Emily Ann Roberts, Willow Avalon & Kygo and Carter Faith: This Week’s Country Singles Reviewed

Let’s address the elephant in the room early: yes, we’ve reviewed the Kygo track, and yes, you’re probably going to hate us for it. Sorry in advance.

Moving on - Emily Ann Roberts reminds us what good country songwriting sounds like, Willow Avalon returns with Jason Isbell in tow (wild), and Carter Faith finds herself in one of the more unexpected collaborations of the week.

It’s a mixed bag. We stand by all of it (mostly).

"My Future" by Emily Ann Roberts

Wait…did we just fall in love? With Emily Ann Roberts’ new song? Why yes, I think we did.

With it's Sabrina Carpenter style flirty intro - think "Juno"'s “have you ever tried this one?” - it builds into a sound that encapsulates the fun, dreamy, borderline delusion of such a song.

The chorus possesses the comforting familiarity of a 90s classic - think Shania Twain’s ‘No One Needs To Know’ - while each turn phrase makes us more well versed in Roberts’ inimitable sound. Complete with delicate keys, a well placed fiddle and an undeniable line-dancing beat, ‘My Future’ establishes Roberts as a female at the forefront of neo-traditional country music.

What hits hard on this track is Roberts’ herself. The yeehaw meemaw that we know and love from socials and shows shines bright through the track’s quippy little inlets. Her infectious personality breaks the fourth wall, we’re just listening in on the table next to her.

Rating: 8.7/10

By: Georgette Brookes

‘Thought Twice About Loving You’ by Kenny Whitmire

On her moody 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift proclaimed on the title track, “We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.” It was a sentiment long shared by admirers of the pitch-perfect hitmaker, though rarely expressed with such sweeping clarity.

With that unexpected co-sign, Puth began to channel his remarkable musical instincts outward, using his platform to spotlight emerging talent and share his creative process more openly. One compelling result of that approach is the discovery of Kenny Whitmire and his standout track ‘I Gave Her the Moon,’ a chill-inducing throwback to classic country that recalls the tender ache of Keith Whitley at his finest.

New single ‘Thought Twice About Loving You’ finds the artist firmly rooted in the sounds of country music’s past. “I can’t think of one time I’ve looked into your eyes / And wished it was someone else’s lookin’ back,” he sings over soft, midtempo production that seems to drift alongside his mellifluous vocals.

While leaning into a familiar formula, as he did with ‘I Gave Her the Moon,’ could be seen as a creative limitation for some, Whitmire’s execution is so assured that it instead becomes a strength. The result is a performance that leaves the listener wanting more, with the promise of a full-length project that feels not only deserved, but necessary.

Rating: 7.1/10

By: Soda Canter

'Cardinal Sin' by Willow Avalon (feat. Jason Isbell)

On Cardinal Sin, Avalon and Isbell team up to make a dark, candle-lit confession. Backed by a string quartet and a good helping of guilt, the two Southern artists have voices that blend together into a honey-smooth harmony that captures a feeling of reluctant relief.

As we’ve come to expect, Avalon’s age-old aesthetic proves to be a much needed breath of analog-era charm, and paired with Isbell’s perfected tone, it's a genius mix.

Although Avalon doesn’t need it - and it would be an insult to her impressively original artistry to suggest she does - having the americana hero join her does feel like a wider recognition of Avalon’s talent. Just in this one moment, we can see her presence beginning to cross over into the realm of contemporary American music icons.

It's moody and melodramatic, a promising sign of where Avalon’s next album will take her. However, between the two artists, Cardinal Sin should be a guaranteed heart-shatteringly emotional track. For some reason, it just feels a little underwhelming.

After a meteorically original debut album with ‘Southern Belle, Raisin’ Hell’, the string heavy bridge, repeated chorus and gradually building percussion on Cardinal Sin feels somewhat formulaic. As a single, it falls a bit flat and lacks the kind of devastation a marriage-ending tale should have.

Despite the well-crafted lines not hitting quite as hard as wanted, it’s still an interesting addition to a sparklingly valuable discography - Avalon just sets the bar high.

Rating: 6.8/10

By: DI

'That's When You Know' by Kygo & Carter Faith

‘Meant to Be,’ the blockbuster collaboration between Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line, quickly transcended genre lines to become one of the defining hits of its era, dominating charts worldwide and earning Diamond certification in both the United States and Canada while emerging as the bestselling country song of the 2010s.

In the years since, Nashville has tried to replicate that success, though few collaborations have come close to capturing its lightning-in-a-bottle magic.

Now, the striking new pairing of Kygo and emerging country star Carter Faith on ‘That’s When You Know’ rekindles that spark, echoing the same familiar fire first lit by ‘Meant to Be.’

Fresh off a historic Album of the Year ACM nomination for her debut Cherry Valley, a collection that vividly painted a cinematic landscape to match her finely tuned outlier status, Faith pushes even further here with a country-meets-EDM confection built for the warmer months ahead.

It is a turn few could have predicted. Her dramatic, almost operatic vocals soar across the pulsing beat, anchoring the track with conviction.

As with the wide-ranging instincts she displayed on Cherry Valley, Faith feels most fully realized when she leans into the theatrical. Here, she commits entirely, channeling every ounce of emotion into that precarious space between love found and love lost. Expect to hear this one everywhere in the months ahead, from Broadway bars to late-night clubs in Ibiza.

By: Soda Canter

Rating: 9.5/10

For more new country single reviews, see below: