Anyone listened to HARDY "A ROCK" ? Definitely more on the poppy side of country than I typically like and the song "Where Ya At" is awful but dammit if I don't kinda like this album.
Very excited for this one. Always liked Sturgill songs every now and then but never got deep into his music. His Ryman livestream was fabolous.
Watched Heartworn Highways Revisited today and it just felt like a swing and a miss. Just not much substance to it, felt like just watching a bunch of random YouTube performances. Seeing Justin Townes Earle on there made me really sad.
The new Donovan Woods record is definitely less country-leaning than his last few, but absolutely confirms to me that he's one of the best songwriters around right now.
Vinyl Me Please announced they’re adding a fourth track, along with Essentials, Classics and Hip Hop, with a Country album of the month. starting Feb.
I think so? American Songwriter’s list usually leans pretty hard in that direction, but they didn’t do one last year and I’m not sure whether to expect one this year. I will say, it’s kind of bizarre to me that Ashley McBryde landed that high on both lists. I like that album, but I think it’s a bit of an identity crisis record that doesn’t hold together super well and has 3-5 killer tracks with a bunch of lesser material. Both lists ranking it above Katie Pruitt is something I don’t get at all.
A lot of people hate this guy’s site, but I’ve found he is still pretty useful when it comes to discovering new music in the genre. I highly recommend the Ward Davis and Arlo McKinley albums. Saving Country Music 2020 Album of the Year Nominees
They put theirs out but...it has All Time Low. I also agree McBryde was a bit of a letdown. That awful, putrid last track colors it more than it should, but even still it was a regression
Oof. Talk about a useful idiot. Haha Thanks for pulling some good recs for me so I don't have to give him clicks
Just checked the American Songwriter list. Woof, what happened to their editorial? Lost of albums I like on that list, but the writing was way weaker than what it used to be. Re: Ashley, yeah, that song sucks. I think the title track and “Sparrow” are right up there with the best country songs of the year, and I like “Hang in There Girl,” “Martha Devine,” and “Stone” a fair amount. I could kind of take or leave the rest. By no means is that the best country album of the year, or even on the short list.
It's really a shame. They used to be one of the handful of lists I looked forward to most, right up there with NPR.