Week of 02/16/2024
Country’s Cool Again – Lainey Wilson Written By Creed Miller
Lainey Wilson is finally giving us a taste of new music since her success at the ACMs, CMAs, and Grammys. “Country’s Cool Again” sounds like a classic Lainey tune; It’s fun, upbeat, and can definitely get the listener out of their chair at the honky tonk. With this song, Lainey celebrates this moment in pop culture where country music is indeed cool again. Country artists dominated the charts in 2023, and now we’re seeing more pop artists make steps towards the format than the other way around. Penned by Lainey herself, alongside Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, and Aslan Freeman, these take a gleefully giddy look at the way things have come around for country fans. When she was growing up, the country lifestyle was ridiculed, but now, it’s widely embraced in pop culture. The track is pretty surface-level, but that’s part of what makes it charming. Most importantly though, it’s an affirmation by Lainey that regardless of the accolades she enjoys, she’s going to keep on doing things her own way.
8.3
Good On You – Priscilla Block Written By Brandon Iozzo
Months of teases finally paved the way for Priscilla Block’s next post-breakup single which sees the artist surrounding herself with more self-love than heartache. Co-written by Block, David Garcia, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Laura Veltz, the track’s lyrics are all about being proud of one’s own unique character and personality, unaffected by the ex who was never the right fit. Throughout the track, Block shows off pieces of Welcome To The Block Party’s confident M.O. without fully regressing to her debut era. Disappointingly, the track doesn’t pack as much of a contagious punch as Block’s most recent releases, and the guitar production feels like a cheap Jason Aldean riff upon first listening. Block may continue to show that she isn’t vanilla (as stated in the lyrics), but promotional effort should be put into Block’s more viable single “Hey, Jack.”
7.0
What Happens Now? – Dasha Written By Brandon Iozzo
Heightening the traction of her buzzy line dance anthem “Austin,” the title track of Dasha’s sophomore What Happens Now? sees the 23-year-old newcomer belting lyrics ahead of her time, pondering where the carefree love she once had goes when they’re older. Co-written by Dasha, James Bairian, and Louis Castle, the song starts with folksy strings in a simple melody that explodes with kick drums into an infectious, Americana-influenced production. Musically, it matches the lyrics about racing feelings that accelerate throughout the song. Filled with airy harmonies, listeners also get a taste of indie-pop in the track; it feels sonically accessible to fans across the genre spectrum, yet still undeniably twangy. Dasha’s vulnerability is gripping, and “What Happens Now?” checks all the boxes for a great country-pop single.
9.1
Sierra Ferrell – I Could Drive You Crazy Written By Adam Delahoussaye
Having performed this track on the road for almost two years now, West Virginian Sierra Ferrell continues to blaze trails toward her Appalachian homestead. On “I Could Drive You Crazy,” it seems like she’s letting the stomps and hollers of those before her guide the way; through sight and sound, she shows off her rustic flair within the confines of her rinky-dink roots. Visually, this single’s art evokes a carnival sideshow in which Ferrell is our main attraction. Adorned in a fluffy ruff and clown’s makeup, it’s clear that Ferrell’s personal self-perception is one of whimsy and panache. Every single in preparation for her upcoming album “Trail of Flowers” has toyed with the notion that fantasy and reality can intersect, not just run parallel to one another. If this newest release tells us anything, it’s that Ferrell can make a lot more than just flowers bloom in the hills she came from. So far, her flighty personality comes off quite well against the rest of the country music landscape.
7.0
Tyler Hubbard – Wish You Would Written By Max Buondonno
In a world full of Tyler Hubbard singles that repackage the same content under a new name ad nauseam, “Wish You Would” is a refreshing change. Sticking with the familiar theme of hoping the girl of your dreams falls in love with you, Hubbard experiments with a polished new sound that’s essentially foreign to the rest of his discography. With airy, ‘80s-inspired production that’s vaguely reminiscent of “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, “Wish You Would’s” stylish chorus and creative aesthetic make it easy to ignore its pedestrian lyrics. It’s the kind of radio-ready single you’d want to turn up in the car and feels like a deserving opening track for Hubbard’s next album, Strong, due out April 12th.
7.3
Drinking Buddy – Tyler Booth Written By Cam Greene
Tyler Booth’s “Drinking Buddy” is a bit of a unique spin on the tried and true country trope about drinking with your buddies, but this one comes with a twist, saving this one from being overly cliche. Booth, along with Carlton Anderson, Phil O’Donnell, and Wade Kirby, crafts a good story about a man missing his reliable drinking buddy who passed away. Though it contains a lot of the same lines, Booth and his cowriters cleverly give this single some emotional potency. Production-wise, the song is built like a drinking anthem, but it has the heart of a sad, drinking track. Booth’s voice, along with the track, is very akin to a 2000s country tune in the spirit of Billy Currington and Luke Bryan’s early work. This track is a good example of how even songs about simple things can still be smart, though “Drinking Buddy” doesn’t have a marquee hook to inspire much mainstream staying power.
6.8
What I Couldn’t Forget – Drake Milligan Written By Creed Miller
Drake Milligan is one of the many promising acts hip with the neo-traditional country sound. He does so once again with “What I Couldn’t Forget.” In the song, a girl causes our subject to forget all of the things he couldn’t get off of his mind from his past relationship. Producer Trent Willmon has a history of orchestrating this swaying, traditional sound in his previous work with Cody Johnson. The fiddle and steel sound awesome in the mix, backdropping an effortlessly sweet description of new love in a bar. Drake’s voice is always strong and sounds like it could fit in the 90s as well as it does now, bringing the whole track together. While the song is definitely good, it lacks a special sauce of its own to take beyond just being a quality single. Still, Drake Milligan is on a fast track to success, and this is a quality addition to his
7.6
Darlin’ – Chase Matthew Written By Will Chapman
Nashville native Chase Matthew’s “Darlin’” was released as a part of his six-track EP “We All Grow Up.” Written by Alex Maxwell, Chase Matthew, Ciaran Wilkie, and Hunter Huff, the track sees the narrator wondering why his girl’s “friend” has been cozy with her lately. From the first note, this track does not resemble country music in any way, as the monotonously flat trap beat sounds like it was made in GarageBand and pushes the song far closer to trap music than anything even remotely twangy. Per usual, Matthew’s tedious, droning voice doesn’t give us much to get excited about; the verses blur drearily into the vapid black hole that serves as its hook. “Darlin,'” the diss on Honda Ridgelines and guy best friends, offers listeners a bland and dispassionate take on relationship anxiety with no sense that it was inspired by any real-life emotions.
2.7
I Don’t Wanna Hear About It – Maggie Antone & Brendan Walter Written By Ryan Lippe
With her first release of the year, Maggie Antone comes back with her fullest and most mature single to date. The Virginia native wrote and produced the song with Carol Karpinen (Noah Kahan), and the similarities to the “Stick Season” era are evident in its rootsy shimmer. Maggie has a natural rasp that feels more subdued and allows a much softer side of her voice to shine, developing her range as a singer. While Brendan doesn’t sing on his own much, he excels in harmony with Maggie. Their voices balance each out gorgeously, as she goes high, and he rides the low notes; together, they pour their respective hearts out for a doomed relationship that they both wish could be saved. It’s one of the best heartbreak ballads to come around in some time and marks a big moment of growth for Maggie, who finally has the strength of a full band behind her.
8.8
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