Appetite – Zach Bryan Written By Jack Humphrey
There are plenty of fair critiques to level against Zach Bryan’s sixth LP; it’s bloated, hastily produced, and narratively messy, but to its credit, the few up-tempo moments here absolutely stand out. “Appetite” may be the best of these, as Zach takes a harsh look at his riotous lifestyle as a veteran of the road. Lacking balance or comfort from day to day, he finds fragile contentment traveling from town to town in search of his next fleeting thrill. The messy downsides that a full-time touring musician has to make peace with have been a favorite topic for many a well-traveled songwriter, from Bob Seger to Morgan Wallen; what makes “Appetite” a bit unique is the way it fits into the larger Zach Bryan mythos; our Oklahoman Son isn’t just lamenting the bad habits he’s fallen into, he’s speculating on how they’ll shape his future, caught at a crossroads as a newly married man between where he is and where he’s told he ought to be. As incisive and engaging as “Appetite’s” writing is, its greatest attributes are the sticky, staccato hook and devilishly infectious horn riff, both of which sound primed and ready to open a show. Indeed, it’s one of the only songs on With Heaven On Top that sounds like it was recorded with enthusiasm for the production process.
8.5
Drive – Clay Street Unit Written By Adam Delahoussaye
Billy Strings didn’t reintroduce bluegrass to country circles, but the built-in mania surrounding his style has added a few new seats at the table for similar characters. Clay Street Unit, a six-piece out of Denver, feels like the best on-paper candidate for an invite that we might have. The percussion-inclusive, glass-lamp-lit crew flirts with but never really commits to any of its influences, burrowing itself into one niche, with “Drive” hitting its marks but always aware of its own pace. The group wears bluegrass music more as an accessory than a primary piece, lending the rest of the outfit a sound that mimics Watchhouse more than Doc Watson, with the difference barely discernible, gliding into the first chorus. There’s plenty of pinprick sharp string sections and a time signature change that effectively steps on the gas, but it’s all grounded. That sandy “thump” huffs in time with frontman Sam Walker, two elements that make the music feel comprehensive enough to keep the feelings grounded, even if it does dilute the extremes in this stacked talent pool. True bluegrass may never be mainstream, but its modernized admirers can certainly make a case that its soul isn’t tied to a time or place.
7.1
Getting Over You – Josh Weathers Written By Aishwarya Rajan
Threaded into the beauty of Josh Weathers’s expressive tone is a melancholy that envelops you in a world of quiet intimacy. In this place, it’s just the listener, the music, and the unspoken thoughts they share. With “Getting Over You,” Weathers is ushering in an era of country music reminiscent of its roots. The song stands proudly alongside timeless love ballads like “Neon Moon” by Brooks & Dunn, evoking a similar soulfulness with a beautiful organ on the melody. Additionally, the song conveys a romantic storytelling present in nostalgic and classic tracks like “Carrying Your Love With Me” by George Strait. What sets this track apart is its masterful blend of tradition and innovation: the irresistible twang of his vocal tone, the simple backbeat paired with universal yet profound storytelling, and instrumentals layered with subtle complexity. A delicate key change shifts the song’s emotional landscape, moving the listener from the tentative hope of healing into the raw, lingering pain of a heartache that may never cede. There’s a sweetness to both the arrangement and to his voice, which feels deeply personal, as if he is singing directly to the listener, making them the silent subject of his heartbreak. Every lift carries tenderness, while every descent leaves a deep yearning. This progression creates an inescapable soundscape where emotion feels shared between listener and artist. It’s a heartbreak you can feel in your bones, yet delivered with a finesse that makes every note linger. With patience, one recognizes the many incorporations of soulful sounds and backing vocals. This is especially prevalent in the chorus’s repetitive nature, which serves as a mantra to persuade Weathers that someday he will heal, as will anyone who resonates.
8.2
Sleepless in a Hotel Room – Luke Combs Written By Adam Delahoussaye
As much as the script for this new chapter has walked back into what worked for Luke Combs in his early days, the gesture feels far from hollow. He’s back to glowy guitar runs and relatable, rhythmic song structure. However, even under a glossier finish, you can still find a good bit of the Carolinian’s fingerprints pressed on tracks like “Sleepless in a Hotel Room,” a progression into self-indulgent storytelling that still lends itself to a carte blanche approach on the directions in which to take its interpretation. Combs is restless, getting warmth from the glow and low hum of the TV, a peek at a scene of the stardom he’s amassed, and how loud the noise gets when there’s not a stadium crowd screaming to help drown out the dreariness. By far his most reminiscent single to date, it teeters into parts of the process that still feel exposed. However, there’s plenty of pristine fills and needless vocalized exclamations that are plastic accessories, only appearing as robust sonic moments if you really squint your eyes. Though the skeletal structure of the sentiment is rarely explored in any secondary layer. There’s more desire than emotional fulfillment in a track that, in its weakest moments, feels more like a drawn-out demo than the fully formed feeling characterized in the in-between, where Combs feels as toned and radio-ready as he ever has.
7.4
Me Being Me – Kenny Whitmire Written By Joel Reuben Pauley
Kenny Whitmire is a name gaining awareness in the piping-hot modern traditionalist movement, following a viral video of his unreleased track “I Gave Her The Moon.” As fans eagerly await the release of that song, he released the carefree “Me Being Me” on Friday. The new single highlights Kenny’s lifestyle and habits, shaping him into the kind of country character listeners already feel they know. While there’s a high level of predictability before each line, Whitmire’s voice is refreshing enough to forgive the fact that the song is basically written to prove that he is country. Today, the task of proving country cred is usually performed by artists like HARDY and other people whose main concern is proving their own confidence and authenticity as a redneck. Although Kenny definitely chooses a similar route, it is soothing to hear a slightly different type of southern archetype, as he chooses a “cold, glad bottle of Coca-Cola” over cold beer and an “old Victrola” over country radio. Because he delivers this style of writing in a more compelling, unique way, the song stands strong. Still, for a rising voice in the genre, people may want to hear more intriguing statements than “the only way I know how to be is me being me.”
7.6
Her Favorite Color – Jason Aldean Written By Max Buondonno
It’s indicative that Jason Aldean seems to struggle every album cycle when you hear songs like “Her Favorite Color.” While the legacy performer has shown he’s capable of still making decent music with two to four songs on any given project, he tends to fill the rest of his catalog with boring, contemporary country-rock bangers and ballads, with the occasional autotuned trap beat to “experiment.” As one of the latest singles from his forthcoming album Songs About You, “Her Favorite Color” falls in the former bucket, leaning on a mid-tempo production to express how his love interest loves… dirt. It’s not the John Deere green, blue sky, or clear tequila that she likes, but the brown, grainy, sometimes-muddy stuff that he drags into the house, that’s under his nails, and that’s on the wheels of his truck. She likes a cowboy, in other words. Given that the premise of the song is as such, it almost feels like a waste of time to beat around the bush and say how much she loves dirt. There are plenty of other factors that contribute to falling in love with a cowboy, yet an entire song was written about the dirt that winds up on their clothes. It’s an odd filler track that doesn’t excel lyrically or production-wise. It’s a cut-and-dry Jason Aldean song that’s hard to remember after it ends, other than the supposed fact that women can be attracted to dirt.
5.3
Hold On Meg – Meghan Patrick Written By Jack Humphrey
On the fervently self-referential “Hold On Meg,” Meghan Patrick shares a bit of encouragement against the unforgiving, vertical struggle of “making it” as a professional singer-songwriter. As her pursuits on mainstream country radio have yet to fully bear fruit, she finds validation in the invested, enthusiastic crowds that support her nightly across the continent. In this sector of the industry, where success is regularly measured by chart success and “no” comes much more often than “yes” for most, losing sight of the little wins is far too easy. Our Ontario-born heroine’s reminder to take pride in every forward step towards a dream is universal and especially compelling from someone who’s had to do it for so long. The shimmering, slow-burning arrangement surrounds the listener with an optimistic, meditative aura with reverbating chords and a bright harmonica lead, and avoids the dreaded pitfall of drowning a vulnerable moment with excessive drums and guitars; though Golden Child’s closing track is relatively short and does lack a true chorus, “Hold On Meg” is still its emotional centerpiece, and deftly lets you in on Meghan’s daily emotional grind.
7.5
Hey Radio – Lathan Bryant Written By Adam Delahoussaye
It’s hard not to see Lathan Bryant as a sort of spawn of the “just add water” subspecies of country acts that have been seeing cultural dominance since the turn of the decade. He keeps the production bells and whistles to a minimum, with simple yet abstract lyrics that evoke thoughts rather than transcribe them word-for-word. He’s a pretty promising continuation of the Barber and Bryan school of soft sounds, veering more towards gravel roads and traditionally country sensibilities on his latest, “Hey Radio.” It’s a grainy, pulled-from-the-subconscious soliloquy detailing the miles not by markers but by needle drops. A more reserved, contemplative version of Darius Rucker’s similarly titled track that tabs memories by a roadmap, placing personal labels in the hits of yesteryear. It’s a pretty straightforward, at least nominally post-country seance for the vessel that the genre, and maybe by extension its heirs, have lost their grip on in the modern era. Bryant, an easy marriage between the skeleton of tradition and the extensions of the cutting edge, croons as a voice that could speak to both cultural quirks with authority.
7.0
Roc Helton – What Ramblers Do Written By Joel Reuben Pauley
At his young age, it is baffling to hear the depth of yearning in Roc Helton’s voice. On his new song, he grapples with his own disloyalty, casting himself as an undependable partner who inevitably does “what ramblers do.” Raised on artists like Tyler Childers and Jason Isbell, Helton draws on his influences with intention, shaping a sound that feels informed rather than imitative, anchored by a drawl hard to find elsewhere. He sketches moments when a relationship turns serious, when meeting her family is on the table, only to disappear by the next morning. Across the rest of the track, he reflects on choices like this, quietly asking, “Did I dig my grave?” In the instrumentals, there are sections with sounds evoking cold, lonesome rainfall, featuring descending melodies on piano, strings, and steel guitar. The calm yet striking arrangement of this track emphasizes Roc’s own words, delivering impact to his story in a way that makes the listener truly sympathize with him. This is not a song designed for algorithms or radio rotation. “What Ramblers Do” works in a slower, more lasting way, the kind of track that turns casual listeners into committed fans.
8.6
