This week, “You Look Like You Love Me” hitmaker Ella Langley returns with the lavish album Yet Hungoverwhile Zach Top teams up with Billy Strings to give Top's “Bad Luck” a jam-band fusion. Elsewhere, Megan Moroney gets into the holiday spirit with a new three-song EP, while indie newcomer Belle Frantz and bluegrasser Ashby Frank also deliver new tunes.
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See all this and more at Bulletin boardThe roundup of the best country songs of the week below.
Ella Langley, “Girl You're Taking Home”
Langley plunges into a maelstrom of self-witness, anguish and confusion on this slow-moving ballad, wailing “She's gonna get the version I wanted for you” with a wounded worldliness in her vocal that suggests she's lived through the disappointment in the lyrics. Layers of guitar and restrained percussion, providing an impressive foil for her growling vocal design. “Girl You're Taking Home” is from Langley's deluxe version Still Hungover album.
Megan Moroney, “All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy”
Moroney gets into the holiday spirit with her new three-song EP, which includes not only a cover of the holiday classic 'Blue Christmas', but this unabashedly country, flirty track that finds her crafting a meticulous list of 'high , hot”. , to a Stetson” gift she hopes to see under her tree on Christmas morning. The song's happy '90s country vibe and Moroney's charismatic performance make this song poised to become a worthy, lasting addition to the canon of country holiday classics.
Sam Barber, “A Different Kind of Pain”
Sam Barber hit it big last year with his song “Straight and Narrow” and is back with his massive 28 track debut album. Anxious mind. Within the album is a musical vignette that highlights the moments when one realizes a relationship is fragile and the subsequent decisions made in those moments. “I've been lost before/ But losing you is a different kind of pain,” he sings, backed by piano and guitar. While most of his early songs were sparse and acoustic, “Different Kind of Pain” showcases his musical trajectory, imbued with shots of energy in the chorus thanks to background vocals that churn the guitar and echo.
Zach Top feat. Billy Strings, “Bad Luck”
Classic country advocate Top and bluegrass rocker Strings team up for a revamped rendition of this song from his album Top 2024 Cold Beer & Country Musicas part of a album/apple-music-nashville-sessions-feat-billy-strings/1774793450″ target=”_blank”>Three song EP created for Apple Music. This fusion is based on bubbling instruments and takes off with their silk and sandpaper harmonies, highlighting why each is a master of their craft. The trio of songs also includes a cover of Ricky Skaggs' “Don't Cheat in Our Hometown.”
Belle Frantz, “The Last One to Know”
Covering a Reba McEntire classic is a tall order for any artist, given McEntire's formidable range and instantly recognizable vocal style. But newcomer and Mississippi native Belle Frantz does an admirable job there, covering McEntire's “The Last One to Know” as part of her EP. Why do I sing like that?. The album features Frantz lending her dark voice to a trio of songs that also includes George Jones' “The Grand tour” and Conway Twitty's “Hello Darlin'.” On each, and especially on McEntire's cover, Frantz is in complete command of her vocal instrument, mastering every vocal style and swoop and maximizing every moment of pain. The covers are promising. hopefully some original songs will come soon.
Ashby Frank, “Blue Night”
Bluegrass stalwart Ashby Frank has played this bluegrass standard for years in concert, and now he's recorded his take on “Blue Night,” Kirk McGhee's 1966 song with Bill Monroe recording the song a year later. A whirlwind of dizzying and over-the-top music, Frank's vocals and mandolin are enhanced by Seth Taylor's acoustic guitar, Matt Menefee's banjo and Travis Anderson's bass.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/country/must-hear-new-country-songs-ella-langley-zach-top-ashby-frank-amp-more-1235818080/
