2024 YE Country RD (CAD) Due Dec 14

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

#10 SACHA - We Did 

Total: 111
Average: 12.33
Std Dev: 8.79
Chart Peak: #28

bboat11 - 1
.indulgecountry - 5
tim - 7
zaclord 🌈 - 7
🌺CountryLineDancer - 8

nathanalbright - 15
castleoblivion26 - 19
LBTrocks - 22
ccarter1023 - 27

There was a tie at 111 points. SACHA missed the top 6 by 8 points. This had a great start, receiving only top 10 rankings for the first 5 lists, but started losing momentum after, ended up missing the top 6 with the last submission from LBTrocks . This was similar to the radio chart run of this song, receiving a great amount of adds at first, while losing momentum in the 20s.

CLD's Thought (Prediction: #4)
This is a bop, and I wish this made it to the top 6, as I can see this doing moderately well in the YE RD, given its decent performance in the New Release RD. This is my fav song by SACHA to this date.

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

#9 MacKenzie Porter - Pickup

Total: 111
Average: 12.33
Std Dev: 8.67
Chart Peak: #1

zaclord 🌈 - 1
.indulgecountry - 2
ccarter1023 - 8

🌺CountryLineDancer - 11
LBTrocks - 11
bboat11 - 14
castleoblivion26 - 14
nathanalbright - 22
tim - 28

2018 #11 About You
2019 #9 Seeing Other People
2020 #4 These Days
2021 #9 Drinking Song

Another song with 111 points is leaving. This song was also the first #1 hit to exit the game. This received two top 3 rankings and one bottom 5 ranking.

CLD's Thought (Prediction: #2)
I thought this would also be a safe song to move on to the next round but the moment I received the list from tim , that changed. I was not too impressed with her recent materials, except for this one. This is such a catchy pop country tune, and MacKenzie could have tried this to the US radio. I also feel like she is not as favoured as I thought she would be on this board, considering that she made it to the top 5 only once in this game. I cannot wait for her full length album next year, and hoping that she will try another single in the US.

[.indulgecountry]

Tragic. Both of these should've finished in the top 5.

[LBTrocks]

I don't understand the love for the SACHA song at all, lol..

MacKenzie continues to be so good, "Pickup" has an incredible melody. Love her voice too. The song gives me "80s Mercedes" vibes.

[.indulgecountry]

Dec 27, 2022 21:50:05 GMT -5 LBTrocks said:

I don't understand the love for the SACHA song at all, lol..

Um it is a JAM and she sounds a lot like Jo Dee Messina so I fail to see what's not to love tbh...

[LBTrocks]

Dec 27, 2022 22:05:43 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Dec 27, 2022 21:50:05 GMT -5 LBTrocks said:

I don't understand the love for the SACHA song at all, lol..

Um it is a JAM and she sounds a lot like Jo Dee Messina so I fail to see what's not to love tbh...

It's so generic? lol. Idk, I don't like the beat and production either and while her voice is good, I hope she has better songs lol

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

Dec 27, 2022 22:22:43 GMT -5 LBTrocks said:

Dec 27, 2022 22:05:43 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Um it is a JAM and she sounds a lot like Jo Dee Messina so I fail to see what's not to love tbh...

It's so generic? lol. Idk, I don't like the beat and production either and while her voice is good, I hope she has better songs lol

Mmm to me, We Did was her strongest. She had another single back before she was singed to Starseed Record, called Standard, and this one is not bad, but had weird bridge.

 

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

Sorry I was away watching Avatar 2, but now I'm back to finish up the remaining two reveals so that bboat11 can open his YE RD. I know it's late, but I may be busy tomorrow going down to Washington, so let's get it done! The remaining songs both have 110 points, and missed the top 6 by 7 points.

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

#8 Sykamore - Dancing In The Dark

Total: 110
Average: 12.22
Std Dev: 8.09
Chart Peak: NA

bboat11 - 2
tim - 3
castleoblivion26 - 5
zaclord 🌈 zaclord 🌈 - 8

LBTrocks - 13
🌺CountryLineDancer - 16
ccarter1023 - 18
nathanalbright - 21
.indulgecountry - 24

2020 #3 Record High
2021 #3 Stay Broke

I'm sorry to bboat11 , but Sykamore unfortunately missed the top 6 this year. This also had a solid start, but ended up losing the spot. 

CLD's Thought (Prediction: #4)
Sykamore remains silent to the radio scene, but I was very happy that she had tons of new music this year with the release of the full-length album. This song was my fav among the new releases, along with Pinto. If Sykamore RD ever happens, I would give #1 spot to Stay Broke.

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

#7 Jade Eagleson - She Don’t Know 

Total: 110
Average: 12.22
Std Dev: 7.14
Chart Peak: #1

zaclord 🌈 - 4
bboat11 - 5
LBTrocks - 5
nathanalbright - 9

tim - 12
🌺CountryLineDancer - 14
castleoblivion26 - 17
.indulgecountry - 20
ccarter1023 - 24

2018 #33 Got Your Name On It
2019 #18 Count The Ways
2020 #8 Close 
2021 #20 More Drinkin’ Than Fishin’ ft. Dean Brody

Jade Eagleson is the last one to miss the YE RD!! Still, this is his best performance, and his second top 10 finish. Huge improvement from Hackin' Darts on Global Country RD, as well as the 2018 RD I hosted earlier this year where he ended within the bottom 3. This song became a #1 hit, and Jade is becoming an A lister in Canada. 

CLD's Thought (Prediction: #10)
I'm so happy to see Jade doing this well here, definitely beyond my expectations. This is a solid country tune, and his vocal (which is always my fav) and the production are very pleasant to my ears. I would say this song has the most traditional country sound of this list, and hence, I would have liked to see how this would have done in the YE RD. He did very well tho. This song also reminds me of something Justin Moore would do.

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

This is your top 6 (with my comments), and due to the tie at #5, they are making it to bboat11's RD! Throw some comments on the reveal so far, as well as predictions on the remaining songs. 


James Barker Band - Wastin' Whiskey (wtf thought they would end in the bottom 5, I like this tune, but did not see this at all. Sending a song like this to the YE RD is like sending my child who never touch the snow to Winter Olympic Game as a skier). 
Josh Ross - First Taste Of Gone (did better than my expectation but was expecting him to be one of the best performing males)
Lindsay Ell - Right On Time (as expected)
Madeline Merlo - Slide (as expected)
Megan Dawson - Kiss Me Like That (did slightly better than my expectation, thought MacKenzie or SACHA would take her spot)
Tenille Townes - The Last Time (as expected)

[LBTrocks]

I don't remember liking Jade Eagleson before but man, "She Don't Know" is a really great country song.

[LBTrocks]

So thrilled that one of the remaining songs made it as far as it did, it was my fav discovery and I absolutely adore it- I have been listening to it excessively since discovering it here!

I like all of the top 6 honestly except for the Madeline Merlo song which, quite frankly, I thought was awful.

[LBTrocks]

I have no idea how this will play out except for the top 2, and I only know what the top 2 will be, not what will ultimately win lol.

6. James Barker Band - Wastin' Whiskey
5. Madeline Merlo - Slide
4. Josh Ross - First Taste of Gone
3. Megan Dawson - Kissed Me Like That
2. Tenille Townes - The Last Time
1. Lindsay Ell - Right On Time

No idea, I'm probably completely wrong lol

[.indulgecountry]

If Lindsay Ell doesn't win, it will be a huge shock to me, lol.

[LBTrocks]

Dec 28, 2022 13:58:27 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

If Lindsay Ell doesn't win, it will be a huge shock to me, lol.

I don’t tank Tenille anymore tho so that’s why I’m not quite as sure lol. But yeah when I thought about it I did think Lindsay has this.

[.indulgecountry]

Dec 28, 2022 14:09:47 GMT -5 LBTrocks said:

Dec 28, 2022 13:58:27 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

If Lindsay Ell doesn't win, it will be a huge shock to me, lol.

I don’t tank Tenille anymore tho so that’s why I’m not quite as sure lol. But yeah when I thought about it I did think Lindsay has this.

I'm glad you've finally come around on Tenille Townes, lol. I still don't know if I see her beating Lindsay Ell, but I do see them being the top 2 as likely, and "The Last Time" is a great song!

[bboat11]

Fuuuuuuuuuck these last few reveals HURT!!!! Nearly all of them have been ones that I was rooting to make the top 6.

The first one was Jess Moskaluke. "Knock Off" reminded me so much of Country Carrie in her delivery, which is a side we don't get to see to Carrie nearly enough these days. Especially the way she delivers "It's like you traded top shelf for a cheap drink." This has gotten better and better every time I have listened to it since, and I already liked it to begin with, but now I'm starting to get obsessed.

NOOOOOOO not Sacha I honestly expected "We Did" to be a shoe-in for the Top 6. She deserved for the Jo Dee vibes alone, although the song deserved it on its other strengths too. The delivery of "small town style on the bridge" and "even now when I kiss your lips" literally sounds like it IS Jo Dee, lol. Honestly tempted to put this in the year-end rankdown anyway, just 'cause I can... Hey, the charts move so slowly, we have to get to 100 songs somehow!

"Dancing in the Dark" is sneaky catchy and gets better every time you listen to it in that way that basically all of Sykamore's material is. I am not entirely surprised by this #8 finish, as the back-to-back top 3s in previous years were definitely unexpected to me! "Record High" and "Stay Broke" are basically her top tier so far, with "Dancing" not coming quite to that level, so this placement feels fine, although I still would have liked to see her in the top 6.

"She Don't Know" uuuuuggggghh I also wanted this one to be in the top 6 more than any other male song. That chorus reminded me of the melodic formula that always made George Strait so successful. It's just plain catchy in a way that feels good to listen to!

[bboat11]

Now in terms of what is left, Lindsay of course makes me happy, and I still bet she'll be the runaway winner. Megan Dawson still being here though has me SHOOK!!!!! I am thrilled to see "Kissed Me Like That" in the top 6, as that has been one that I have been rooting for all along.....but honestly thought that "We Did", "Knock Off", "Dancing in the Dark", and "She Don't Know" would all stand a better chance of making it than her  Looks like I was wrong there! "Slide" and "The Last Time" are both solid B+ to A- level songs, but I would have replaced them with any of the aforementioned songs personally. The male songs.....I'll have to listen to them again to remind myself how they go

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

Dec 28, 2022 19:07:33 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Fuuuuuuuuuck these last few reveals HURT!!!! Nearly all of them have been ones that I was rooting to make the top 6.

Well, as you mentioned yourself, you have the power of including any extra songs to your RD after all! Some people may enjoy these songs by Jade or SACHA over, say random flops like Nate Barnes or Adam Doleac 

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

#5 Madeline Merlo - Slide

Total: 103
Average: 11.44
Std Dev: 9.50
Chart Peak: Just Sent to CA Radio This Week!

zaclord 🌈 - 3
ccarter1023 - 4
.indulgecountry - 4
🌺CountryLineDancer - 7
castleoblivion26 - 7
bboat11 - 10

nathanalbright - 14
tim - 25
LBTrocks - 29

2018 #20 Neon Love
2019 #16 Unraveling
2020 #17 Kiss Kiss
2021 #4 It Didn’t

#5 Megan Dawson - Kiss Me Like That

Total: 103
Average: 11.44
Std Dev: 7.88
Chart Peak: NA

🌺CountryLineDancer - 2
bboat11 - 3
nathanalbright - 4
tim - 8

.indulgecountry - 11
LBTrocks - 14
zaclord 🌈 - 17
ccarter1023 - 20
castleoblivion26 - 24

Two Madeline Merlo related songs are tying at #5. Kiss Me Like That, written by Merlo, managed to tie with Slide, after the heavy tanking of Merlo by LBTrocks 's last submission. Madeline Merlo became the only singer to be making it to the YE RD two years in a row! And she is doing well in this series only after 2021. Slide received top 15 rankings from most of the participants, except for tim and LBTrocks 's bottom 10s. Kiss Me Like That received only 1 bottom 10 ranking from castle. 

CLD's Thought (Prediction: #7 and #9)

Both are catchy pop country jam, so happy that they made it to the YE RD. I am quite excited about how Madeline would do in 2023, as I read that she is going to have a radio tour with her US label. I did not know about Megan Dawson until I randomly opened Merlo's insta promoting this song. I'm hoping to hear something as strong as this from her.

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

#4 Josh Ross - First Taste Of Gone

Total: 98
Average: 10.89
Std Dev: 8.61
Chart Peak: #5

🌺CountryLineDancer - 1
LBTrocks - 2
nathanalbright - 5
zaclord 🌈 - 6
ccarter1023 - 9
tim - 10

bboat11 - 20
castleoblivion26 - 22
.indulgecountry - 23

Josh Ross became the highest solo male of this RD! This is also the first song without any bottom 10 rankings. After the independent release of this song, the radio showed some interest, and he was subsequently singed to Universal, whose support brought this to #5. This song managed to sneak into the top 6 with the last submission from LBTrocks .

CLD's Thought (Prediction: #12)
This is my fav ballad song of the year. I love the lyrics and Josh's gorgeous vocal delivery. While there were numerous times when I did not share the fav songs with LBTrocks lol, I'm glad that we have the same taste here!! I was checking him out back when he was independent, and I was thrilled that he now has a strong label support! He is for sure the new artist of the year in Canadian country music scene, if you ask me.

[LBTrocks]

So glad I could bump Josh Ross into the top 5 where he belongs. "First Taste of Gone" is EXQUISITE! So gorgeous. That melody, his vocals... ugh I love it so much. I have been obsessed with this song since I discovered it here. I am shocked that it got any rankings in the 20s, lol.

"Slide" is such an annoying song, I really hate the first verse. Horrid beat. The chorus is better than the verse, but the melody still sucks lol. Overall I don't care for Madeline Merlo at all. I think she did have a song or two in one of the RDs we've done that I liked, but overall I don't care for her style.

Megan Dawson's song is really good tho, and Madeline wrote that so kudos to her. I thought "Kiss Me Like That" would have made top 3, I got strong Kelsea Balerini vibes from it.

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

Alright, ready for the finale? I will complete the top 3 reveal in one post!

[bboat11]

I'm showing up just in time for the top 3!!!


I am SO HAPPY with this top 5 placement for Megan Dawson. I've had that damn "I've had a crush, a sugar rush" chorus stuck in my head nonstop for WEEKS now! It's probably going to make my year-end last.fm charts despite only discovering it in literally December  (I know most people cut off their year at the end of November, but I always wait until the actual new year. I'm very curious to see how high it can get, haha)

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

#3 Tenille Townes - The Last Time

Total: 93
Average: 10.33
Std Dev: 8.59
Chart Peak: #9 (still on)

tim - 1
nathanalbright - 3
castleoblivion26 - 3
LBTrocks - 6
.indulgecountry - 7
zaclord 🌈 - 10

bboat11 - 17
ccarter1023 - 23
🌺CountryLineDancer - 23

2018 #5 Somebody’s Daughter
2019 #7 Jersey On The Wall
2020 #6 Come As You Are
2021 #13 Girl Who Don’t Care

#2 James Barker Band - Wastin' Whiskey

Total: 91
Average: 10.11
Std Dev: 5.06 (2nd lowest)
Chart Peak: #2

zaclord 🌈 - 5
ccarter1023 - 5
🌺CountryLineDancer - 5
castleoblivion26 - 6

.indulgecountry - 12
LBTrocks - 12
nathanalbright - 13
tim - 14
bboat11 - 19


2018 #28 Good Together
2019 #29 There’s A Drink For That
2021 #30 New Old Trucks ft. Dierks Bentley

#1 Lindsay Ell - Right On Time

Total: 35
Average: 3.89
Std Dev: 3.22 (lowest!)
Chart Peak: #8

LBTrocks - 1
.indulgecountry - 1
castleoblivion26 - 1
zaclord 🌈 - 2
tim - 2
🌺CountryLineDancer - 6
ccarter1023 - 6
bboat11 - 6
nathanalbright - 10

2018 #1 Criminal #8 The Worst Kind 
2019 #1 I don’t lovE you
2020 #2 wAnt me back
2021 #6 good on you

This is it!! As expected, Lindsay Ell took the crown with receiving only top 10 rankings, resulting in the lowest standard deviation. This is her third #1 in this series, while she continues to miss #1 in the radio chart even in Canada, after wAnt me back. Surprisingly, JBB made all the way up to #2 in this RD! They have been constantly underperforming, always ending within the bottom 5, so this really surprised me. One thing is that this did not receive any 20+ rankings, and thus, it received hate from nobody, resulting in the high ranking. #3 is Tenille Townes, also scoring her highest position in this series. This song is still climbing, so it may score a higher peak on the chart after the new years. 

CLD's Thought (Prediction: #6, #27 (lol) and #1)

Lindsay Ell's tune is a catchy jam. It is a huge stepup from good on you, which I think is her worst single to this day. I wish she tried that song in the US radio, as it is a radio friendly tune. It is most liker her lead single, so looking forward to seeing her new offerings in 2023! JBB's tune is also my fav in this list, but never expected it to be in the top 5, let alone the top 2. I usually like their materials, so it is great to finally see some positive rankings on their song, but cannot expect it to do well in the YE RD... Tenille's song is another lyrical masterpiece. The melody is not the strongest, so I would consider it to be B+ song, but I still love her writing, and it is a great single choice. I am most likely to be seeing her in January, and also looking forward to the other side of her double album!

[bboat11]

The Sara Evans of Canada strikes again!! 😂 Very deserved, of course! "Right On Time" is so #relatable. (As I'm sitting here in my underwear wrapped in a fuzzy blanket next to my cat posting on an Internet forum eating leftover pizza and feeling lonely while all my friends are out in the world being all married and in love...)

[bboat11]

Oh, speaking of year-end stuff, here is a fun tidbit from my Apple Replay!



I really think I might have a shot at getting a return text now if I can somehow get my phone number to her!

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

Dec 29, 2022 22:21:34 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Oh, speaking of year-end stuff, here is a fun tidbit from my Apple Replay!



I really think I might have a shot at getting a return text now if I can somehow get my phone number to her!

Yeah you should try, honestly! Just post this on your Insta story and tag her, she may see and give you a return text! Her account did reply to me when I posted her new release on my story and tagged her. She also has a text number on her Insta, but never tried that one. 

[tim]

I always thoroughly enjoy getting to listen to what our friends North of the border are hearing and this was no different than last year. Thanks as always to 🌺CountryLineDancer for his hosting duties and giving us a taste of that experience. Looking forward to seeing how my top 2 here will fare overall in the year-end country rankndown.