April 12, 2024 8:32 am GMT
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Maybe it's just because the weather's getting nicer, but we've definitely got a spring in our step this morning! It's probably just because we've got some absolute bangers in our Best New Country playlist this week though.
Fresh from appearing on Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER, this week’s cover star is Tanner Adell. She kicks off our Best New Country playlist this week with ‘Whiskey Blues,’ a song she’s been teasing us with on TikTok and at her live shows recently. A party starting anthem for the broken hearted, it’s another instant classic from the self-styled ‘Funtry’ singer.
It’s a huge week for ERNEST, who releases his new album, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, today. After announcing the album through a viral Nashville mayoral campaign video and hot off the heels of his 2024 ACM Award nominations for New Male Artist of the Year and Artist-Songwriter of the Year, the singer puts out an early contender for album of the year with the 26-track Joey Moi produced project, which pays homage in name, and sonically, to ERNEST's hometown city.
We’ve got three songs from the project in our Best New Country playlist today. The brilliant Lainey Wilson duet, ‘Would If I Could,’ ‘Hangin’ On’ featuring his old buddy Morgan Wallen and an unlikely cover of ‘Creep’ by Radiohead with HARDY.
If you thought that was the weirdest country cover version you were going to hear this week, then maybe check out Zach Willdee and Sierra Ferrell’s take on ABBA’s ‘Take A Chance On Me’ before you decide.
If you didn’t know already, 49 Winchester are back! The band released their brand new single, ‘Yearnin’ For You,’ on what will forever more be celebrated as 49 Winchester Day - April 9th. The single comes with the announcement that their new album, Leavin’ This Holler, is due out on August 2nd via New West Records. The 10-song set was produced by the band and Stewart Myers and features appearances by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, singer-songwriter Maggie Antone, fiddler Philip Bowen, and guitarist Cole Chafin.
“When I wrote this song, I felt like it really encapsulated what it’s like to be a musician, and more specifically that other side of the coin that fans don't see as often,” lead singer and guitarist Isaac Gibson says. “The people you miss so badly, the sacrifice that it takes to forge out a living. I think more importantly it's a love song. It's about reuniting with the one that holds you down, and how great it is to finally be back where you are loved. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Watch the video for ‘Yearnin' For You,’ directed by Thomas Crabtree, below.
Tyler Hubbard takes time out from Kane Brown’s In The Air Tour to release his sophomore Solo Album ‘Strong,’ the follow up to the former Florida Georgia Line singer’s self-titled solo debut last January. Riley Green has put his new 7-track EP, Way Out Here, and we’ve got the stirring ‘Jesus Saves’ in our playlist today.
Another COWBOY CARTER alumni, Shaboozey pays homage to one of the most famous samples of the last two decade (J-Kwon’s 'Tipsy’), in his new single. ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ weaves the original sample into a barn door rattling country classic as he gives us another taste of his forthcoming album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, due out at the end of May.
“Early 2000s Hip-Hop and R&B were such a huge part of my childhood and I had been wanting to flip one for a while into a country song so we did it with 'Tipsy,'" Shaboozey explains. "I love how it turned out because it’s a true blend of genres I love. It’s a song that I wanted people to hear and just wanna have fun and party!“
Texas-based outlaw Paul Cauthen. Big Velvet makes his Anemoia Records/Atlantic Records debut with the new single, ‘Hot Damn,’ and suitably rowdy video to go with it. “Hot Damn” kicks off a new era for the outlaw country powerhouse, the first release of many slated for this year. Produced and written with longtime collaborator Jason Burt (John Mayer, Leon Bridges), the track was recorded in Cauthen’s hometown of Tyler, TX .
“It was an exciting ride making this song and it means so much to me,” says Cauthen. “I’ve been a soldier for the song for a long time. ‘Hot Damn’ is the first off this record that I feel is everything I love in music. You will get a little piece of all my records on this one.”
Emily Nenni reworks Terry Allen’s ‘Amarillo Highway’ into a stomping honky tonker as she drops another cut from her forthcoming New West album, Drive & Cry, due out in May.
My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall is released out into the world today and we’ve got Allison Russell’s version of ‘Many Mansions’ included here. The companion album to Alice Randall's new book My Black Country, which offers a lyrical, introspective, and unforgettable account of her past, her search for the first family of Black country music, and the radical joy in realizing the power of Black influence on American culture.
Featuring contributions from Rhiannon Giddens, Valerie June, Leyla McCalla, Sunny War, Adia Victoria and more, the album is a powerful compilation of Black female country artists recording the greatest songs of Alice's catalogue, bringing colour to the Black characters and portraits of the Black west embedded in her songs. The album is produced by Ebonie Smith (engineer of 'Hamilton', founder and president of Gender Amplified, and the in-house producer for the Atlantic Records studio in New York).
For over four decades, Alice Randall has been a trailblazer on Nashville's Music Row, making her mark as one of the few Black female songwriters in the city. With hits like Trisha Yearwood's ‘XXXs and OOOs,’ Randall has left an indelible mark on the country music landscape. Despite her immense talent and influence, Randall's songs have historically been recorded by artists who do not reflect her own identity. The new album seeks to change that by reclaiming Randall's work and amplifying Black narratives in country music. Each track on the album offers a powerful reclamation of Randall's work and a celebration of Black culture in American music.
"With My Black Country, I aimed to amplify the voices too long overlooked and rewrite history within the country genre,” Alice Randall says. “The remarkable women on this record have breathed new life into my songs, embarking on a journey of rediscovery and redemption. This project isn't just about music; it's about paving the way for a more inclusive future in country music and reclaiming the rightful place of Black artists within the genre."
Elsewhere on this week’s Best New Country playlist we’ve got new ones from Trisha Yearwood, Connie Smith, Craig Campbell, and Tracy Lawrence (what year is it!?!), while Keith Urban teams up with Snoop Dogg on ‘Let It Roll' from The Garfield movie, and Slash and Chris Stapleton get together for ‘Oh Well.’
Plus Zayn Malik has gone country on his new Dave Cobb produced single. It's a weird week in country this week.
Check out this week's new country song releases and listen to the full playlist below:
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1.
Whiskey Blues
Tanner Adell
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2.
Would If I Could (feat. Lainey Wilson)
ERNEST
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3.
Yearnin' For You
49 Winchester
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4.
Park
Tyler Hubbard
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5.
Jesus Saves
Riley Green
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6.
A Bar Song (Tipsy)
Shaboozey
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7.
Forever To Me
Cole Swindell
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8.
Hot Damn
Paul Cauthen
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9.
Amarillo Highway
Emily Nenni
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10.
Many Mansions
Allison Russell
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11.
Losing More
Nicolette & The Nobodies
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12.
Worry 'Bout My Wandering
Max McNown
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13.
Life's Been Good Lately
Julia DiGrazia
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14.
Two Sides Of The Story
Avery Anna
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15.
Time to Love, Time to Kill
Morgan Wade
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16.
I Ain't Crazy
Erin Kinsey
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17.
Go To Bed Sober
Ryan Hurd and Sasha Alex Sloan
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18.
9 Lives (Black Cat)
Koe Wetzel
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19.
Here Again
Matt Koziol
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20.
Cowboy's Life
Jonathan Terrell
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21.
Put It In A Song
Trisha Yearwood
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22.
Once More
Connie Smith
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23.
Fire Works
Jordana Bryant
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24.
The Thing About Fences
Walker County
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25.
Place to Sleep
Arlo McKinley
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26.
Take Me Home (feat. Sugarland)
Little Big Town
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27.
Grand Marquis
Brittany Kennell
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28.
Pure Country
Jade Eagleson
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29.
All The Same
Maggie Rogers
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30.
I Know You Know
Bonny Light Horseman
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31.
C'est La Vie
Jade Bird
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32.
Country Just Like Me
Austin Williams
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33.
Hangin' On (feat. Morgan Wallen)
ERNEST
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34.
Take A Chance On Me
Zack Willdee and Sierre Ferrell
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35.
Let It Roll - From The Garfield Movie
Keith Urban and Snoop Dogg
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36.
Alienated
ZAYN
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37.
Oh Well (feat. Chris Stapleton)
Slash
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38.
Strong (with Brian Wilson)
Glen Campbell
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39.
Good As Gone
Marc Scibilia and Ingrid Andress
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40.
Country Ain't Going Nowhere (feat. Bryan Martin)
Sean Stemaly
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41.
Gulf Of Mexico
Tracy Lawrence
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42.
Road Dirt
Drew Green
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43.
South On Me
Filmore
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44.
Let It Run
Canaan Cox
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45.
Reckless
Callista Clark
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46.
Take It To The Country
Lathan Warlick and Johnny Day
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47.
Bigger Than This Town
Steven Lee Olsen
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48.
Never Got Around To That
Chase Bryant
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49.
Hell in a Handbag
Britnee Kellogg
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50.
I Take Care Of Me Now
Grace Pettis
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51.
My Rifle, My Pony and Me
Jarrod Morris
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52.
Back To Where You Came From
Josh Kerr
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53.
How It's Gonna Go
MaRynn Taylor
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54.
Drunk Since Dallas
Grant Gilbert
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55.
Deadbolt
Will Hoge
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56.
Break It Like A Man
Harper Grace
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57.
Chasing the Moon
Madeline Hawthorne
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58.
Already Free
Ruth Moody
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59.
On The Other Hand
Craig Campbell
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60.
Creep (feat. HARDY)
ERNEST
Items featured on Holler are first selected by our editorial team and then made available to buy. When you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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Written by Jof Owen
