Week of 09/15/2023
We Ain’t Good At Breaking Up – Brothers Osborne Written By Brandon Iozzo
The release of Brothers Osborne’s self-titled record comes with a haunting contemporary ballad ‘We Ain’t Good At Breaking Up,’ a track about two lovers who lack common ground, but can’t deny their chemistry. Co-written by TJ and John Osborne, Miranda Lambert, and super-producer Jesse Frasure, the song features backing vocals from Lambert to create a shadowy and eerie mix between the male and female perspectives in the song. Though this idea of a toxic couple who can’t decide whether to stay or leave has been used a lot, especially in Nashville, the brothers’ song’ offers a more ominous edge that keeps things fresh and novel. With their current single, ‘Nobody’s Nobody’ still on the rise at country radio, this track already seems like a promising follow-up.
8.7
My Favorite Drink – Tyler Booth Written By Brandon Iozzo
Tyler Booth’s latest effort is a reckless anthem about all of the different types of alcohol he’s drinking since his girl left him. Co-written by Booth, ‘My Favorite Drink’ is one of many mid-tempo, kick-drum-heavy toe-tappers on his new EP. The track is full of eclectic guitar riffs that feel right in step with this theme of killing his heartbreak with whatever a bartender can give him. The song’s production is very reminiscent of Chris Young’s ‘Aw Naw.’ Indeed, the two share a lot of musical DNA with their hard-partying, bro-country energy. With a handful releases thus far, ‘My Favorite Drink’ doesn’t exactly set Booth apart from the pack, but it’s a respectably fun listen all the same.
7.4
Call Your Mom – Noah Kahan & Lizzy McAlpine Written By Ryan Lippe
Since his ‘Dial Drunk’ remix with Post Malone in July, Noah Kahan has been riding some of the strongest momentum in all of music. This latest collaboration is another testament to his musical creativity and the way he’s able to reinvent a song while still keeping true to the original. Noah remains in his nasah falsetto, pairing very beautifully with Lizzy McAlpine’s soft soprano voice on this track. The instrumental build-up in the bridge isn’t as dramatic on this rendition as the original, but still brings a ton of punch. The Vermont native has an interesting talent for appealing to a wide spectrum of music fans, and this latest collab is a fine addition to the ‘Stick Season’ canon.
8.3
River Runs Through It – Colby Acuff Written By Ryan Lippe
Closing out the deluxe edition of his first major-label full-length, Colby Acuff stays true to himself and puts his bluegrass roots on full display. Using a local river as the focal point for this story, Acuff muses on how it’s always been there throughout his life. Acuff takes us from a man’s younger years finding love by the river all the way to old age awaiting death by it. From start to finish, Eddie Spear did a phenomenal job with this album, bringing a rich, authentic bluegrass feel to the project while still keeping it very modern and progressive. Acuff’s voice is still pretty rough around the edges for some with an intensely nasal sound, but it’s subdued enough to be pallettable to a mainstream audience.
8.7
Chevrolet – Dustin Lynch feat. Jelly Roll Written By Creed Miller
Mush-mouthed radio bro Dustin Lynch teams up with Jelly Roll in the runaway frontrunner for the worst song of the year so far. Simply put, this stupid little ditty is a complete disgrace to the Dobie Gray’s soul classic “Drift Away.” In a year where samples are all over country radio, Dustin Lynch seized his chance to leech off of one of music’s most iconic melodies. He and Jelly Roll don’t interpolate ‘Drift Away’ to pay it homage, as Cole Swindell and Jake Owen have done in the past; rather, they desecrate it with trite, tired bro-country lyrics straight out of 2014. This is exactly the type of song that make people hate country music, with a full checklist of every dumb stereotype in the book. Trucks. Girls. Beer. Old Country Songs. This song comes off like a lazy homework project slapped together at the last second. To top it all off, Lynch and Jelly Roll have no chemistry whatsoever, and it’s not hard to imagine that they never even met during this song’s creation. Dustin Lynch has made a career from riding whatever trend is en vogue in Nashville, but ‘Chevrolet’ is a gross failure on an entirely new level.
0.5
Mama Used to Pray For Me – Travis Tritt Written By Creed Miller
Travis Tritt released his first-ever gospel album Country Chapel this past week, and ‘Mama Used to Pray For Me’ is a clear standout. The song immediately establishes a relationship between the narrator and his mother as he reminisces on how she used to pray for him. It’s a relatable tune that tells a genuinely touching story with a classic country sound. The guitar licks throughout the song makes the song perfect for a hole-in-the-wall bar. Travis Tritt’s age is beginning to catch up with him a bit vocally, but this is still a commendably touching effort.
8.5
The Tree – Maren Morris Written By Cam Greene
The same day as her announcement that she’ll soon be departing from country music entirely, Maren Morris released what could be her last country song. Through ‘The Tree’ and its counterpart ‘Get The Hell Out of Here,’ she explains her rationale for moving on. This song has plenty of metaphors to help the listeners understand the exit, though the lack of specifics make her reasoning a bit foggy. That being said, Greg Kurstin’s production does well to cement her departure from country music into the R&B/pop sound that she’s leaned into since her sophomore LP. Maren Morris has been straying away from country music for some time now, and right now, her official split from the format feels more like a formality than anything.
7.8
