Somehow, some way, we are over two-thirds into 2024, and there have been a plethora of huge releases throughout the year. From Sturgill Simpson’s return as Johnny Blue Skies in Passage Du Desir, to Zach Top’s buzzy debut album, Cold Beer & Country Music, to Zach Bryan’s fifth studio album, The Great American Bar Scene, there have been serious Album of the Year contenders coming out nearly every month. It should go without saying that this is a subjective list; these are simply my favorite albums released this year. It should also go without saying that this isn’t a definitive…
Author: Brennen Kelly
An unexpected crossover. Tonight during her sold-out show at Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, Tennessee, pop star Tate McRae treated fans to hits such as “greedy,” “run for the hills” and “10:35.” It seemed as if it was going to be a pretty standard concert for the 21-year-old singer. That was until McRae took a break in-between songs to note how much she loves country music, “I, myself, am a huge fan of country music.” At this point, the minds in the crowd were probably racing wondering who could pop up for a performance given that she was in the Mecca…
Despite his comments in 2013 on modern country music, Tom Petty has always had a huge impact on the biggest names we see today. Being referenced in songs from Tim McGraw and Jake Owen to Frankie Ballard and Aaron Watson, the “Free Fallin'” singer has clearly inspired some of the biggest names in the genre over the past decades. If you’re unfamiliar with his comments, in a 2013 Rolling Stone interview, Petty took aim at the modern state of country music at the time, noting that he felt that country had lost its magic and didn’t think that there would…
Only 34 more days ’till SNF… The NFL season officially kicked off this weekend in Canton, Ohio with the Chicago Bears defeating the Houston Texas 21-17 in the first preseason game of the year on Thursday. The weekend festivities continued with the induction of superstars such as Patrick Willis, Devin Hester, Julius Peppers and Dwight Freeney into the NFL Hall of Fame on Saturday. On Sunday, none other than Carrie Underwood closed out the busy weekend in Canton with a concert at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The 8x Grammy Award-winner played a plethora of hits, including “Undo It,”…
Before Tyler Childers was the indie powerhouse he is today, he was a relatively unknown independent singer/songwriter from Lawrence County, Kentucky. With only one studio album, Bottles and Bibles, under his belt, the release of Purgatory on August 4th, 2017, sent shockwaves through the independent country scene. It’s no stretch to say that Purgatory is a modern-day classic from the Appalachian singer/songwriter. Coming in at 10 tracks and 37 minutes, Purgatory is arguably a perfect record. It traverses plenty of ground in the tight tracklist, containing songs about murder, religion, love, loss and even cocaine. Not a single song, lyric or even note feels wasted throughout the album’s 37-minute runtime. For Childers,…
After four months of anticipation, 49 Winchester is back with their fifth studio album, Leavin’ This Holler. The Virginian band has been on a bit of a hot streak over the past year, most notably opening up for Luke Combs on his world tour last year, and the release of Leavin’ This Holler seems to continue their well-deserved success. The tight 10-track album is already receiving plenty of critical praise across the internet, with most noting frontman Issac Blaine Gibson’s songwriting and how successful the band’s patented blend of country and rock is throughout the record. Obviously, the praise is…