bboat Reviews Modern Country Radio

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

Jan 3, 2024 3:27:48 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

"Livin' In A Country Song" - Five Roses

Definitely interested in hearing more from this duo!

I'm glad to see "Livin' In A Country Song" got a strong review, as this is also my fave from the duo, but the following is the case, so there is no more from them. The girl, who has the stronger vocal in this duo, is still pursuing music, so we may hear her at some point. At this point, I feel like most of Canadian mixed gender duos are breaking up after a few years recently; Autumn Hill, Sons Of Daughters, Leaving Thomas, and now Five Roses. The Reklaws are only lasting because they are real siblings lol.

Dec 27, 2023 20:50:12 GMT -5 🌺CountryLineDancer said:

#10 Five Roses - Livin' in A Country Song

This is their second appearance in the series, and made a decent improvement from the last time. However, this is going to be their final appearance in the game, as the duo just broke up a month ago due to Zach deciding to focus on his career as a lawyer. Jade is still pursuing her career independently. 

Nate Haller showed up a few times in the previous YE RDs, but this year might be the last and Take My Name could be the last single to chart, considering that he is not with a label anymore (at least per website). 

[bboat11]

Jan 5, 2024 3:42:53 GMT -5 🌺CountryLineDancer said:

Jan 3, 2024 3:27:48 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

"Livin' In A Country Song" - Five Roses

Definitely interested in hearing more from this duo!

I'm glad to see "Livin' In A Country Song" got a strong review, as this is also my fave from the duo, but the following is the case, so there is no more from them. The girl, who has the stronger vocal in this duo, is still pursuing music, so we may hear her at some point. At this point, I feel like most of Canadian mixed gender duos are breaking up after a few years recently; Autumn Hill, Sons Of Daughters, Leaving Thomas, and now Five Roses. The Reklaws are only lasting because they are real siblings lol.

Dec 27, 2023 20:50:12 GMT -5 🌺CountryLineDancer said:

#10 Five Roses - Livin' in A Country Song

This is their second appearance in the series, and made a decent improvement from the last time. However, this is going to be their final appearance in the game, as the duo just broke up a month ago due to Zach deciding to focus on his career as a lawyer. Jade is still pursuing her career independently. 

Nate Haller showed up a few times in the previous YE RDs, but this year might be the last and Take My Name could be the last single to chart, considering that he is not with a label anymore (at least per website). 

Oh! Well RIP to my commentary all around, lmao. (Clearly I need to catch up on the final results of your rankdown!!! I'm glad to see they made it to #10!)

I am definitely a little excited to hear more from Jade. Glad she's still planning to make music! But Nate Haller, have a good life!

[bboat11]

"Match For My Memory" - Robyn Ottolini

Robyn Ottolini debuted a new song in Canada a couple months ago, and I think this is actually surprisingly good! I mean, not to be shady af towards Robyn, but she doesn't exactly have the strongest reputation on Pulse... Nothing against her personally! I think it's just that her music has a certain Gen Z "immaturity" to it that just doesn't appeal to Pulse's main demographics. I would probably compare her to somebody like Bailey Bryan, who made a tiny ripple on the charts in 2016 and then disappeared. "F150" definitely had a similar vibe to me when it came out. That whole "this feels like a high school girl" vibe just doesn't hit as hard as "this feels like someone with a little bit of life experience singing about high school."

That being said, I was the one person who liked Bailey Bryan quite a bit, so....there has always been potential for me to connect with Robyn too And she definitely did it with this song! The first thing I noticed was the haunting fiddle slide in the intro! It doesn't play a huge role by any means, but the way it is used is just **chef's kiss** I especially love how the fiddle slide is immediately followed by a slightly lower variation of the same slide. It almost sounds like a violin followed by a viola, with the depth and resonance that the following line gives to the first line.

Lyrically, this song has some really cool moments as well. Overall the hook is that there is no match for her memory, meaning in the wake of a messy breakup there is nothing that could quite replace her, no matter how badly her ex tries to burn pictures, incinerate the mattress, etc. Now that they have broken up, there is nothing that will match the joy that she brought him at one point. One the other hand, it is a beautiful double entendre, because with all the fire imagery in this song it could also mean that no matter how hard he tries to burn everything down, there is no match that could possibly get rid of the memory of her. It's an amazing hook, and all the fire imagery throughout this song works really really well.

On top of the lyrics, the whole song has a very consistent vibe. You can feel the fire from beginning to end, in the smoldering ruins of the relationship, the embers of affection slowing dying, the raging inferno of our narrator's wrath... Right down to the single cover and instrumentation choices, everything about the fire vibe is immaculate from beginning to end.

So yeah, overall I am impressed with this one! It aaaaaalmost got Robyn up to the A-list! If she has more songs like this in her, she definitely has potential to get there with a future release! Just as long as there is more of this and less dramatic teenage stuff like "F150".

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

As much as I support Canadian country singers, Robyn Ottolini never really connects with me, vocally nor melodically. That said "Match For My Memory" sounds better than many of her materials, and it is bringing her back to the chart after flopping for a few years, so I may bring her back to the 2024 YE RD, maybe or maybe not with this song. 

[bboat11]

Jan 6, 2024 20:56:00 GMT -5 🌺CountryLineDancer said:

As much as I support Canadian country singers, Robyn Ottolini never really connects with me, vocally nor melodically. That said "Match For My Memory" sounds better than many of her materials, and it is bringing her back to the chart after flopping for a few years, so I may bring her back to the 2024 YE RD, maybe or maybe not with this song. 

Seeing as she just went recurrent in the January 6th chart (I just watched your video! Lol), I bet it won't be with this song... Although that's a shame, because this song probably would have done better than anything else she's put out so far.

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

Jan 7, 2024 2:57:01 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Jan 6, 2024 20:56:00 GMT -5 🌺CountryLineDancer said:

As much as I support Canadian country singers, Robyn Ottolini never really connects with me, vocally nor melodically. That said "Match For My Memory" sounds better than many of her materials, and it is bringing her back to the chart after flopping for a few years, so I may bring her back to the 2024 YE RD, maybe or maybe not with this song. 

Seeing as she just went recurrent in the January 6th chart (I just watched your video! Lol), I bet it won't be with this song... Although that's a shame, because this song probably would have done better than anything else she's put out so far.

My cut-off for the YE RD list was the end of October, and Robyn peaked after that, so she is still eligible! Ultimately, it will depend on whether she has another hit in 2024/how big the list is in 2024!

[bboat11]

Jan 7, 2024 3:41:07 GMT -5 🌺CountryLineDancer said:

Jan 7, 2024 2:57:01 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Seeing as she just went recurrent in the January 6th chart (I just watched your video! Lol), I bet it won't be with this song... Although that's a shame, because this song probably would have done better than anything else she's put out so far.

My cut-off for the YE RD list was the end of October, and Robyn peaked after that, so she is still eligible! Ultimately, it will depend on whether she has another hit in 2024/how big the list is in 2024!

Oh yeah, by the end of October she would have barely started climbing! I guess we'll see

[bboat11]

"In Your Love" - Tyler Childers

Tyler Childers has a bit of a random hit on his hands with this one! He has been around for awhile of course, but always on the Americana fringes of the country industry, alongside folks like Jason Isbell and the Turnpike Troubadours. I have been aware of him, of course, but that whole scene is just not one that I have ever really kept my finger on.

With the 2023 surge of non-mainstream success stories like Zach Bryan and Oliver Anthony, however, the Americana market has had a bit more eyeballs paying attention to it lately. So it became the perfect storm when all of a sudden, completely out of the blue, Tyler Childers drops this beautiful music video, featuring a homosexual couple working the mines, falling in love, being persecuted by their peers, and ultimately

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}
one of them getting sick and dying :(

In the cultural context of 2023, such a video of course went viral, and under the magnifying glass of the general public's consumer pressure, this actually started to climb the charts! Tyler Childers is still very much an outsider of the mainstream industry, but similar to Oliver Anthony, this one simply could not be ignored! It is beautifully written, and feels just so authentic in the way it portrays a healthy, committed relationship facing off against adversity and getting through hard times together.

All that being said, while this is a beautiful song, it still has that slight Americana vibe that means I just will never go out of my way to listen to it once it falls off the charts... It is absolutely one of the best Americana songs I have heard, though! And I'd take stuff like this over Zach Bryan/"Rich Men North of Richmond" ANY day!!

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[bboat11]

"Make You Mine" - MaRynn Taylor

MaRynn Taylor barely snuck onto the charts with her latest single, which was pretty exciting to see! It's always nice to see new female artists making a splash, even if it's just a tiny one.

"Make You Mine" is poppy and simple, but overall catchy enough to be a worthwhile listen. The whole thing is basically just the narrator expressing her desire for a deep personal connection with another person. Every word of the verses uses metaphors to paint the picture of some type of romantic scene, while every word of the chorus is her encouraging her potential lover to make her want to act on her desires. It's simple, and it doesn't need to be anything more than that! That being said, it's not exactly substantive enough to leave much of a lasting impression. It's one of those songs where you might tap your toe and think "Oh yeah, this is alright" when you hear it on the radio, but I'm not going to mourn the fact that it flopped or anything.

I'm not sure if she's going to stick around, but I wouldn't be opposed to hearing more!

My favorite thing about this song is the way that the dobro in the intro is produced! It's not a primary instrument here by any means, but still, it sounds sooooo rich and smooth, it could easily be mistaken for a steel guitar if you couldn't hear the slight plucked timbre right when the sound begins.

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[bboat11]

"Damn You July" - Hailey Benedict

This one has actually been sneaking into my shuffled playlists quite a bit the last few months, ever since we listened to it for the New Releases rds! So I don't know much about Hailey Benedict, but when I listened to and reviewed "Freeze" recently, it was already in the context of liking this one quite a bit. And then of course that one completely blew me away and found a home on the A-list!

"Damn You July" is a well-written song. It uses the month of July as a backdrop for a broken heart, which is an interesting perspective when you consider that summer songs are usually all about summer flings, falling in love, etc. Many of them even have the context of knowing that it can never last, because summer is like this magical time where your life takes a detour, and then all of a sudden come fall it's back to reality. But it's always portrayed as okay, because for now it's summer and they're having fun!

But not for Hailey Benedict... Poor Hailey is sitting there smack dab in the middle of July, saddened at the picturesque blue vibes of the sky and the water trying to remind her of her lover's beautiful eyes, angry at the sun for kissing her skin and causing the memories to burn her, wary of all the fireworks and celebrations that they used to enjoy together... It's a very unique take, that allows for some truly excellent metaphor work!

Definitely excited to hear more from Hailey Benedict! I don't think she has a sweep-you-off-your-feet incredible voice or anything, but I like her overall vibe so far!

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[.indulgecountry]

Random question but what makes a song get a 1 for fiddle instead of a 2?

[bboat11]

Jan 7, 2024 17:41:28 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Random question but what makes a song get a 1 for fiddle instead of a 2?

If there’s violin instead of fiddle. So like, “In Your Love” for example doesn’t have any fiddle, but it does have an orchestra in the background…

So I’m basically just giving the songs a point based on a technicality 😆 Like the instrument is *technically* there…it’s just being used as part of an orchestra rather than as a fiddle.

[.indulgecountry]

Jan 7, 2024 18:24:13 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Jan 7, 2024 17:41:28 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Random question but what makes a song get a 1 for fiddle instead of a 2?

If there’s violin instead of fiddle. So like, “In Your Love” for example doesn’t have any fiddle, but it does have an orchestra in the background…

So I’m basically just giving the songs a point based on a technicality 😆 Like the instrument is *technically* there…it’s just being used as part of an orchestra rather than as a fiddle.

Makes total sense and I suspected it was something to that affect. 🤠

[bboat11]

"Mamaw's House" - Thomas Rhett ft. Morgan Wallen

If you ask me, "Mamaw's House" feels more like a Morgan Wallen-led song than a Thomas Rhett-led song... But that is neither here nor there. Both men turn in a fantastic performance here! I've gotta give the edge to Morgan though. As much as I have disliked his personal shenanigans throughout his career, I've got to admit that he can really sell a nostalgic, introspective ballad. If his career focused more on songs like this and "Sand in My Boots" and less on songs like "Thinkin' Bout Me" and "You Proof", I would like him a LOT more!

"Mamaw's House" is a really sweet song. It is exactly what you would expect from the title: a song celebrating grandmothers! Grandmas are figures who are traditionally associated with warmth, welcoming, home-cooked meals, love, work, politeness, class, religion, etc. The list goes on. But the point is, they are traditionally meant to represent everything good! This song focuses on the narrator's mamaw, and all the positive memories and life lessons that she brought to his life. There is a hint of social commentary here, with the feel-good statement that the world would be a much better place if there were more places like Mamaw's house in the world. A lot of the fighting and drama would stop, as Mamaw is a figure who deserves respect and demands that you be the best version of yourself. We would all have a lot more integrity and compassion if we could all experience this ideal of mamaw's house a lot more frequently!

One problem though... This hook is literally nonsensical if you give it even a millisecond of thought. The world would be a better place if every town had a mamaw's house? Well guess what. Literally every town DOES have a mamaw's house Maybe not THE specific mamaw in this song...but every town has some grandma living somewhere, many of whom embody the exact same feelings of home and warmth and comfort that the narrator's mamaw is known for. And, newsflash, despite the omnipresence of mamaws, the world is not in fact a better place because of it.

However, that is honestly just a low-hanging nit-pick that doesn't actually impact my enjoyment of the song at all. The message is positive, the lyrics are awesome, the overall message is very good. Yes it's nonsensical, but it can still be taken to heart. It is a song that will make most listeners feel good, and with an overall feeling of sentimental nostalgia it will also cause most listeners to think and reflect. This deserves to be a hit!

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[kluen]

It is kinda funny ever since I read your review of Damn You July
I can’t get “poor Hailey”out of my mind when I listen to this song.
LOL

[bboat11]

"Where It Ends" - Bailey Zimmerman

All of Bailey Zimmerman's hits so far have sounded quite similar to each other. But my #1 takeaway from "Where It Ends" is that this guy can really sing the hell out of an angsty mid-tempo ballad! The lyrics of this song do not really have any standout moments at first glance, but when taken as a whole the message is quite clear and strong. This song portrays a narrator at the tail end of a journey where he realized that the person he thought he was meant to spend forever with is actually not as perfectly committed as he thought they were. This song is about recognizing that the relationship is challenging, and then ending it. The message is empowering and meant to portray a narrator who is growing and improving through self-discovery.

I feel like this whole perspective is really unique for a song sung by a guy. Sure, plenty of men have sung about breakups. But to be the one who is mistreated in a relationship and then ultimately empowered to find their strength through self-discovery after walking away feels like a theme that is more commonly tackled by country's female vocalists. It's very refreshing! As a guy, I appreciate this theme!

Vocally, Bailey has a very Nirvana-esque rock edge to his voice, which will undoubtedly not be everyone's cup of tea, but he has range and power in spades! I should really check out his album.

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43

[kluen]

Jan 17, 2024 4:20:59 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

I feel like this whole perspective is really unique for a song sung by a guy. Sure, plenty of men have sung about breakups. But to be the one who is mistreated in a relationship and then ultimately empowered to find their strength through self-discovery after walking away feels like a theme that is more commonly tackled by country's female vocalists. It's very refreshing! As a guy, I appreciate this theme!

Yeah!

And many years ago,it is not so hard to find this theme among male artists
I think the most famous song sung by a guy about being mistreated in a relationship would be Hank Williams' Your Cheatin' Heart
And Webb Pierce has one called Cryin' Over You

But these days especially with bro country,it does feel very unique.

[bboat11]

"Settle For a Drink" - Shawn Austin

In "Settle For a Drink", Shawn Austin is the guy who all of Kenny's friends worried about in "Living in Fast Forward" "My friends all grew up and they settled down.Built nice little houses on the outskirts of town. They work in their office, they drive SUVs. They pray for their babies, and they worry about me." (At least that's how I remember the lyric! I admittedly didn't take the time to look it up, lol.)

Anyway, the whole theme of "Settle For a Drink" is that our narrator's friends are all settling down, and he's just not ready to go there yet. He's happy for them, but on the other hand life is short and these opportunities to enjoy it are so fleeting! Translation: he's single and he's ready to party! The gal he meets in a bar is also feeling a little bit left behind by her friends, and they decide to embrace the casual fleeting pleasures of life together!

Yes, this is pretty much just a hookup song, lmao. But there is at least a clever double-entendre in the use of the word "settle", in that they could settle down like all their friends did, or they could instead choose to settle for a drink! (Aka a casual encounter, where they embrace simplicity, enjoy the present, and remain open to spontaneous connections without necessarily seeking a long-term commitment.)

Shawn Austin is an okay vocalist, and the melody is on the slightly annoying side of catchy. And production-wise, it is almost impossible to isolate individual instrument sounds in this arrangement. I think there's a steel guitar, a mandolin, and maaaaaybe a dobro? Possibly a banjo in there too. What I think is a dobro and a mandolin could easily just be an acoustic guitar too, lol. Like, these instruments are NOT mixed to have any sort of identity whatsoever... So yeah, the song is fine, but not anything to write home about.

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43 kluen

[bboat11]

"We Ride" - Bryan Martin

I don't know anything about "We Ride" or Bryan Martin, other than this seems to be turning into a bit of a random hit lately. And overall, I can see why! He's got the gravely vocals that are "in" right now, popularized by the likes of Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Bailey Zimmerman, etc. I don't think I would be a fan of his voice in every context, but he certainly makes a better first impression than Warren Zeiders! But overall, I get the sense from "We Ride" that this is a song that perfectly fits all of his strengths.

This is, at its core, a song celebrating an active and almost nomadic existence. The whole meaning of the repeated hook "we ride" throughout the song is to emphasize the joy, excitement, and sense of movement associated with the narrator's experiences. It becomes a rallying cry or celebration of living life to the fullest.

The whole thing feels almost like it speaks directly to the bluesy roots of country music's storytelling tradition. While there isn't a "story" persay in the lyrics, there is still a well-crafted series of images and emotions that leave the listener feeling the narrator's experience. And while sonically this fits fine in the country genre, it also sounds like it would fit equally fine alongside classic or soft-rock artists like The Eagles, John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, etc. with zero tweaks. All those genres are connected through their bluesy roots, and this is one of those songs that helps to remind us of that just with its very nature.

Ultimately I am not head over heels in love with it or anything, but I am definitely okay with it. A nice solid C+, that would have easily been in the B range if it had incorporated more country instruments in the arrangement! The electric guitars have a really nice tone in this song, but that doesn't mean I don't feel the absence of the steel guitar!

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43 kluen

[bboat11]

"Where the Wild Things Are" - Luke Combs

Speaking of country music's rich storytelling tradition! Luke Combs strikes a home run here with perhaps the biggest storytelling move of his career thusfar! While "When It Rains It Pours" is probably still overall the more entertaining story, there is no doubt in my mind that "Wild Things" is easily his most compelling story song since then, and quite possibly the most compelling story on the entirety of country radio right now, period.

This is a song celebrating two brothers. The older one grows up, and breaks their mama's heart when he points his motorcycle West and takes off into the night. Our narrator was still growing up at home for a few more years, but clearly idolized his brother. The first chance he got, he hopped on a plane and went to Southern California for a visit. And they had a great time, partying with celebrities in Hollywood, drinking, and basically living hard!

At that point however, the narrative takes a twist. It's clear from the line, "Couple iron horse rebels, wild as the devil. I knew I had to move back east" that our narrator was starting to recognize a dark side to this glamorous lifestyle. I get the impression from the next line, "Said goodbye to my brother at the end of that summer, but I knew he'd never leave" that he was starting to suspect that his brother was living TOO hard. I don't think that he suspected his brother would literally die right after that, but I do think he recognized that there was a recklessness to that lifestyle that he did not want to commit to any longer. I bet his mother was very pleased that he had that epiphany! I can just see her sitting at home worried sick about both of them throughout this entire song. I'm happy that she got her baby back in the end!

Anyway, this might be just my opinion, but I see a pretty deep double entendre in the line, "Oh, the nights ignite like gasoline." On the one hand, the line points out the wild excitement of the parties and the night life of LA that the brother came to love so much. On the other hand, it foreshadows the fact that that lifestyle would ultimately lead to his demise, as he ultimately went out in a flash of ignited gasoline when the motorcycle hit the guardrail and took his life... I know, I know, that's like a really dark interpretation. But I also think it is beautiful songwriting!

Anyway, an easy A-list moment from Luke Combs. I think his direction lately just continues to be such an improvement over the last few years! I'm actually excited about his last few releases, after several years of diminishing returns. My only complaints about this song are the production being a little too wall-of-sound-y as it builds, as well as the absence of more country instruments. Luke's vocals and the tone of the electric guitars keeps this firmly in the country genre, but this arrangement definitely feels like there's something missing, which could have easily been mitigated with some steel, some fiddle...maybe even some harmonica?! Missed opportunity!

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43 kluen

[zack97]

Not sure if you plan on further contributing to this, but I just wanted to say I've had a blast catching up with/reading through your reviews! :)

[kluen]

yeah
bboat11 pls come back!

[bboat11]

Mar 4, 2024 8:11:21 GMT -5 zack97 said:

Not sure if you plan on further contributing to this, but I just wanted to say I've had a blast catching up with/reading through your reviews! :)

Mar 5, 2024 0:10:34 GMT -5 kluen said:

yeah
bboat11 pls come back!

Aww, thanks guys! I appreciate the interest! Don't worry, I still think about this thread every day, and still have been keeping track of all the new songs that debut each week... So my list is current and ready to be resumed at any time! Work has just been kinda crazy lately, but I definitely am not giving this idea up!

[bboat11]

"Forever To Me" - Cole Swindell

Wow, I did NOT expect to jump back into this series by giving Cole Swindell's new song an A! But after several listens, I can't help but feel stronger every time that it is deserved. Cole has always been a rather mediocre artist to me. You know, a blatant product of the bro country era, with virtually no charisma or unique artistic vision. So when you see me give him a 5 star ranking for his vocal performance, and hear me say that I am actually super impressed with his performance, you have to understand just how impressive that is for him!

"Forever To Me" is a sweet, romantic song about meeting the love of your life and committing to them. But it is so much more than that. It is also a deep expression of gratitude for someone who is willing to give their life to you. And it also touches on the idea that when you fall in love with someone, their family is an important part of their background that you are ultimately committing to as well. A lot of love songs are accused of being "cheesy" simply because they are about love. I suspect it has something to do with the unending metaphors and similes that are trying to make a universal feeling sound unique. But in "Forever To Me", all cheesy tropes are avoided in favor of a deep dive into WHY this particular relationship matters. (Focusing on the emotions, the history, the family, etc.)

The result is a love song where the couple genuinely has a bit of a personality and a backstory, and you can't help but root for them! Cole's performance masterfully conveys all of the emotions that I hinted at earlier. But one of the most masterful moments, imo, was when he threw in the line about "I wish you could have met my daddy" in the final chorus. For me that line completely solidified the backstory of these characters, and emphasized just how important this current happiness is in the face of loss. It tied together the message of gratitude and being thankful for the ones you love, because it is through those bittersweet moments that you come to appreciate those who love and support you the most.

Cole is still not likely to be an artist who I rush to check out when his album drops or anything, but I am pleased to admit that this is a career highlight for me!

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43 kluen zack97

[bboat11]

I have a full list of songs that I missed these last few months, and I have been debating whether it would be better to pick up where I left off, or prioritize the current stuff. I think I am going to do a mixture of both, lol. Cole's song is the one new song on this week's Airplay chart. I figure at least for now I'll focus primarily on the current week, and then jump back and dip into songs from earlier this year in random spurts as I get the time.

[bboat11]

"Blinding Lights (Country Version)" - Tebey

An absolutely fantastic rendition of The Weeknd's classic song! Why do pop covers sometimes make the most undeniable country jams?? It's like, just crank up the tempo and throw in a rollicking call-and-response between electric guitar and banjo that lasts for the entire song, and you've got yourself a country smash!

This song has really cool imagery. The nighttime vibes mixed with an urban setting give this song an underlying tone that is just so unique in the country world. And yet, the desire to leave the city behind and get back into the arms of the one that the narrator loves gives this an undeniable country perspective. There is a delicate juxtaposition between how busy the city life is and how isolated the bustle can make you feel, and I feel like Tebey's performance here struck the perfect balance between being lonely and still having hope. Overall, I am impressed! Another well-deserved addition to the A-list.

---

"Slower Than You Planned" - Mark Ledlin

Always nice to hear some fiddle! That is by far the highlight of this song. The melody is pretty catchy too overall, like at least worth a 7.5 out of 10. This song is about a narrator who is ready and willing to fall in love....however, he is also aware of the potential heartbreak that can come from these situations as well. The hook is that if his love interest is planning to break his heart, then she should just do it slowly! They have the summer in front of them, so they may as well enjoy the three full months rather than cut it short!

It's a fine message, but....ultimately the entire thing is just so ham-fisted. The idea that she might break up with him just comes across as "we could do all these fun things...unless you have something you've been wanting to tell me??!" Literally just comes across as SO insecure. Like, major "you probably have a boyfriend in another town..." energy when there is absolutely no reason portrayed in the story for him to even believe such a thing about her. He comes across as an insecure for no reason, which just feels like bad songwriting instead of a genuine exploration of the nuances of a summer fling.

On top of that, while the fiddle is nice, the production job itself goes off the rails pretty quickly as the song gets going. The intro is awesome, the first verse is fine, the pre-chorus is overproduced as hell, and then the chorus itself may as well not even be the same song the way everything suddenly washes out and turns into a wall of sound with lots of electronic vocal effects. Mark Ledlin is not a great vocalist either, but it would have been a lot better if he had at least produced the vocals the same way for the entire song.

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43 kluen zack97

[bboat11]

Tebey and Mark Ledlin had the two new entries to the Canadian charts this week. I'll make sure I go back and get Sara Evans soon too, since she debuted last week on the Canadian charts!!!

I have also decided to start including the Hot Country chart in my reviews too, since it is feeling like radio has less and less relevance these days, and the HCS chart helps paint a broader picture of what is popular in the industry. Think songs like Megan Moroney's "No Caller ID" which may or may not ever even get released to radio, but are undeniably among the hottest songs of the year in terms of consumer interest.

[bboat11]

"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" - Shaboozey

Shaboozey is making a huge splash on the Hot Country Songs chart right now! He debuted this past week, which is why he's showing up here now, but it sounds like he launched all the way up to #1 on the upcoming chart, with potential to be the next Country song to go viral and spend some time atop the Hot 100!

This song is super simple. It's a classic working man's anthem, with an urban flair! The whole idea of being beat down by life and ready to go out and unwind/party with your friends is a very common theme in country music. I'm not exactly a huge fan of the way that songs like this promote drinking like it's a positive solution when life gets hard... But then a song like this is not intended to be a lyrical masterpiece anyway. This is very much a "vibes" song, and in that goal, this song accomplishes everything it sets out to do and more!

Without a doubt this melody is an earworm that will be super popular for a reason. It sounds practically tailor-made to go viral. I know I won't be getting this out of my head anytime soon! It doesn't have any country instrumentation whatsoever aside from acoustic guitars, which is the only reason it didn't place any higher in my rankings.

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43 kluen zack97

[🌺CountryLineDancer]

The country cover of Blinding Lights is well executed, but it was a surprise entry to the chart. Tebey already has a single being promoted in the top 30 (Hold Your Horses), so this song was getting organic airplays. Tebey has some exposure to other genres (covering Avicii's Wake Me Up with Emerson Drive, writing song for One Direction etc), so he was a fitted figure to release such a cover after all. 

[bboat11]

"Damn Good Day To Leave" - Riley Green

Riley Green had a new song enter the HCS chart this week, called "Worst Way". Sooooo I figured why not hit ctrl+F and just knock out every song of his at once that is sitting on my to-do list right now! I knew he had had a new song debut on country radio recently, so I figured there would be at least a couple to get through. And if you're looking to get through a whole ass to-do list, may as well find unique ways to break it up and have fun with it!

"Damn Good Day To Leave" is said new song to hit country radio recently, entering on the March 30th Airplay chart. And it's a bop! Think "I'm Gonna Miss Her", only less fun and creative. This song does at least have a classic double-entendre hook though! Riley's partner left him, and he thought he'd be sad if she did.....only now that she's gone he realizes he can go fishing without being interrupted, he can do whatever he wants around the house without being criticized, he can watch a John Wayne marathon instead of The Bachelorette, etc. Enter: The Double Entendre hook. She picked a damn good day to leave in the sarcastic sense, like "Oh, you sure picked a fine time to do that..."...but then she also literally chose a damn good day to leave because the sun is shining, the sky is blue, the weather's perfect, and there are so many better things he can be doing than wallowing around missing her. It's literally a good day, so he intends to enjoy it!

This song is catchy, and I love it at the surface level! I also love that Riley Green seems to be so committed to keeping real country music alive. That being said, there is just something slightly missing here. I think it's the fact that, for a song that tries so hard to sound neo-traditional, it barely has any standout neo-trad instruments. It does have electric guitar being used like a slide guitar predominantly featured throughout the entire song, which is definitely pretty cool, but it would have been a perfect opportunity to use a pedal steel instead. Literally everything here is an electric guitar playing a melody or an acoustic guitar strumming the rhythm. There is a banjo buried in the chorus too, which is always nice. But while it all comes together to form an undeniably country package, it's just not very engaging down in its bones. Also, Riley just doesn't have the presence behind the mic to really feel committed to this message. He turns in a good performance, but I can't help but imagine how much energy this song would have had in the hands of someone like Montgomery Gentry, Dierks Bentley, etc.

---

castleoblivion26   taylor is terrified   🌺CountryLineDancer   g8erboi   nuggie99   .indulgecountry    zaclord 🌈   schnetzka   countryfan43 kluen zack97