Every week, the Wide Open Country team rounds up our favorite newly released country, folk, bluegrass and Americana songs. Here are six songs we currently have on repeat.
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"Blood," Kaitlin Butts
Kaitlin Butts previews her forthcoming album What Else Can She Do with the heartwrenching new single "Blood." Co-written with Angaleena Presley, the song examines the lingering pain of a dysfunctional relationship.
What Else Can She Do, produced by Oran Thornton and recorded at Nashville's Sound Emporium Studios, is the follow-up to Butts' 2015 release Same Hell, Different Devil.
-- Bobbie Jean Sawyer
"You Asked Me To," Jesse Daniel and Jodi Lyford
Texas-based country purist Jesse Daniel and bandmate Jodi Lyford added their own romantic spin to "You Asked Me To," a Waylon Jennings and Billy Joe Shaver co-write from Jennings' timeless statement of outlaw purpose, 1973's Honky Tonk Heroes.
"Everyone has a 'song'.. A tune that brings them back to the time they met a significant other and fell in love that stays with them through the years," Daniel said in a press release. "People play these songs at weddings, on anniversaries and to even rekindle that old feeling long after the fire is gone. Love songs bring out such pure human emotion in us and that's what makes this song special for Jodi and I. It was one that we just had to record at some point and I'm glad we did."
-- Bobby Moore
"John Wayne," Whiskey Myers
Genre-blending Texans Whiskey Myers paired the announcement of forthcoming album Tornillo (out July 29 via Wiggy Thump Records/Thirty Tigers) with its lead single, "John Wayne."
As we've all come to expect from Whiskey Myers, the new song doesn't neatly fit in a particular stylistic mold. Though its bluesy grit and storytelling depth should draw comparisons to everything from Waylon Jennings to Soundgarden.
"We're going to bend [genre] even more, I think, with this new record," lead singer Cody Cannon told Outsider. "It's all over the place. But that's fun, right? I hate the whole 'Put it in a box. You gotta be this.' ... That's not art to me. I love the idea of just doing, really, whatever you feel. It comes out a certain way because that's just how it comes out. Whiskey Myers never really tried to be a certain way. It's just how we are. So I think that's really the whole thing about music, or the beauty about music; it's just that freedom to create."
-- Bobby Moore
"Over Me," Roman Alexander
Rising country star Roman Alexander's latest single "Over Me" instantly went viral on TikTok after the singer teased a snippet of the song. It gained over one million views in only 24 hours.
"Over Me" showcases the end of a relationship from both parts, stepping back and understanding why it didn't work. "I wrote this song as a letter to my ex because I felt like it gave our relationship and myself some closure," Alexander told HollywoodLife. "In the end, I just wanted her to be happy. And I knew that while I was chasing my dream of being an artist, I couldn't give her what she needed and deserved from me."
Before "Over Me," the singer released "Better In a Car" and "Trying Not To," featuring Alana Springsteen. Last year, the singer-songwriter was named one of Spotify's Hot Country Artists to Watch 2021.
--Silke Jasso
"Last Night Lonely," Jon Pardi
Jon Pardi's new single, following his successful third album Heartache Medication, is a whole lot of fun, packed with fiddle and steel guitar solos. The song was written by Joe Fox, Jimi Bell and Dylan Marlowe, three up-and-coming songwriters inspired by the idea that a night could be the last lonely night for a love interest. Pardi explained to Today's Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen that he thought the song was fun and easy to dance to, which is definitely the case.
"It's kind of like a sweep-you-off-your-feet kind of a song, where we're going to have so much fun, and this might be your last night lonely," Pardi said. "And it's danceable; it's even got a fiddle solo."
-- Courtney Fox
"Us Someday," Thomas Rhett
I'm not only a major Thomas Rhett fan, but I'm also sucker for a good love song. The country star co-wrote this new tune with his father Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure and Amy Wadge. The tune is completely inspired by his real love story with his wife Lauren. He reflects back to when they were just teenagers but he still saw a future with her from the very beginning. The lyrics are moving, emotional and will find you reflecting on your own family and relationships . Though the lyrics are certainly personal for the country star, they could be relatable to anyone.
Couple kids runnin' wild in the backyard / Handprints in a new driveway / Roadtrips in a packed-out old car," Rhett sings. "Little league on a Saturday / You call me a crazy dreamer / But I'm gonna dream away / Close my eyes and I swear I see it / My love, that'll be us someday
-- Courtney Fox
