October was another fantastic month for country music. With album releases from Riley Green, Wyatt Flores and Jelly Roll, deluxe albums from Cody Johnson and Megan Moroney and incredible singles from Colby Acuff, Dylan Gosett and Ella Langley, the month did not disappoint. It should go without saying that it’s nearly impossible to narrow down the entire month to only 23 songs, but that’s the problem when so many great songs are released each and every month – some aren’t going to make it. Here are our picks for the best songs released in October – in no particular order.…
Author: Brennen Kelly
Luke Combs’ cover of “Fast Car” was undoubtedly one of the most surprising and successful songs of 2023. Netting a #1 and #2 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs and 100 charts respectively, scoring a Single and Song of the Year award at the ACMs, a Grammy nomination for Best Solo Country Solo Performance and racking up a staggering 642 million streams on Spotify alone, the cover has been nothing short of a smash hit for Combs. Due to the cover’s success, Combs developed a special relationship with Chapman, most notably performing the song with her this past February at…
There’s no doubt that Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood’s duet, “I’m Gonna Love You” has been one of the biggest collaborations in the genre this year. Garnering over 11 million streams on Spotify alone, the track is currently sitting at #13 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Though it seemed like a no-brainer to have Johnson and Underwood together on a track, the “Dirt Cheap” singer revealed on Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen that the song wasn’t an immediate success initially after recording it for the first time. Beginning their discussion on “I’m Gonna Love You,” Johnson explained Underwood’s…
It’s election day, and I’m sure you’ve seen more than a hot take or two from both parties about how downright deplorable the other side of the aisle is at some point this year. While some artists in the genre clearly see past the division, there’s no doubt that there are a few who enjoy feeding the flames of said division between parties. One artist who’s clearly not about that sentiment is none other than Cody Jinks, which shouldn’t be a surprise given that the “Hippies and Cowboys” singer has made a career for himself by purposely going outside of…
Following the mixed reception of The Outsiders, Eric Church had a decision to make: would he double down on the rock-inspired album or go back to his country roots? He instead decided to diverge into a myriad of different sounds including cajun rock, gospel, country and heartland rock which resulted in one of the most poignant, diverse country records of the decade. The story of Mr. Misunderstood’s release is an interesting one. Instead of letting the press, media outlets and critics receive the album first, Church decided to let members of his fan club, aptly titled “The Church Choir” receive the album early. On Nov. 3, 2015, all…
Typically, album rollouts are some of the best times for an artist. With media coverage, TV appearances, listening parties and a general feeling of excitement from fans, they’re undoubtedly one of the biggest moments every year or so. For Kelsea Ballerini, however, it hasn’t quite been the same. Despite the anticipated release of her seventh studio album, PATTERNS, the “Dibs” singer has had her Goldendoodle, Dibs, on her mind. Dibs, who is been alongside Ballerini seemingly everywhere, was recently diagnosed with heart cancer. Back in August, Ballerini broke the news in an Instagram story saying, “The last few days we…