Devils Country Music Thread

[devils1854]

4.

-The last single from California Sunrise is one of my favorites off the album. I love the telecaster at the beginning.

[devils1854]

3.

-Hardy is an enigma. He'll throw 10 bad songs to FGL for their latest album, then he will write thoughtful and fun lyrics for himself. This is the case with Rednecker. Its a song making fun of all these songs that have come out these past few years about how country each singer is. Its a really smart song, and I want more of it from him.

[devils1854]

2.

-I really thought this would be my favorite song of the year, but here it is at #2. Its simple. Its just country. The steel. The fiddle. You dont have to be Hemingway if you can do what this man can do. I couldnt imagine a version of this song being better from anyone else.

[devils1854]

1.

- I was blown away by this song when I first heard it. The detail in the writing. The subject matter is something we hear all the time in country music, but we've never heard it in a perspective like this. The piano. The voice. It sounds too classically put together to be country music. Its too good. The kicker? The song is actually in the top 15 on country radio, and I dont know how, but if country radio is going this direction, I am all for it.

 

[Slinky]

Devils, you ever watch Grady Smith on Youtube? 

[devils1854]

2 hours ago, Slinky said:

Devils, you ever watch Grady Smith on Youtube? 

I like a mix of him and Trigger from Saving Country Music. Grady is too nice, and Trigger is too much of a prick, so watching/reading a little of each balances out things nicely. I found Charles Wesley Godwin and Emily Scott Robinson because of Grady this year, and Ian Noe and the Steel Blossoms from Saving Country Music.

[devils1854]

TOP ALBUMS OF 2020

We are almost ready to get started. Im finishing up Brantley Gilbert tonight, and need to do Zach Bryan and Tanya Tucker and we will be rolling.

Im going to start tonight with albums that I wont have listed in the top albums for one reason or another. This is live albums, remakes, and covers.

 

-Fully Loaded by Shelton should actually be apart of the EP's because this is a greatest hits album with five new songs, basically a EP. The album came out in mid December, so I had already started on my EP list, and I hadn't even gotten to listening yet. God's Country is the big hit, and the best of the new songs. Southern Gothic style music is amazing and we really need more of it in mainstream country. The newness of the sound probably helped it to become such a big hit. The rest of the songs are just ok. There is a duet with Gwen Stefani, and another with Trace Adkins. Neither are really that special. Im not sure any of the songs will be singles. This just seemed like a way to get old music back out in the spotlight for purchase like any greatest hits album.(29/50)

-I know there is a 90s country resurgence going on right now, and I guess Brooks & Dunn wanted to capitalize. Personally, I think that since everyone is listening to 90s country now, young people know who Brooks & Dunn are, or at least know their songs, so I think an album of new material thats duets with country stars would have been a better idea than putting spins on old hits. What do I know? Im not the biggest fan of this album. I know they allowed the guest artist to use their style of music, but some of these are sickening. Brett Young should never be allowed a Brooks & Dunn song again. There were a couple of stand outs on the album. Brand New Man with Luke Combs is my favorite, but I think that might be because Luke's music really sounds like Brooks & Dunn in my opinion. Overall, this is a miss for me.(51/100)

-Another legendary country artist put out a duet album this year. The main difference between this album and the one from Brooks & Dunn is that for the most part, Ronnie stays true to the music of his hits. I think this allows some surprises for the best tracks. Its easy to imagine hearing Dolly sing Smoky Mountain Rain being the best track on the album, and it is. Dolly makes it her own and it really sounds like a Dolly hit song. After that, I was surprised by what I liked. Happy Birthday Baby with Lucy Angel is excellent, as is Lost in the Fifties with Little Big Town and Stranger in My House with Luke Bryan. I listened to this album a good bit throughout the year.(61/100)

-Kelly really has become one of my favorite artists in the past few years with two amazing albums. This year we get Dirt Emo Vol 1. Dirt Emo is how Kelly describes himself. He says he doesnt sing country music. He sings Dirt Emo. In Vol 1, we hear Ruston sing some of his favorite emo songs of the early 2000s along with Taylor Swift's All Too Well, and Weeping Willow from The Carter Family. My favorite on the album is the live version of Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus. In the live version, he really transforms the song in his style, and its still effective as the original. Give All Too Well a listen as well. The song is slowed down and sounds haunting coming out of Ruston's voice.(72/100)

-Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen have been friends and tour mates for well over a decade. Watch This: Live from Dallas is the third collaboration between the two. First was the studion album in 2015. Watch This, a live acoustic album, came in 2016, and now in 2019 we have the live album with a full band. Both Rogers and Bowen are great in concert, and when they are together, they play off each other well. We get a number of hits from each artist on the album, plus songs from their 2015 album.(N/A)

-Live at Gruene Hall from William Clark Green is probably my favorite live album of the decade. Its fun, tight, and not too much talk that takes you out of the music. Since that release, Ive been lucky enough to see William live twice, and he is one of the most fun concerts, and is a really nice dude to have a beer with. Three years later, we get Live at Cheatham Street Warehouse. Now, this isnt a regular William Clark Green show. He brings a fiddle and banjo out and strips down a lot of his songs. We also get a number of deep cuts and songs that we dont usually get in a regular show. The album is a good intro to Green for any new potential fans, and really gives his fans something fresh from the songs that we love.(N/A)

 

 

 

[devils1854]

60.

-Pretty much everyone has summed up this album, so I really dont have to say much. All you need to know is that Zac Brown has gone from calling out Luke Bryan from not being country, to going full blown EDM and pop, and writing some of the worst lyrics known to man. This is from the song God Given. "Gucci bag, stacks on stacks. Diamonds fill up the champagne glass. Veyron whip, G5 high. You have class that they just cant buy." This whole album has absolutely no redeeming qualities.(1/100)

59.

Zac Brown also released a solo pop/edm album, and the only reason its on the list is because Brown is currently still known as a country artist. I have this above the band album slightly because of the song Swayze. Never have I ever heard a song so bad that it will have you laughing at the atrocious lyrics. Its The Room of songs. "Cause I cant be your Tom Cruise, bit**. Im Patrick Swayze. Everytime I get a new bit**, I meet a new bit**." Those are the opening lines of the chorus. No one knows what Zac Brown is doing.(4/100)

58.

-Im not the biggest hickhop fan there is, but its a rapidly growing sub-genre of country music, so I definitely have to touch on one of the godfathers of the movement. It shows just how big Colt Ford is when artists like Jimmie Allen, Michael Ray, Eddie Montgomery, and Mitchell Tenpenny can be heard singing on this new album, We The People. The sound of each song really depends on the artist that is with Ford on the album. It goes from no beats and straight 90s country to hip hop to whatever type of R&B you call Tenpenny at the moment. Most hickhop releases are basically a different form of pop country with the same tired tropes being sung over and over, and its the same here. There really isnt anything that stands out on this album.(11/100)

57.

-Beers to Catch Up On, One Big Country Song, Summer in a Truck, God Thing, Cold Beer Kinda Night. These are just a few of the names of songs on the new release by LoCash. Its cliche after cliche. Not a new thought in eleven songs. Not even a new take on a cliche. Its been three years since a song of theirs hit the top twenty on the charts, and I dont believe that any song from this album is going to change that.(11/100)

56.

-17 Memphis is a duo that I know I probably shouldnt waste my time with because everything they have released recently has been pure pop/hip hop/edm. Just because you wear a cowboy hat and vintage clothes, it doesnt mean you are country. The reason I first noticed the duo was because of Chelsea Todd. Her voice is amazing. She deserves better than this. Unless their music changes into a more country sound like I heard when I first discovered them, I wont be listening.(13/50)

 

 

 

[devils1854]

55.

-This is Pope's first full length album since she released her self titled debut off the momentum of winning The Voice in 2013. Its also her first release of any kind since parting ways with her label.  Ive always really liked Pope's voice. I just dont like any of her choice in music. I just dont think she is a country singer, and I really dont think she wants to be one either. She was just pushed this way while on the singing competition. Her new album Stages is a weak attempt at the current wave of pop country. I applaud her for co-writing seven of the tracks on the album, but there really isnt anything in the eleven songs that I find interesting.(16/100)

54.

-This is the ninth album from Aldean, and it really feels like its a bunch of tracks that weren't good enough for his past couple albums except they are louder on this album. Its the same sound but much worse metaphors, and more of Aldean trying to rap. Just one listen to the first single, We Back, and you knew exactly what the album was going to be. Ive always enjoyed Aldean's uptempo songs, but We Back is just a mess all over. If you liked Burn it Down and Lights Come On, then this is the exact same song. Aldean just seems checked out for the whole album.(19/100)

53.

-Im not female, but the lyrics to the title track Girl seem very weak. For a song that has been heralded for most of 2019, it should do more than just sing the chorus for over two minutes. I could be completely wrong and just not get it, and thats how I feel with this whole album. I dont get it. First of all, this isnt the Maren Morris that came out swinging with My Church. This is the Morris that charted hits on the pop charts with artists like Zedd and Niall Horan between the release of her two major label albums. Im not a fan of Morris's songwriting. I thought her songs were easily the weakest on The Highwomen album, and she co-wrote every song on this album. There isnt a song on the album that I feel is special. I can hear Morris giving it her all in the songs. You can tell she really believes in this album, but ultimately, weak songwriting, and a cornucopia of sounds that dont go together, sink this album.(20/100)

52.

-Before starting this summary, I checked to see how many songs Gilbert wrote on this new album. He co-wrote every song. I was hoping he didnt write much, because I wanted to use that as an argument for how bad this album is. I used to really enjoy Gilbert. When he first started, he had a strong/bada*s, yet vounerable perspective that really hooked me. Saving Amy, Indiana's Angel, Friday Night, A Modern Day Prodigal Son. These were insightful, relatable songs given to us from a guy trying to find his place in the world. Now, we have what I almost consider a hickhop album. He has a duo with Colt Ford and Lukas Nelson. Looped drum beats, and a lot of talk singing accompany the rest of the album. We do get a glimpse though. The title track Fire & Brimstone is a hell of a song. Its 100% a song about faith. Gilbert has Jamey Johnson and Alison Krauss back him on the song, but you can hear the emotion and belief in Gilbert's voice. Its one of the best songs he has ever put out. I want more of that, and if he truly wants to reach that next level in his career, he needs to start releasing more songs like this.(33/100)

51.

-After listening to the second album from Old Dominion, I believe they are turning into the old country band Lonestar. If you remember, Lonestar first came to Nashville from Texas with John Rich and they were boots and hat guys, singing good 90s country music. You know Rich left the band, and not long after, the boots and hats were gone, and they were replaced with fashionable clothes and the music became more adult contemporary. Old Dominion was never boots and hat guys, but Meat and Candy sounded nothing like this album to me. It sounds neutered and safe in a market place that really does reward conformity. It sucks, but take a listen to the track Never Be Sorry. It has this 80s grove to it that is infectious. I would love to hear a 80s sounding concept album from them.(37/100)

 

 

 

Edited January 13, 2020 by devils1854

[devils1854]

50.

-Im listening to this album again. Im trying to figure out just what the difference is in the songs I like on this album, and the ones I dont. The writing is pretty much what you would expect in a SMO album, so its not the difference in quality from song to song. I really cant figure it out. The songs I really like on the album(Boss 2.0, Summer Song) are some of the most fun songs of the year in the genre. There is just a lot more I dont like. Whether is the weak lyrics. The subject matter. Guest artists that I really dont think are that talented is another issue. Its pretty normal for a SMO album.(43/100)

49.

-Made in America is the first release of new music from Lawrence since 2013. The album takes until the fifth song to sound like a Tracy Lawrence album. The four songs before are badly cliched, and just arent clever when they are trying to be clever. It doesnt sound like the Tracy Lawrence I remember. Songs five to eight are much better than the previous. None are hit songs, but they are solid Tracy Lawrence songs. The album ends badly with the last two songs sounding like a Jason Aldean tribute band. I was hoping for a lot better from one of my all time favorites.(45/100)

48.

-I dont think anyone knew what to expect when Florida Georgia Line announced the title to their new album. Are they just making fun of themselves? Or are they really going to give us a country album? What we got was something in the middle. You can hear a steel, a dobro; even a mandolin. I give the guys credit. There are a few good 90s country songs on the album. If they just stopped there. This would have been one of the surprise albums of the year, but of course this is FGL, and they had to be themselves. Women with Jason Derulo is a straight R&B song that you would find on a Derulo album. Talk You Out of It, Swerve, and Sittin Pretty dont belong anywhere on this album. Hardy has his hands all over the writing on the album, and there is a lot of bad that make me question some of his decisions. Weak and shallow lyrics that we hear on each FGL release.(47/100)

47.

-Upchurch released a whole lot of content in 2019. We will see his rock follow up Creeker 2 later on, and he released an album with another artist that I was not able to get to. Parachute is the (mostly)rap album that we got from Upchurch in 2019. Ive said it before, Im not the biggest hickhop fan, but there is a thing about Upchurch. When he is angry, I think he is one of the better hip hop artists in the game, not just in hickhop. There is a little more straight hip hop on this album for my taste, and the songs are pretty much the same as Ive heard from him in previous albums, so that doesnt help the album in the end.(50/100)

46.

-This album was nominate for album of the year by the CMAs. If that doesnt cause you to lose all trust in the organization, then I dont know what will. Rhett is pushing the pop/electronic sound further than Keith Urban ever has. The music is just a mess, just like the last album. I think I said to turn on pop radio and every song you hear influences Rhett some way on the album. Its exactly the same here. There's a lot of 80s sounds on this album, and Id usually like that, but its all accompanied with drum loops. VHS gives any Zac Brown song a run for the worst of the year. It sounds like this should be at the very bottom, but there are a few good things that I enjoyed from Rhett. His duets with Kelsea Ballerini and Jon Pardi are solid, especially the title track with Ballerini. Its a very good, coming of age tune that Ballerini seems to excel at. Rhett co-wrote all sixteen songs on the album, and thats an accomplishment in itself, but I see some growth in him, and I think he could have a very good album sometime in the near future.(50/100)

 

 

 

Edited January 14, 2020 by devils1854

[devils1854]

45.

-I can put on Miss California from the new album, and Im instantly transported to a small devils1854 jamming to that monster debut album. I can put on Not Tonight and hear one of the clever, upbeat love songs that Ive heard a lot of from Rucker since he went solo and country. Imperfect Circle is a Hootie & The Blowfish album. Their sound is undeniable, but its also a Rucker country record, and I honestly dont think there is really much difference in the two. I think there are three songs on the album that has the same message. We should all come together. Change the world. We arent different. Thats the main problem with this album. Its redundant. There are a few truly good songs. If there were eleven Miss California's and Not Tonight's on the album, this would be in the top ten, but those are only two songs out of thirteen.(51/100)

44.

-The East Nashville bank Blank Range is back with their sophomore album in 2019. There are a ton of sounds on this album, but I think the album sounds much more country than I could have ever expected. The song Radio starts, and I swear I think Im listening to Brothers Osborne. I hear a little Dwight Yokam here and there, but this is a East Nashville band. There isnt just one genre. My favorite song on the album is Haunt You. When I first heard it, I was immediately taken to the 90s rock scene and remembering Your Lucky Day in Hell by the Eels. Not to steal from the title, but the song will stay with you and maybe even "Haunt You." We hear a ton of other sounds from the band. Some click. A lot dont. Because of this, the album really does seem like its all over the place, and not a cohesive listen.(56/100)

43.

-I have really been anticipating this new album from this band. Its their first album in five years. I listened to the album over and over. I just knew it would click, and I would love the album. That never came. In fact, the more I listened, the more pissed off I became. I feel like there is no energy at all in the album. I feel like the whole band is just going through the motions. There isnt a single song that I really connect with. A few of the songs are pretty descent, but nothing that will be remembered in a couple of years.(57/100)

42.

-Jake Owen spent over a decade with RCA Nashville. He went to number one a total of six times with the label. It was time for a change. He was getting stale. His music became this beach themed, pop abortion that was starting to tank his career. Big Loud Records came along and Jake promised to go back to the old Jake. There is definitely a lot more steel in the new songs. Homemade, Made for You, and even Down To The Honkytonk are songs that you would find on those first few Owen albums. Its good stuff. Owen didnt completely forget the guy he was at RCA. Duets with Kid Rock and Lele Pons feel completely out of place not only for their sound, but because of the same ol tired metaphors used. There is hope for Jake, but he definitely isnt there yet.(59/100)

41.

-Riley Green is one of the young guys thats trying to push mainstream country music more towards the traditional side. He's a guy Ive really enjoyed for a few years now. I might not be the best person to review the album, because over half of the songs arent new to me. Most of these songs were either on his major label debut EP last year, or they were from his catalogue as a independent artist. I also dont think that he chose the strongest songs from his past for the album. My other major concern with the album is just how much the songs sound like each other. Trucks. Trucks. Beer. Country. More trucks. The songs might be about different subjects, but it seems like every song somehow finds a way to interject those country "buzz words" in them.(59/100)

 

 

Edited January 14, 2020 by devils1854

[devils1854]

40.

-Creeker 2 is Upchurch's follow up to his first rock oriented album Creeker. I got a lot of Aaron Lewis/Staind from the first album. This album is louder and harder at a lot of points, almost grunge like, but there is also some nice country sounds as well. Upchurch's voice has never sounded better. Its a lot clearer, and you can understand the lyrics much better. You also get a little vulnerability from him in the song Nashvegas. Its a big surprise on the album, but its excellent, and probably my favorite track on the album. I do think the first part of the album is much stronger than the back half, and I think thats mainly from the writing. The first half seems more serious, and I think he slipped back into the more superficial Upchurch in the back half.(60/100)

39.

-This album begins with a bang. Bingham gives us a rockabilly sound that really fits his voice and style. Jingle and Go and Pontiac are excellent songs that will get stuck in your head. I even enjoy the fourth track, Lover Girl. Its slow, and repetitive but its a good sound for Bingham. After that, he loses me. I dont like his Bob Dylan style, and I like the political music even less. Its sounds fake, and so does the couple of blues tracks on the album. The album is just all over the place. A full album of the rockabilly sound could have been one of the best of the year.(60/100)

38.

-This is a standard Justin Moore album. You have your patriotic song in The Ones That Didnt Make It Back Home. You have your religious song in Jesus and Jack Daniels, and extra credit for adding drinking in the religious song. He has his party song in Why We Drink. His how country you are song in Small Town Street Cred. Its boring because its the same over and over. I will give him credit for getting away from those electronic beats that experimented with for a few albums. I really like the last track. Good Times Dont is a pretty simple song about small town life but its pretty stripped down for Moore, and its a fun, more classic sounding country song.(61/100)

37.

-2005 was the last time a female vocal group had a song reach the top 10 until Runaway June got there in 2019 with Buy My Own Drinks. Its a fun song that shows off the trio nicely, but like almost all the album, its pretty safe. It sounds like a standard Nashville debut album. I hear the voice of the record label listening to this album. I dont hear the ladies personal perspective or touch. I think if they find their "voice," or if the label allows them to be themselves, we could have a really great female band in mainstream country music.(62/100)

36.

-As a kid, Clay Walker was right there with Garth for my favorite country singer, and I think there were a lot of times that I preferred Clay. He might not have the commercial appeal anymore, but I still hold him high. Ive been lucky enough to see him live a few times as well, and the last time was in 2018, and he debuted a few of the songs from this new album, and I wasnt high on the potential of the album after hearing them. There is a much more adult contemporary feel to this album. It has its country sounds, and some classic Clay Walker, but there is a lot smoother sound, almost like the 60s countrypolitan sound that was much more polished. This album needs some of that red dirt from Texas thrown on it if its going to be titled Long Live the Cowboy.(62/100)

 

 

 

[devils1854]

35.

-Kelleigh Bannen isnt blonde, so she really didnt have a chance in Nashville. She has a honestly in her music that make you think she has been through every situation she is singing about. The song Happy Birthday is about a woman stupidly calling her ex and wishing him a happy birthday because she misses him. Lines like "Like last year I threw you a party, I know you hate surprises, Im sorry. Im sorry," and how you can hear the regret in her voice. Your Favorite Colors is another one like this, and its also about missing an ex. There might be a pattern here. I do think she bit off a little more than she could chew as a independent artist. Fourteen songs is a little much, and the quality isnt there all the way through the album, but there are a few instances of brilliance in it all.(66/100)

34.

-After signing a distribution deal with a Nashville label, Cody Johnson brought his Texas country and huge, huge fan base, CoJo Nation to mainstream country USA. If you were a Johnson fan before the deal, you will be relieved to hear that Cody is still in charge of all his music, he just signed a deal with a Nashville label to distribute it to the masses, so there will be no pop country here. I said or mentioned it a lot in these groupings lately, but the album is safe. Its a thirteen song album(fifteen deluxe version) thats fine. There are solid songs here. I could even see myself listening to the album in the future, but this album wont be remembered five years from now, and I dont think any of the songs are in the upper echelon in the CoJo catalogue.(67/100)

33.

-The record label is going to capitalize on Combs mania. His sophomore album is a hefty seventeen tracks that sure to pump out hit after hit for the next two years. I dont blame them. Luke is the biggest thing to happen to country music since Florida Georgia Line released Cruise. There are some excellent songs, and Combs co-writer, and friend, Ray Fulcher is on his game on writing for the album. I didnt need a duet with Brooks & Dunn on the album to hear how much Combs is starting to sound like prime B&D. There are just too many songs, and quality is hard to keep when you are sending out that much content at once. Take out four or five songs, and you have one of the better albums of the year.(69/100)

32.

-Aaron Watson has been in the music business for twenty years, so to celebrate it, he released a twenty song album. I just said its difficult for anyone to keep consistency with that many songs, and thats definitely the case here. There are some truly great songs on the album. Ghost of Guy Clark starts the album and it throws down who Aaron Watson is. He is going to stay true to himself. He is going to play his country music and not sell out to some nameless company. Country Radio is a classic, fiddle heavy love song to his parents and old country music. What do you think of when you hear the city Amarillo? George Strait? Am I Amarillo is basically a love letter to George Strait. This could have been a hit song for King George in the 80s. There's also a lot of songs here, mostly the uptempo ones, that arent the quality that you usually hear from Watson. I applaud Aaron for doing this. Its a cool way to celebrate your career, but it misses being a great album.(69/100)

31.

-No record label. No manager. No publicist. Who is Zach Bryan? He is active military. He is also a talented singer and songwriter that got a little attention from people on youtube, so he was able to record a full album of his songs. Without any press, it has become one of the biggest albums in Texas in 2019. This has all been from word of mouth. He has two songs from the album that have over a million views. Thats unheard of for someone like this. Once you listen to Zach, you understand. He has a strong, passionate voice that instantly draws you in. Many say that his voice and song writing sound similar to Tyler Childers, and Bryan even name drops Childers in the opening track. Its not necessarily a bad thing to be compared to one of the biggest artists in independent country music. He should be able to find his voice more as he gets more experienced and gets some talented people around him. The album is him and his guitar, and the songs do sound the same and the songs tend to run together a bit because of this. This dude is talented though and he now has Dave Cobb helping him out. Really big things are coming for Zach Bryan.(70/100)

 

 

[devils1854]

30.

-Hayes is very musically gifted, even if his music really does strain the country boundaries. Wild Blue, Part 1 is his first album in four years, and his first with a new label. Its a concept album. Every song, but one, one the album deals with pain and heartbreak. I didnt know how I would feel about this album, but I listened to his first single Dear God, and I was instantly intrigued. Dear God is basically someone praying to their higher power, and asking them if they ever make mistakes. I can hear the anger in Hayes voice. I forget that Hayes is 28 years old. I forget this isnt the kid that broke into country music almost a decade ago. He has become a talented writer and artist. I dont like a lot of the pop sounds on the album, but the authenticity is there.(70/100)

29.

-I wouldnt quite call this a concept album, but make no mistake, everything about Seneca is rooted in West Virginia. From Coal Country to Seneca Creek, Godwin shows you his world. Its very personal. Godwin's voice is haunting, almost gothic like, as he describes the people of his region. The first half of the album is definitely much stronger than the back half. I think that part of the problem is that a lot of the songs sound the same, so its easy for them to start running together. This is still a very solid debut from a guy that we will likely hear a lot of in this new decade.(70/100)

28.

-Even if they arent as authentic as they and their record label want you to think, Midland still puts out a style of country music that brings you back to the 70s, 80s, and 90s of country music, and sometimes that is enough. A lot of credit has to go to the producers of this album. So many times we see Music Row albums overproduced. Its too loud. You cant differentiate the different instruments because of the loudness or through a number of other factors. This album breathes. The music is a big part of the setting and the story telling. The one issue, and its the main reason its at #28 and not higher, is that it doesnt sound authentic. It sounds like these guys are singing other people's songs. There's no emotion, and to me, thats always been the main problem with a band put together like Midland.(70/100)

27.

-At 19 years old, Kolby Cooper gave us his first full length album in 2019. Much like fellow Texas artist Koe Wetzel, Kolby has no problems using the electric guitar to ramp things up in his music, but Kolby still keeps his music true to the genre and him home state of Texas. There is a lot of cynicism in this album, especially from someone who has only been on this earth for 19 years. Diamond Rings & Cocaine is about a love gone wrong, and comparing getting married to cocaine. You are gonna end up regretting both in the end. The first five songs on the album are all about heart break, and more follow. The song Tom Petty is really a love song to the deceased artist wrapped up in a former love that he is remembering. Its expertly crafted, and will just put a smile on your face if you are a fan of Tom Petty.(71/100)

26.

-After hearing the songs on Hardy's EP this year, then listening to the new FGL album, then finally hearing this album by Hardy, one thing is clear to me. Hardy keeps the good songs for himself. Much like his 2019 hit Rednecker, this album is full of the themes that you hear on the radio. How country people are. Partying in a field. All that stuff that is almost played out. I say almost because Hardy just has that way of turning a phrase that makes these tired old concepts seem new. The other major reason this album is as high as it is, Hardy is getting artists like Thomas Rhett, Dustin Lynch, and Keith Urban and making them sound fresh. Dustin Lynch sounds energized on his one verse. Its the best thing he's put out since his debut album. Not every song hits, and the redundancy does bog you down a little, but its still worth the listen.(71/100)

 

 

 

Edited January 18, 2020 by devils1854

[devils1854]

25.

-The album cover for Hail Mary looks like a movie poster, and its fitting. The album feels like a movie. Every song has its own sound and story to it. The album sounds amazing. Shane Smith is known as a red dirt artist, but this album is much more Appalachian than the southwest. The fourth song Parliament Smoke doesn't just sound Appalachian. Its takes the next step, and is Celtic. It truly is a fascinating album. The constant sound changes do make for a disjointed listen, and some songs are clearly inferior to its counterparts. Still, this is a album that should be heard.(72/100)

24.

-What It Is is a return of sorts for Hayes Carll. His 2016 release of Lovers and Leavers was a much more somber, singer-songwriter album. This new album has the honky-tonkin Carll that made him one of the biggest Americana artists in the genre. There's also a whimsical side to Carll on this album that reminds me of John Prine that you hear on songs like Things You Don't Wanna Know. I like music as an escape, so if you are going to have any kind of message in your music, I really prefer it to be subtle. Well, Hayes hits you over the head with his political message at the end of the album on Fragile Men and Wild Pointy Finger. Those two songs really bring the end of the album to a halt.(73/100)

23.

-Ive always been a fan of the Randy Rogers Band. Ive seen them live a couple times, and they kill it. Ive never been a huge fan of their albums as a whole until their last release, Nothing Shines Like Neon, in 2016. I feel that the band doesn't change tempos and sounds on their albums too often, and the result is a album that has that same sound all the way through. This is not the case on Hellbent. We still get the mid tempo, and slow ballads that Randy is great at singing, but we also get a fun, uptempo sound on I'll Never Get over You, Comal County Line, and Fire in the Hole that give some change to the album that is much needed because Randy will go through your feelings on a slow song. Wine in a Coffee Cup is the best song on the album, and the best example of this. Its a song about how a woman uses alcohol as a crutch throughout the day so she doesn't have to feel. You need a lot of tact to be able to sing a song like this and get the message over without being preachy or judgemental, but its effortless in Randy's hands.(74/100)

22.

-It has been nineteen years since Tucker released a album of new material, and she is back with a bang. Tucker was definitely smart in bringing in Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings to produce the album. Tanya has always been someone that does things her own way, and having someone like Shooter helps to give this album attitude. Carlile gives this album the singer songwriter feel that lets the words of the songs be what draws you in and keeps you listening. Its a great balance that Tanya found. Tucker knows her age. This album is really about a woman looking back at her incredible life, and not being scared about the future. I do feel that a couple of songs are a little cliche and don't fit the album, and Im not a fan of her version of The House That Built Me, but its still a very solid album that could be the favorite to sweep the country awards at the Grammy's.(75/100)

21.

-Life is hard. There are a lot of ups. There are probably a lot more downs than ups for most people. The album Between the Country is a album about people that are down on their luck. It tells of their heartache. It tells of their addictions. It tells of their deaths. Its a somber album, but if you listen, you hear hope. Its a strange thing. Credit to Noe and his writing abilities. It all goes back to faith. I dont know if Noe is a religious person or not, but the characters in his songs seem to have faith in a power, and even though things are rough, there is a reward waiting at the end. It makes for good and fascinating music. I do not like how Noe sounds like Bob Dylan. I dont know if he is trying to do it, or if thats his natural sound, but it distracts me.(75/100)