First Listen: Waylon Jennings, Carter Faith and the Albums You Need to Hear This Week

Some might like to call this a quiet week as musical titan Taylor Swift releases her lauded The Life of a Showgirl... but we beg to differ.

With a posthumous release from a country legend, a stunning debut from one of the genre's most unique voices and a trio of follow-up efforts from some of fringe country's finest, it’s never really a quiet Best New Country Friday.

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

With Songbird, the authentic spirit of Waylon Jennings has been selflessly shared with us by his son, Shooter. It brings one of our most treasured artists out of history and into the present, from the closed circle of family stories to an open book for the world to read.

Songbird is a passion project from an outlaw in his prime, a treasure trove of tracks pieced together without an ounce of the over-extraction or exploitation that can so often plague a posthumous release. It’s thirty minutes of incomparable quality country music that could've easily been shared and loved as much in Jennings' heyday as today.

Jennings' effortlessly cool bluesy side is revived on the JJ Cale penned ‘I’d Like to Love You Baby,’ whilst ‘I’m Gonna Lay Back With My Woman’ takes it one step further with a smoky guitar solo emblazoned with the classic "WAYLON" stamp we know. Even in its context of heartbreak, as Jennings sings of how he doesn’t have “any more love songs for you”, it feels endearingly misleading with the knowledge that there are another two albums of lost tracks to follow this up.

Closing the album with the folk classic ‘Dink’s Blues’ feels like a perfect choice for a record that is ultimately bringing '70s country back into the modern world. Not only is it keeping Jennings' legacy going, but it’s also keeping that shining beacon of musical tradition and heritage alive.

When we’re all so constantly caught up in the petty whirlwind of what “real country music” is, the Jennings' have stopped that tornado in its tracks. This is peak Waylon and the Waylors, with Shooter recognising just how much life lingered in these lost tracks.

Songbird offers a reminder that the music so many of us found our place in hasn’t gone anywhere, and we’re exceptionally lucky we might get let in on that conversation again.

Rating: 10/10

On Cherry Valley, Carter Faith doesn’t just introduce herself, she bares her soul.

The North Carolina native’s debut album is steeped in ballads, but they aren’t passive or plain; instead, they’re velvet-lined confessionals that showcase both the strength and fragility of her voice. There’s a throughline of honesty here–unfiltered thoughts of what it means to be a girl, a dreamer and a survivor, carried by a sound that blends country roots with a touch of Lana Del Rey’s cinematic haze.

Produced with a soft glow rather than a sharp edge, 'Cherry Valley' thrives in its intimacy. The title track is smooth as silk, a little haunting, like a memory that lingers long after it’s gone. 'Sex, Drugs, and Country Music' finds her channeling a Dolly Parton–esque lilt, playful yet poignant in the way it reshapes country tropes. Elsewhere, singles like 'Bar Star' and 'Betty' lean more radio-ready, evidence that Faith can shift gears without losing her core identity. Then there's 'Six-String,' a ballad that unleashes the full wail in her voice, proof that even in quieter arrangements, she knows how to cut deep.

While the record may lean heavily toward ballads, that’s part of its charm. Cherry Valley isn’t trying to be everything at once, it’s more a focused introduction that reveals an artist with both tenderness and edge in her range. Carter Faith’s debut feels like an open diary, one that sets her apart as an artist unafraid of subtlety, in a world that often rewards noise.

Rating: 7.3/10

Born from exchanges with strangers while out on the road, Enjoy The Ride sees the sharp-tongued songsmith committing a year’s worth of chance encounters to 11 warm and wise tracks. What results is a wonderfully encouraging companion for navigating this mortal coil.

For just half an hour, smart quips, quick rhymes and gentle lessons flash by like friendly faces in a crowd, soothing the weary soul and rallying the downtrodden against a soundscape of joyous country-folk. Songs like the exuberant title track and the plucky ‘Average American’ play more like hopeful poetry for everyday people, with whispered offerings like ‘Simple Little Life’ and ‘As Good As It Gets’ soundtracking our best laid plans or our attempts to simply make it to another day.

Enjoy The Ride doesn’t ask for much, the collection effortless and easy-on-the-ears, but what it gives in return is everything. At the end of the day, when the only way out is through, this album acts as a sufficient guide.

Rating: 9/10

Emily Ann Roberts has released seven tracks of golden country music on Memory Lane, her smooth vocals decorated with southern charm as each song shines with her exceptional talent.

Opening with the title track, we’re transported to a honky tonk akin to a 1950s jazz room. It’s easy to imagine a spotlight, microphone and Roberts serenading an enthralled audience. It’s nostalgic, powerful and full of relatable heartache. Stand out tracks include ‘Scratching Out A Living’ for its fun, upbeat line dance worthy energy and the closing ‘Bus To Augusta,’ which is comfortingly reminiscent of Carrie Underwood’s ‘Two Black Cadillacs.’

‘Pretty In Pink’ marks the halfway point on the EP and is possibly the only track that might see a skip, but that's simply due to the company it keeps, as the track doesn’t hold up against the impressive lyrics, stunning vocals or beautiful sentiments of the rest of the project.

After all, Roberts has raised her own bar and she’s a tough act to follow.

Memory Lane puts Roberts on the map as a female artist to watch. Her endearing drawl, clever lyricism and passion for fun, relatable country music makes this EP a repeat-worthy project. In only seven tracks, Roberts wins our hearts with love songs, female empowerment, heartache and a murder ballad. What more could we want?

Rating: 8/10

In the 1928 movie musical My Man, Fanny Brice famously sang 'I’d Rather Be Blue (Than Happy with Somebody Else),' a lovelorn song that played to the star’s technical strengths—but even more so showed why Brice remains a treasured icon almost 100 years later.

As she playfully coos, “I'm crazy about ya, without ya / For you, I'm strong,” Brice effortlessly embodies the lustful longing, indecision and silliness of love without ever sacrificing the sonic quality of her delivery—a feat less the result of rigorous training and more a gift from the cosmos.

Brennen Leigh’s latest album, Don’t You Ever Give Up On Love, recalls this kind of otherworldly talent as she once again adds a collection to her discography that warmly celebrates tradition with exemplary craft and her signature two-step pizzazz. The spunky title track calls to mind classic Texas Ruby and Curly Fox cuts—charming as well as instructive in their reflections on the universal pursuit of happiness—with Leigh’s knowing, but hopeful vocal delivery honoring the bittersweet trials and tribulations we all face.

It’s on the hilariously candid 'Dumpster Diving' that Leigh adds to the holy he-done-me-wrong ledger of Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, delivering each line with sharp humor and a flair for exacting revenge. Similarly, on the diaristic 'How’s the Getting Over Me Going,' she playfully questions the possibilities of love gone wrong over a nostalgic, lingering Western swing beat. Her softened tone, laced with hopeful inflections, plucks each petal of a he-loves-me, he-loves-me-not daisy with delicate precision.

From her floor-shaking 2023 breakthrough, Ain’t Through Honky Tonkin’ Yet, to her masterful work alongside the Wonder Women of Country, it was hard to imagine where Leigh’s journey might take her next. Don’t You Ever Give Up On Love superbly answers that question—and cements her status as one of the most multifaceted country artists of her generation.

As Charley Crockett once exclaimed, “Brennen can outplay, out-sing, and out-write just about anybody.” We couldn’t agree more.

Rating: 9/10

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For more on this week's artists, see below: