It's been a big few days for artists’ whose names rhyme with “bean”. This week we're keenly trying to glean as much as possible from two far-from-green mainstays in the country scene, Jackson Dean and Jason Aldean. It's album No. Umpteen from hit-making machine Aldean, while Dean is asking ‘What does it all mean?’ as he serenades his queen and colours his third project with a vibrant Magnolia sheen.

Despite their shared assonance, Aldean and Dean's projects vary tremendously, with the former opting down a more mainstream country route, while Dean leans into the Southern Rock and alternative palette he has become synonymous with.

The Holler crew have been listening hard and analysing the latest batch of releases from country's top-tier, to help you determine what to hit play on and what to skip this week.

After listening to this week's new releases, the Holler staff have their say:

Magnolia Sage takes you on a road trip through America. Jackson Dean describes Magnolia Sage as East meeting West, and that’s the journey you travel with him on through the whole album. In a way, that is the story of country music too: English folk carried into Appalachia, bluegrass, the cries of the blues and southern soul, before the sound opens out West into something rockier and tougher, picking up a little Bakersfield edge along the way. If history had a soundtrack, it would be this album. Listen closely and you’ll hear the pedal steel cries, every expansive inch of the sound, and the aches running underneath songs like ‘Blacktop Blues’, ‘Tennessee Moon’, ‘5th of July’ and ‘Dust on a Dirt Road’.

The longing and lonesomeness then comes through in the writing to tie the whole record together. It almost works like a modern-day nod to the old train whistle loneliness of DeFord Bailey that runs through the heart of country music. Dean feeds that same ache into the lyrics, as he confesses that he feels like he's on a long, winding road home, pleading, "Take me back to where I belong" on ‘Blacktop Blues’.

You can feel and hear this pining all over Magnolia Sage, but it never feels sorry for itself; rather, we follow a man grateful for his place, but torn at the price paid for living it.

That is what makes it feel spiritual - huge and cinematic one minute, intimate the next. Jackson makes you feel like you're sitting on the front porch chatting with an old friend; tracks like ‘Make A Liar’ feel new, but instantly familiar in sound and vocally seductive.

The only slight hold-back is ‘Be Your Man’, which leans more mainstream than the rest of the record. It’s catchy, accessible and a strong entry point for new listeners, but long-time Dean listeners will likely gravitate towards the edgier, alt-leaning offerings.

The album finishes with ‘Heart On The Range’, but judging by this striking body of work, it’s not at the range…it’s on the page of every song written on this album.

8.3 / 10

~ Laura Halse

More than twenty years ago, Jason Aldean arrived with the kind of debut that now feels increasingly rare. His 2005 self-titled introduction gave Country Radio the backroad thunder of ‘Hicktown,’ the chart-topping ache of ‘Why,’ and the blue-collar poetry of ‘Amarillo Sky,’ proving he could deliver swagger, heartbreak, and substance in equal measure.

Just as notable was his voice: full-bodied and commanding, coated in a sticky caramel drawl that gave even rough-edged lines a rich melodic pull. The album moved more than a million copies and earned Aldean early industry acclaim, but its real significance ran deeper than numbers. It introduced a star who understood where country music had been and where it was headed, balancing tradition with arena-sized ambition.

Now, every artist’s journey comes with unexpected pitstops along the way, especially when you might be “laid back, swervin’ like I’m George Jones,” as our eventual ‘Dirt Road Anthem’ orator would so gloriously proclaim. The complicated nature of 2023’s Highway Desperado not only created a fork in the road for fans through its politically charged messaging, but also suggested an artist creatively disconnected from the spark that once made his work so impactful.

Songs About Us creates welcome distance from the creative choices of Highway Desperado without compromising Aldean’s point of view, instead widening the lens to include rather than exclude members of his audience. The title-track is a tender, mid-tempo love letter to country music, the kind Aldean cut his teeth on, while celebrating life’s simpler pleasures. Choosing Luke Bryan as a duet partner proves an apt decision, as Bryan sounds more vocally engaged than he has in years, likely energized by Aldean’s own strong performance.

With a Tom Petty-inspired riff, ‘Backroads Of My Memory’ recalls some of Aldean’s strongest early work, as he leads with emotional reflection and wisely declares, “You only get one ride on the river of time.” Similarly, album standout ‘How Far Does A Goodbye Go’ is a masterful, nostalgic ode to love lost, with Aldean’s voice blazing through the foot-tapping chorus with undeniable fire.

Yet even with these high points, Songs About Us suffers from an overabundance of material, much of which fails to rise to a level worthy of Aldean’s known talents.

A leaner tracklist and a sharper commitment to a singular vision would have benefited the collection as a whole. He attempts to breathe life into the dead-on-arrival ‘Don't Tell On Me,’ but the effort is buried beneath heavy-handed, overproduced electric guitar. ‘Good Thing Going’ does little to justify its title, offering a lyrical set that feels assembled from cutting-room-floor scraps. Further, ‘Country Into Rock 'n' Roll’ could have been conceptually intriguing with stronger production choices, but the excessive reverb placed on Aldean’s voice renders him nearly unrecognizable.

In the end, Songs About Us suggests that the Jason Aldean of old is still very much present. With a little more focus and a clearer sense of what he truly wants to say, he seems fully capable of creating work worthy of the catalog of one of country music’s most powerful stars.

6.4 / 10

~ Soda Canter

For more on Jackson Dean, see below: