Clever song-writing, sad boy country and Tupelo heat.
I’ll Take A Pitcher by Elijah Ocean
Oh this is some clever songwriting. ‘I’ll take a pitcher, it’ll last me longer’. This is the first time I’ve come across Elijah Ocean, but it’s a name I’ll be looking out for now, this song is self-written, self-produced and I think I listened to it about six times in a row. A bit of a tropical beachy vibe with plenty of steel and fiddle and some easy-going vocals.
The Great American Bar Scene by Zach Bryan
Lyrically his best so far, sonically just what I was hoping for, and concept-wise - a tale as old as time, or at least as old as the American bar scene. I understand the common Zach criticisms of songs sounding the same, rough around the edges, too many tracks and needs a producer, but I just don’t think he’s aiming to make those adaptations for success. Honestly he doesn’t need to, so why would he? At least for this point in his career, changing up his messy yet poetic style would feel just a little inauthentic.
Drowning by The Red Clay Strays
This feels like quite the step from the romantic breakthrough hit ‘Wondering Why’, it’s a lot closer to the rock side of country-rock, and I think it’s gonna keep going well for The Red Clay Strays (not that it isn’t already). Electric guitars are almost overwhelming, but Brandon Coleman’s vocals are powerful enough to stand out against them. The solo-writing credits for the band’s guitarist Drew Nix just make the lyrics all the more personal and all the more moving.
Hot Rod Pipe Dream by Ashley Monroe
So much fun, perfect summer song! Cool production that has a bit of an early 2000s teen movie feel - and I mean that in a good way.
Tennessee Sunset by Bayker Blankenship
These country sad boys with their gravely voices have been pretty unavoidable since Zach Bryan’s emergence, and that might not be a bad thing? A lot of them can write, but with all of them releasing music as quickly as they are, songs are starting to sound a little same-y, this sweet little song from 18-year old Bayker Blankenship fits into that group. It does have a nice hook with ‘you’re just as pretty as a Tennessee Sunset’ and some cool guitar moments, that’s always a plus with me.
Tupelo Trace by The Deltaz
Coolest release on this list? Definitely. A bluesy, rootsy, harmonica-heavy song that sounds like the relentless heat of summer in Tupelo. This isn’t exactly the kind of stuck-in-your-head big hit, but the sultry four minutes of restrained instrumentation and vocals plant you pretty firmly in that southern night air. “Off in the distance I hear that weepin’ call….I sat and thought about it, I had no home at all.”
