Week of 09/01/2023
Noah Hicks – Red Clay Summer Written By Brandon Iozzo
Noah Hicks closes out the summer season with ‘Red Clay Summer,’ a raucous track remembering the good times that make his young adulthood special. Co-written by Hicks, Cole Taylor, Jeremy Stover (Justin Moore, Tim McGraw), and songwriter-producer extraordinaire Paul DiGiovanni, the song is supercharged with an infectious guitar lick and hook, but these trite, neo-bro-country lyrics give listeners little more than a hollow recitation of fun things to do when the weather gets warm. Noah Hicks has plenty of frat-dude charisma and some decent songs in his catalog, but this song feels like a setback, denying a young artist a chance to really show out with a better single.
6.6
Boyfriend – Parmalee Written By Brandon Iozzo
The mush-mouthed bro-country bums turned starry-eyed simps are back with another sticky-sweet single, and it may well be an all time low for the group. On this wimpy anthem for all the self-righteous “nice guys” out there, our narrator croons about how much better he could be for this girl than her current boyfriend. Clocking in at just over two minutes, this is more of a quick little diddy than a real song, chock full of talk-singing and lyrics that genuinely could’ve been written by a frustrated 14 year old. Even as simple as it is, this track credits a battalion of SIX songwriters. These meatheads have been kicking around country radio for over a decade now, and their latest offering is as creatively bankrupt as anything they’ve released.
3.2
Damn Country Music – Riley Green Written By Creed Miller
Covering a song from a legend like Tim McGraw is never an easy task but Green and his straightforward sincerity absolutely do this one justice. Green took a more stripped-back approach than Tim by slowing things down, and it definitely works in his favor. There’s little more than an acoustic guitar and some steel to back Green up in his version compared to McGraw’s bluesy, full-band rendition. Consequently, this feels more like the lonesome tribute it was meant to be; you can hear the passion in Green’s voice for the power country music can have over one’s feelings. Riley Green has always had an uncomplicated, no-frills approach to making music, and ‘Damn Country Music’ already feels right in his wheelhouse.
8.8
Dirt Cheap – Brian Kelley Written By Creed Miller
Brian Kelley is back with yet another underwhelming single in ‘Dirt Cheap.’ As he sings about living in the country with a pond for fishing and a porch swing where you can spend time with the person you love, listeners can’t help but think that this sounds like literally every other country love song ever written. Kelley offers little in the way of fun wordplay, personal anecdotes, or even a memorable hook to make this one really worthwhile. His debut solo music with that cool “beach cowboy” vibe fit his personality perfectly, and gave him a way to grow out of the goofy bro-country he’s more known for. Barely two years later, that desire to stand out seems to be basically gone. Brian Kelley has had an exciting start to his solo career, but so far, his subsequent efforts have been unsatisfying at best.
5.0
Carolina Burns – Carter Faith Written By Christina Bosch
Delicately reliving and reopening old wounds, Carter Faith’s latest “Carolina Burns” is a top-notch story-song. When she chronicles the past and unresolved feelings for a first love, you can feel the frustration in her delivery. The track gradually builds momentum towards a commanding vocal performance. One especially cool aspect of this song is how Carter balances the good and the bad of this relationship she’s reflecting on; you can always hear a bit of longing and regret in her voice at the same time. Penned with her frequent collaborators Lauren Hungate and Tofer Brown, who also produced the track, “Carolina Burns” continues to add depth to the young singer’s growing catalog.
8.9
Ain’t Mad At Jesus – Larry Fleet Written By Cam Greene
“Unique” is the best word to describe Larry Fleet’s “Ain’t Mad At Jesus,” a song about a regretful man who won’t come to terms with the reality he’s living until he sees the consequences. In this story, our main character looks back on his broken relationship frustrated that her devotion to Jesus pulled them apart, though it was also Jesus who could have saved him. This is an extremely creative story-song, built around a fresh, thought-provoking idea. We hear plenty of songs about lost love in country music, but with Jesus positioned as the middle-man between our two characters, the narrative is anything but cliche. When it comes to intermingling his faith with the realities of life, alcohol, and drugs, Larry Fleet is consistently one of the best storytellers around.
9.0
Farmer – Coffey Anderson Written By Cam Greene
An up-and-down career has always been the norm for Coffey Anderson since the release of “Mr. Red White and Blue” in 2014. With every step either bringing him forward or backward, he’s trying to stay above the line of obscurity, an artist’s Hell. With his new track “Farmer,” we don’t really get that. While singing this in the first person from the perspective of a farmer is fun, this is a country lifestyle checklist song through and through. For an artist who launched his career into the stratosphere in 2014 with his well-told, patriotic love song, it does feel like Anderson has backed down a bit. This song may be something you’d kick back and listen to on the front porch and if that’s the goal for this song, it’s not a terrible listen. But as a storyteller, this song offers little in the way of substance.
5.5
Anchor Man – Billy Currington Written By Ryan Lippe
Struggling to rev up his career anew, Billy Currington’s latest release is still a commendably comforting listen. Penned by Paul Overstreet and Scotty Emerick, the song suggests that the listeners should drop all their worries and just enjoy a relaxing sunset. ‘Anchor Man’ starts off with soft guitar picking and keeps the same calm, laid-back energy from start to finish, carried by some sweet steel guitar. While some diehard fans may enjoy these sporadic releases from Billy, it’s still confusing as to why he even continues to release music well beyond his commercial viability and creative potency. Nonetheless, this is still a pretty enjoyable listen giving the listener some piece of mind to unwind and relax.
6.8
