, he seems happy knowing that his next mission as a man and maybe as an artist is going to feel like he’s crawling in comparison. He seems eager to relearn the pace.
8.0
Small Town – Greylan James Written By Adam Delahoussaye
It feels like the county line is closing in on Greylan James throughout his bluntly titled “Small Town,” an echo of high school sweetheart-flavored breakups that permeate towns with one traffic light. It’s easy for James to spot her car on the road because it’s one of three on the highway, even during rush hour. He probably played football with her rebound, and it’s only a matter of time before they bump into each other again, and again, and again, like some rural pining pinball machine. If the story sounds familiar, that’s because it’s been a fable of small town USA since those cities were founded, but it’s a hard feeling to reinvent even in modernity. Lyrically, it doesn’t take a lot of convincing to believe the notion that these two are bound to bend and break before they mend, even if reconciliation only has a shelf life as long as the sunrise. But as a performer, James doesn’t give a great sales pitch as to why that’s such a good idea, or even better, an exciting one. Any sense of self-loathing the track wishes to create gets drowned out by a pretty overbearing but boring mix, and the nonchalant vocal runs about high-strung emotions certainly aren’t assisting in amplifying the point. The arbitrarily placed f-bomb at the end of the track seems to sum it all up, a well-imaged idea with a less-than-invigorating execution.
5.9
Highway Robbery – Jason Scott & The Highway Heat Written By Aishwarya Rajan
In a cleverly masked complaint about life on the road, and specifically the punishing reality of driving through the western half of the country, Jason Scott & The High Heat simplify their road-traveling to extortion. The journey begins with a beautiful woman and an empty tank, then playfully describes a series of moments that stack up into miles of lost time, with an ETA that was passed miles ago. Whether it’s cellophane from truck stop eateries, TexMex wrappers resulting from gas station peckishness, or the occasional siren call, all bets are on an upcoming show with no money-back guarantee, and one of 18 tires is to blame. Not only is the price of life on the road a reality most face these days with gas prices, but he delves into the hilarious concept of bankrolling under a circumstance with negative returns, where every mile and obstacle is a loss of profit. The track swarms your ears with the swanky sounds of a groovy bass guitar balanced by jazzy chords of an organ and the few punchy swipes of an electric guitar. Sonically, this song transports you to an era of performers like Elvis Presley and rockabilly singles like “Hound Dog,” where the artist’s charisma and fun-to-follow storytelling were carried by a skillfully sweet, southern twang. The group’s performance exudes the same “gotta move” mentality, produced by bending between country, rock n roll, and bluesy undertones. It’s the kind of energetic production that makes for a track that you can’t help but grab a partner to boogie and swing with.
7.8
Boots – Russell Dickerson feat. Fetty Wap Written By Max Buondonno
It’s a flex for anyone to get Fetty Wap on a track. The “Trap Queen” rapper is revered by many as one of the most influential rappers of the 2010s, but was it wise of him to join forces with mega-fan Russell Dickerson for a song? The answer is an unsurprising “no.” There’s a case to be made that for Dickerson to have a hit song, he needs to reach some level of ignorance with the lyricism. While he’s capable of tackling more interesting topics than partying or fawning over women, it seems that he’s most passionate about injecting the catchiest faux-rap hooks in everyone’s TikTok feeds as often as possible, then eventually fleshing them out into a song and releasing them. In the case of “Boots,” there’s no denying the chorus is a vengeful earworm, one that insists on slithering around your brain like a rattlesnake with autotune. It’s almost enough to distract you from the tiresome subject matter of a pretty girl in cowgirl boots and a sundress, which sounds as close to an audible eyeroll as possible. On top of it, besides the occasional adlibs in the background, Fetty Wap brings nothing to the table. His verse immediately dilutes the track’s energy, almost whispering for 25 seconds and rehashing a similar chorus structure, making his contribution feel lazy and disappointing. It was hard to say what a Dickerson x Wap song would sound like, but after pressing play, it would’ve been best if Russell remained a fan rather than a collaborator.
4.6
Easy on the Eyes – Conner Smith Written By Max Buondonno
Conner Smith’s recent output has been full of a lot more heart, intention, and personality than much of his earlier work. Through production changes and extra attention to detail in crafting the stories he tells, Smith’s renewed approach to making music has yielded some very enjoyable tracks. Yet while it’s clear Smith wants to take his discography and artistry more seriously, it’s also clear some of the remnants of his debut album still float around in his head. “Easy on the Eyes” is an unexpected return to the Smoky Mountains era, one that sees Smith take a lighter approach to lyrics with far more polished production. Its gentle mood and swaying progression set a pleasant tone for the track, but it pales in comparison to the meatier topics Smith has been exploring lately. Finding new love after heartache at a bar, “Easy on the Eyes” wants to fit in a more generalized box than experiment with something new. There’s a time and place for content like this, sure, but it’s just that: content for that time and place, like on country radio or as track 14 on an album to get to 14 tracks. It fails to stand out in any meaningful way on account of its familiar subject matter and sound, neither of which highlights Smith’s talents as some of his other songs do. It’s still a charming song that lovey-doveys can relate to, but it’s far from the best that Smith is capable of.
6.3
Oh Savannah – 49 Winchester Written By Noah Sneath
“Oh Savannah” is the fourth single from the new album, Change of Plans, written by frontman Isaac Gibson alongside Jessie Jo Dillon and Chris Tompkins. The song is a direct product of the time the band spent recording in Savannah, GA, with producer Dave Cobb. It’s a decent song that doesn’t quite reach for anything harmonically complex or technically virtuosic. It’s a simply structured song with professional-level performances, but the production is the true star of the show. Dave Cobb’s approach is consistently about building an ecosystem that is completely in service of the vocal performances. A guitar ostinato opens “Oh Savannah” while descending piano runs and two-note pedal steel calls drift softly above it, and underneath all of it sits a kick drum that is heavier in the mix than you’d expect from something this gentle. It’s a deep current beneath a babbling stream. On top of it all is Gibson’s voice – melismatic without being showy, soulful without collapsing into melodrama. Harmonically, the song lives almost entirely in I–IV–ii–V, and neither the melody nor the lyrics reach beyond competence. “Slowly” and “Changes” remain the standout singles from this album; this latest release is a fine preview of the new record, but not the one you’ll still be talking about long after Change of Plans comes out.
6.8
high school sweetheart – Ashley Cooke Written By Noah Sneath
There’s a clever twist buried in the title of Ashley Cooke’s latest single. “High school sweetheart” isn’t a nostalgic term of endearment. Instead of a song about young love, a comma turns this into a takedown. This ain’t high school, sweetheart. The irony is rich: a song accusing someone of turning bitterness into art is itself a professionally crafted piece of petty artistry. “High School Sweetheart” is very à la mode (in the literal sense, not the ‘ice cream on the side’ sense). The disco beat, 119 BPM, compressed melodic range, and girl-with-an-attitude thematic content are all elements of pop and electronic music that Megan Moroney and Ella Langley have been tastefully recontextualizing as country. The songwriting team checks out: AFTERHRS, Boy Matthews, Cleo Tighe, Lauren Hungate, and Ashley Cooke. These are not country songwriters primarily. It’s a groovy, fun song that feels more at home on Cloud 9 than anything Cooke has released before. The Santana-style guitar solo is the one moment that feels slightly out of place. Which brings us to the very open question the song raises: Is Ashley Cooke a hit-chaser or an artist building toward something? Her debut, shot in the dark, had a Sheryl Crow-meets-modern-pop-country sound that felt interestingly unique. “high school sweetheart” is a real departure from that. Her upcoming self-titled album will have to answer whether this is a pivot or just a detour.
5.2
I Will Lead You Home – Coleman Jennings Written By Noah Sneath
There are many crowded categories in country music today that leverage nostalgia. They range from outlaw revivalists to George Strait imitators and everything in between. The cowboy crooners of the 50s and 60s are not as well represented. Artists like Colter Wall and Charley Crockett have proven there’s an audience for this kind of cowboy balladeer, but nobody has tried the Eddy Arnold country crooner side of it quite like this. It has all the elements of a mid-century cowboy ballad. It’s a waltz. I–iv–IV–V in C major — it doesn’t get more American folk than that. The melody soars up and resolves slowly down, which might remind those familiar with “Moon River” of the 1961 classic. He even looks like an outlaw Eddy Arnold. Producer Dave Cobb shows his versatility by creating a crunchy, breathy space that succeeds through his choice to put the vocal performance above everything else. Just like another Cobb-produced new release (49 Winchester’s “Oh Savannah”), the low end has real heft but doesn’t compete with the real star of the show. Everything is in the service of Jennings. “I Will Lead You Home” is a lovely final bookend to Lead You Home, Coleman Jennings’s debut album. The young troubadour is supporting Robert Earl Keen on tour starting this month; we’re about to find out if there’s an audience ready for this.
8.0
Fallin’ – Brad Paisley Written By Will Chapman
After more than nine years without a true full-length studio album outside of last year’s Christmas project, Brad Paisley returns with “Fallin’,” which feels like a continuation of the same artistic identity that defined his earlier work. Written with Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois and recorded at The Castle in Franklin, TN, the same space behind much of his foundational catalog, the song immediately holds a sense of familiarity. Simply put, “Fallin'” is a great country song. Like most great country songs, it is built on simplicity, never reaching for spectacle, but rather settling into small details. Sonically, “Fallin'” is about as traditional as country music gets. Like most of Paisley’s early work, it’s built around his Telecaster, along with fiddle and steel. However, this ballad sees the piano doing a lot of shape-work underneath everything. Gordon Mote’s slip notes color the arrangement perfectly with traditional country hues. “Fallin'” feels like it could have sat comfortably on a record like Who Needs Pictures or even something like Vern Gosdin’s Chiseled in Stone, without sounding out of place at all. In a landscape where the traditional sounds of the 90s are making a comeback, “Fallin'” sits well within that vein, but more importantly it sounds like Brad Paisley again.
9.2
Hurts Like You – Koe Wetzel Written By Jack Humphrey
Nearly six years removed from his facetiously titled LP Sellout, it’s extremely difficult not to see Koe Wetzel as one. Since his first smash hit at country radio last year, fans would be hard-pressed to identify much in his current output that meets the lyrical or performative standards of his first five years on the scene. Sure, he’s still writing about being shackled by toxic relationships. Still, the song is so steeped in abstract metaphor that the premise feels more like something he heard about than actually experienced. “Hurts Like You” might be passable in the hands of a younger writer with limited life experience to draw on, but Koe Wetzel isn’t Maddox Batson; with scuzzy songs like “Cabo” and “Ragweed” under his belt, this would-be outlaw should be able to invoke winces and grimaces at his hopeless love affair with the best of them. Comparisons to “walking through fire” and “being black and blue” should be beneath the artist who accrued hundreds of millions of streams with “Drunk Driving.” The obvious catalyst for these vacuous half-efforts is Koe’s new propensity to invite well-credited co-writers into his creative process. Carrie K, Ashley Gorley, and Gabe Simon are all extremely talented, but their work with Koe to this point has yielded a diluted, artificial version of his younger, hard-living self. If the trademark Koe Wetzel authenticity is to be saved, a few solo-written cuts would go an extremely long way to restore that old, biting storytelling, even if he isn’t the same bad boy he used to be.
3.3
Shooting Memories With Tequila – Midland Written By Will Chapman
Midland’s latest work, “Shooting Memories with Tequila” immediately stands out for its sonic palette, which veers into a distinctly tropical western aesthetic. There’s a clear Spanish influence in the harmonic and rhythmic framing, giving the track a sense of location. The arrangement invokes Mexico in a way that does a lot of the narrative work. The gut string guitar is a central voice, carrying much of the rhythmic and melodic weight. Around it, the fiddle offers fluid, conversational textures. There’s a clear production lineage that recalls songs like Garth Brooks’s “Beaches Of Cheyenne.” Lyrically, the hook “Shooting memories with tequila” pairs well with the production. The Mexican imagery is very present in the production, but it is almost overdone in the lyrics. Lines like “I can kill a bottle, no problemo / ‘Til that ol’ hangover hits / I’m a down and desperate desperado / Every shot I miss” start to feel a little cheesy. That being said, the arrangement still keeps “Shooting Memories with Tequila” grounded and consistent.
7.0
