COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

Some songs are written. Others seem to arrive exactly when they’re needed. For Alex Hall, “Keep Livin’” was the latter. Born from an intensely personal moment following an AA meeting, the song captures Hall at one of the most reflective points of his life. More than two years into sobriety, the singer-songwriter has found himself experiencing life, and music, with a new sense of clarity. Hall recently sat down with All Country News to open up about the unexpected way “Keep L

Western gothic rocker Liam St. John has never been afraid to let a little darkness seep into his music, but on his new single “Man I Drew,” he turns that darkness inward. Released through Big Loud Rock, the aching new track finds the Nashville-based, Spokane native confronting one of adulthood’s most uncomfortable questions: What would the kid you used to be think of the person you became? It is a devastating premise, but St. John handles it with the kind of country storytell

Orville Peck has always understood the power of contradiction. Behind the mask, the theatricality and the booming baritone is an artist willing to let loneliness, desire and self-destruction bleed through even his most cinematic moments. On “Already Gone,” the latest preview of his forthcoming album Mule, Peck pushes that tension to its most revealing extreme yet, transforming one of the darkest chapters of his life into a swaggering country singalong. That juxtaposition is e

There’s a difference between an artist who is about to break through and one who already knows she belongs there. On ashley cooke, Ashley Cooke sounds firmly like the latter. Credit: Patrick Tracy Across 15 songs, Cooke turns a whirlwind season of falling in love, overthinking everything, searching for answers and occasionally getting in her own way into her most confident body of work yet. It’s honest without becoming heavy, polished without losing personality and wrapped in

There are songs written to fill a tracklist, and then there are songs that feel like they had to be written. Sheyna Gee’s “Andy’s Song” firmly belongs in the latter category. Written in memory of her late mentor, Andy Zane, the deeply personal track finds Sheyna looking back on the person who helped give her confidence at a pivotal point in her career while simultaneously taking stock of everything that has happened since. The result is a moving piece of traditional country s

There’s something refreshing about an artist whose story can’t be boiled down to one viral moment. Keller Cox has built his career the old-fashioned way: one room, one handshake, one overnight drive and one new fan at a time. Before the bigger stages and bucket-list opening slots came countless nights spent figuring out how to hold a crowd. Before collaborating with friends like The Castellows came the highway miles that turned fellow artists into something closer to family.

There’s something especially satisfying about watching a cheater realize he’s been caught. On her wickedly fun new single, “Does Your Girlfriend Know We Kissed?”, fast-rising country standout Elizabeth Nichols doesn’t waste a second crying over the guy who played her. She doesn’t key his truck, throw his clothes into the street or spiral over what she could have done differently. Instead, she does something much more entertaining: she makes him sweat. And frankly, that’s what

Chase Wright has always had a knack for making country-pop feel big, bright, and built for the open road, and “Rest Of My Life” might be one of his most instantly likable releases yet. Romantic without getting overly sentimental and infectious without trying too hard, the track is country-pop at its finest, the kind of song practically begging for the windows down, the top off, and the volume cranked all the way up. “Rest Of My Life” captures that exhilarating moment when a b

Mason Ramsey is no longer the “yodel kid.” That nickname may always follow him in some capacity, after all, it is tied to the viral moment that first introduced him to millions, but Outlaw in Love makes a convincing case that it no longer defines him. Credit Anthony Wilson Ramsey has grown beyond the novelty, beyond the internet fame and beyond the expectations placed on him as a child. What stands in its place is something far more compelling: a young country artist beginnin

Hudson Westrbook - Made You Look Hudson Westbrook might have just dropped his next No. 1. With “Made You Look,” Westbrook leans all the way into the kind of fast-moving, flirtatious country song built for rolled-down windows, packed bars and a crowd screaming every word back at him. It’s playful without trying too hard, confident without losing its charm, and powered by an energy that feels tailor-made for the stage. Then there’s the fiddle. Calling it the cherry on top almos

Jayson Arendt is proving that there’s no rulebook when it comes to chasing your dreams. Between releasing his heartfelt song “The Same,” taking the stage on American Idol and now combining his passions for music and baseball with the Texas Tailgaters, Arendt has already experienced a career filled with unforgettable moments. Through each opportunity, the rising artist has continued to learn more about himself, both as a musician and entertainer. His latest release, “The Same,

Charlie Worsham has been standing in the middle of country music for years. You just may not have noticed him. Look closely enough and he is everywhere: holding a guitar behind one of Nashville’s biggest stars, slipping into a studio when a song needs something only he can provide, earning writing credits on records by Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs and Dierks Bentley, or quietly becoming the most talented person in a room without ever demanding that the room revolve around him. W

Charlie Worsham - Once Upon A Second Time Around Charlie Worsham has been standing in the middle of country music for years. You just may not have noticed him. Look closely enough and he is everywhere: holding a guitar behind one of Nashville’s biggest stars, slipping into a studio when a song needs something only he can provide, earning writing credits on records by Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs and Dierks Bentley, or quietly becoming the most talented person in a room without e

There comes a point when a talent can no longer be treated like one of Nashville’s best-kept secrets. With Ben Gallaher: Taylor Gold, that moment has officially arrived. Photo Credit Noah Johnson Sometimes the country music business becomes so consumed with chasing moments, trends and algorithms that it forgets what the genre was built upon in the first place: story and sound. Ben Gallaher understands both. More importantly, he possesses a sound entirely his own, one shaped b

There is nothing graceful about the kind of heartbreak at the center of Jason Scott & The High Heat’s “Fast As I Can Crawl.” The breakout country group does not dress the pain up, rush toward a clean resolution or pretend that walking away from the wrong person automatically makes someone stronger. Instead, they sit directly inside the wreckage. The result is a bruised and brutally honest anthem about trying to move forward when simply getting off the floor feels like an acco

There is a particular kind of uncertainty that follows you through your mid-twenties. You are old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway and constantly discovering that growing up rarely happens in a straight line. Photo Courtesy Of Erin Kinsey Erin Kinsey understands that tension intimately on Suede, a confident, emotionally rich debut album that plants her flag firmly among country music’s most compelling new voices. Built on driving guitars, punchy drums and w

Chancey Williams has always understood that country music does not need to overcomplicate the truth. Sometimes the strongest songs are built around the smallest moments: a coat being picked up, a set of keys found on the counter and a goodbye neither person really wants to say. On “If You Lived Here,” Williams takes that familiar end-of-the-night ache and turns it into a tender, plainspoken invitation to build a life together. Photo By Kenzie Holmberg One Line Says It All The

At 18 years old, most artists are still trying to figure out who they are. Tristan Roberson already sounds like he knows exactly where he is going. The Texas-born singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and fast-rising country standout has released his sophomore album, Down For The Ride, a confident 14-track collection that proves his momentum is no accident. Produced by Tre Nagella and written or co-written entirely by Roberson, the record blends the timeless pull of a Texa

Wyatt Flores has never sounded afraid of telling the truth. On Scared of Heights, he finally stops being afraid of where that truth might take him. The Oklahoma singer-songwriter’s new 16-track album is his boldest creative leap yet, a restless, emotionally exposed record that pushes beyond the familiar borders of Red Dirt without abandoning the dust, scars and hard-earned honesty that built his following. Flores still writes like an Okie, sings like every word has been weigh

Stephen Wilson Jr. has never sounded particularly interested in coloring inside country music’s lines. On “Hardwired,” his new collaboration with Miranda Lambert, he does not merely step outside them, he drags them through the mud, wires them to an amplifier and sends a jolt straight through the genre. The result may be the best duet of the year. “Hardwired” is rough, strange, muscular and meticulously constructed, pairing two artists who understand that grit means more when