Week of 08/10/2023
“Rich Men North of Richmond” – Oliver Anthony Written by Christina Bosch
Arguably the biggest story of the week and fastest overnight sensation in recent memory, Oliver Anthony lays the truth out to dry on ‘Rich Men North of Richmond.’ His authentic words and bleakly raw outlook on the world has connected immediately with listeners across the country; consequently, this song has earned its place as one of the most talked-about tracks all year. While his delivery is commanding and relatable to so many, it’s hard to critically deconstruct a song that is practically yelling out a laundry list of complaints. Just because you agree with every word Oliver states, does that automatically make this a perfect song? Only time will tell if Oliver Anthony will sustain his overnight fame and continue to bolster his catalog with more meaningful tunes.
9.2
“Give Her That” – Carrie Underwood Written by Brandon Iozzo
Adding on to the collection of seemingly random deluxe edition tracks supporting the long-winded “Denim & Rhinestones” era, ‘Give Her That’ is a bland double-word-play track about Carrie’s respect towards an ex’s new love, while insisting that he can’t give her the same affection that they once shared. Co-written by her long-time producer David Garcia, Lydia Vaughn, and Underwood herself, the song’s concept seems stale even aside from Underwood’s attempt to elevate the meaning in any way. Though her vocals still remain solid as always, there’s not much passion here, and it feels like the track would better fit for early-2010s Carrie. Underwood’s spark continues to fade on ‘Give Her That,’ while also adding to her impactless 2022 album.
4.4
“Country Music Made Me Do It” – Carly Pearce Written by Brandon Iozzo
Carly Pearce commends and reflects on country music’s influence on her life with ‘Country Music Made Me Do It.’ Placing a friendly blame on country music for breakups, industry breakthroughs, and life’s ups and downs, Pearce remembers snapshots of her upbringing and career with some of her twangiest musicality to date. Written and produced by Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally, and Carly herself, the track’s production is reminiscent of her song ‘29,’ only now as a more upbeat and uplifting toe-tapper. Following the release of ‘We Don’t Fight Anymore,’ it feels like we’re getting a clearer, more concrete musical direction for Carly Pearce’s next body of work following the “29” era.
9.0
“Southern and Slow” – Luke Bryan Written by Creed Miller
Bro-country legend Luke Bryan is back in the most Luke Bryan way possible with ‘Southern and Slow.’ Luke Bryan is no stranger to the cliche and cringy, as we’ve seen it from the early stages of his career with ‘Country Girl;’ over a decade later, we continue to see it now with ‘Southern and Slow.’ While his lyrics are breathtakingly basic, the song itself will most definitely get you to nod along and play it with the windows down. The production is solid and a massive improvement over ‘But I Got a Beer in My Hand.’ The track has that perfectly clean, mainstream sound, following the Nashville formula for a “hit” to a tee. We all know that Luke is always going to stick to his Bro-country roots, and ‘Southern and Slow’ only proves that they aren’t going anywhere.
7.3
“Mississippi or Me” – Riley Green Written by Creed Miller
After years of teasing it, Riley Green has finally released his highly-anticipated song ‘Mississippi or Me.’ The track is about a former lover returning home to Mississippi, leaving Riley wondering if she’s coming back because of her love for him or her love for the state of Mississippi. While anticipation for this one has had fans on the edge of their seats for some time, there isn’t much to make it stand out from the rest of his catalog. It’s musically right in line with most of the twangy, thickly-accented radio country we’ve gotten used to hearing from him. It’s not a bad thing either; this formula has worked really well for Riley throughout his career, but his consistency has made it tough for him much in the way of surprises for some time. Even though it doesn’t do much to differentiate itself, this is a good song nonetheless and could be yet another Riley Green fan-favorite.
8.0
“The Painter” – Cody Johnson Written by Cameron Greene
Cody Johnson is one of country music’s most consistent artists who is always releasing great songs, and with his new single ‘The Painter,’ he knocks it out of the park again. On paper, this is a short and sweet love tune, but with CoJo’s inimitable sincerity, this song is a beautiful ballad about his wife where you can feel the transformative color she brought into his life. This song works on just about every level, not just hitting the basic checklist a love song usually has to hit, but going above and beyond to paint an image into your head. It’s nothing world-altering, but with down-to-earth execution, which has always been one of CoJo’s strengths, he shows out with a song that feels natural in its simplicity. It’s another great outing for Johnson who continues to prove why he’s one of country music’s best stars today.
8.8
“How Do I Do This” – Kelsea Ballerini Written by Cameron Greene
After releasing her critically-acclaimed EP, ‘Rolling Up The Welcome Mat’ in February, Kelsea Ballerini decided that this era isn’t over quite yet. ‘How Do I Do This’ is about Kelsea going out on a date with a new guy in the aftermath of her divorce, struggling with a litany of internal conflicts. The inner monologue put to song is this track’s strongest selling point, but it’s blurry pop-country production does hurt it a bit. An acoustic version would serve this song much better so that Kelsea’s confidently soft vocals can be less hampered by all of the background noise we hear here. All-in-all though, this is a pretty good song that gives listeners a genuinely relatable account about moving on from a heartbreak.
7.8
