In her new video for “Pretty Shiny Things,” singer-songwriter Kassi Ashton literally faces her vanity — confronting expectations to maintain a perfect appearance on the outside while finding one’s own inner beauty as a source of resistance and power. Penned by Ashton with Emily Landis, the tune’s unsettlingly wistful lyrics …
Read More »Maren Morris Sings With Brandi Carlile, Miranda Lambert at Nashville Show
“I don’t think I know these songs that well, and I wrote them!” said Maren Morris, complementing the audience early in her sold-out performance at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday night. She wasn’t exaggerating by much — the singer-songwriter’s new album Girl came out Friday, March 8th, and the Ryman …
Read More »Hear Steve Earle Cover Guy Clark's 'The Randall Knife'
Steve Earle offers a reverent reading of one of Guy Clark‘s most personal songs, “The Randall Knife.” The latest track off Earle’s upcoming Guy, a tribute album to the late songwriter, “The Randall Knife” tells the complicated relationship between a father and son. A track off Clark’s 1995 LP Dublin …
Read More »'Beautiful Crazy': Luke Combs Earns History-Making Number One Song
“I love country music, man,” said a stunned Luke Combs during his acceptance speech for New Artist of the Year at the 2018 CMA Awards in November. The feeling is clearly mutual: with the ascent of his latest release “Beautiful Crazy” to the Number One spot on the Billboard Country …
Read More »Son Volt Document Touring Life in New 'Devil May Care' Video
Son Volt celebrate the glory in the grind of being working musicians in the new video for “Devil May Care,” which premieres today viaRolling Stone Country.The song is one of the lighter offerings on the band’s upcoming politically charged albumUnion, which will be released on March 29th. Cruising along with …
Read More »See Margo Price Indict Poseurs With 'Cocaine Cowboys' on 'Kimmel'
For her debut appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Margo Price took a star turn with her song “Cocaine Cowboys,” stretching out the All American Made track into a seven-minute jam and taking a seat behind a second drum kit for an extended musical outro. The country-funk track, a staple of …
Read More »Cale Tyson Gets Confessional in New Song 'Red Blooded Fools'
Nashville based singer-songwriter Cale Tyson gets back to basics for the new Narcissist EP, out February 1st. And with the song “Red Blooded Fools,” the spartan set (for which all titles are stylized in lowercase) focuses on contemplation. Written and recorded over a productive three-day period in Tyson’s bedroom, each …
Read More »Tim O'Brien Returns With New Album 'Tim O'Brien Band'
Bluegrass stalwart Tim O’Brien will release a new album in 2019. Nodding to the prevalence of bluegrass bands named for their leader, Tim O’Brien Band(out March 15th) will be its namesake’s first full-length album since 2017’s Where the River Meets the Road. Featuring O’Brien’s touring mates Mike Bub, Shad Cobb, …
Read More »Whitey Shafer, 'All My Ex's Live in Texas' Songwriter, Dead at 84
Whitey Shafer, the songwriter of numerous hits for George Strait, Lefty Frizzell, Moe Bandy and others, died on Saturday following a long illness, family friend Corey Frizzell has confirmed. He was 84. Born Sanger D. Shafer on October 24th, 1934, in Whitney, Texas, Shafer grew up in a gospel-singing family …
Read More »Dan + Shay Sing Passionate 'Speechless' on 'Fallon'
Dan + Shay put an exclamation point on an already big week with their debut appearance onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Tuesday night, performing the multi-week Number One smash “Speechless.” Written by members Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney with Jordan Reynolds and Laura Veltz, the song — from the …
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