Kelsea Ballerini has teamed up with Folk-Pop singer/songwriter Noah Kahn (you may know his Top 40 hit “Stick Season”) for a beautiful duet called “Cowboys Cry Too”, which basically addresses “Toxic Masculinity” and serves as a reminder that it’s ok to cry, even if you’re a “tough guy”.
Here’s the lyrics:
“He’s as tough as the tattoos up his right arm
And I’ve talked him down from getting in a fight or two
He stands his ground, he’s as stubborn as the weeds in the backyard
‘Cause growing up, he had to go where the wind blew
He hides his heart and hurt, guess he kinda had to
In a world that says, “Saddle up and be a man”
When the sun goes down and his hazel eyes go blue
That’s when I understand
[Chorus: Kelsea Ballerini]
Cowboys cry too
They may not let ’em fall down in their hometown thinkin’ they still got shit to prove
That well runs deep
But when he’s showin’ his skin, lettin’ mе in, that’s when he’s toughest to mе
I never knew cowboys cry too
[Verse 2: Noah Kahan, Noah Kahan & Kelsea Ballerini]
I grew up wishing I could close off the way my dad did
‘Cause that man never felt a damn thing he didn’t wanna feel
But I’ve burned too many miles tryna ride out all the sadness But you can’t outdrive pain, someday it’s gonna take the wheel
Can’t be alone, but don’t wanna get close to anybody
Don’t wanna bare teeth, but don’t wanna look weak, it’s a tough spot
But I’m afraid you’ll walk away when the tears start runnin’
But I hope not”
Pretty solid lyrics, and I love the subject matter.
Both Kelsea and Noah contributed lyrics, and I have to say, Kelsea is really beginning to impress me as a songwriter, and she just wrapped up her 5th studio album, so we should be hearing something soon.
Miranda just released her new song “Dammit Randy”, and it’s classic Miranda.
It’s the perfect “moving on” song, with a mix of sass and emotion that Miranda is known for:
Love!!!
I actually like this better than her new single “Wranglers”, which came out recently.
Miranda is working on her new album with her new label Republic Records, and it will obviously feature “Wranglers”, “Dammit Randy”, and a collab with Lainey Wilson called “Good Horses” which I cannot WAIT for!
Stay tuned, and in the meantime, stay in the know with Miranda’s music and tour dates at http://MirandaLambert.com
Sorry, Taylor Swift. Your buddy is bringing out the big guns with his upcoming Country album “F-1 Trillion”- not only has he released collabs with Morgan Wallen and Blake Shelton, but now he’s teasing a new track with none other than the badassery that is Chris Stapleton.
He put a small clip of the song on instagram to get us ready:
So far, I am loving what Post Malone is doing. One of the comments on the video is that Post Malone is assembling the “Country Avengers”, and that’s a pretty damn accurate statement.
I’ll be honest, I was skeptical at first when I heard that Post Malone was coming over the Country side. But he’s owning it, and I am realllllly looking forward to “F-1 Trillion” which will be out on August 16th.
Also, he has announced his tour dates following the album’s release, and you can get those at http://PostMalone.com
CMA Fest was held in Nashville earlier this month in Nashville.
Have you been before?
It’s one of the biggest parties in Nashville, to be sure, and is chock full of fantastic performances.
So much so, that ABC has a CMA Fest Special every Summer, and I think this year’s was one of the best.
First off, the hosts, Jelly Roll and Ashley McBryde, did a GREAT job. Usually the hosts can be awkward and stilted, but they both did a great job and kept the show going. And one of the performances that I was looking forward to was Ashley McBryde with Gretchen Wilson. I feel like Ashley could be Gretchen’s younger sister, right?
Of course, they performed Gretchen’s massive hit “Redneck Woman”, and it was awesome:
That needed to happen, right?
Also, there were a LOT of really good performances featured last night, and the “CMA Fest 2024” is now streaming on HULU.
Last night at Wembley Stadium in England was a BIG one- Taylor Swift played another one of her “Eras” Stadium Tour gigs, and it brought everyone from Sir Paul McCartney to Tom Cruise…and Taylor shocked fans when she brought her current boyfriend- Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs- onstage with her as part of the act for her song “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”:
Pretty cool, right?
I mean, you don’t have to be a Swiftie to appreciate it.
Also, Dave Grohl of The Foo Fighters- who just happened to be playing London last night as well- may have taken a shot at Taylor Swift:
Ooooffff… to be fair, Dave has sung Taylor’s praises in the past. So, I’m thinking it’s not as dramatic as the media is making it out to be.
Still, London was clearly the place to be this past weekend… Foo Fighters AND Taylor/Travis?
This past Friday, a musical treat dropped known as “Petty Country”- a Country Music tribute to the late, great Tom Petty.
I’m a big Tom Petty fan, so, naturally, I was pretty jazzed about this.
A few stellar covers by Dierks Bentley, Chris Stapleton, Dolly Parton and Lainey Wilson with Wynonna Judd have already been released. We got the rest of the tracks on Friday with the full album, and here are some of my personal favorites:
First off, you can’t go wrong with george Strait. That’s just a fact of life:
Also, Midland, one of my favorite Country bands did a badass cover of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”:
Or… how about The Eli Young Band covering one of my favorite Tom Petty tunes “Learning to Fly”?:
I have always said that the Eli Young Band has so many musical parallels with Tom Petty’s style, especially with “Even if it Breaks Your Heart”, so it wasn’t a stretch to see them nail one of Petty’s best.
Seriously, it’s a super cool tribute to Tom Petty, and I’m sure he would have heartily approved.
Here’s the full track listing:
“I Should Have Known It” by Chris Stapleton
“Wildflowers” by Thomas Rhett
“Runnin’ Down A Dream” by Luke Combs
“Southern Accents” by Dolly Parton
“Here Comes My Girl” by Justin Moore
“American Girl” by Dierks Bentley
“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by Lady A
“I Forgive It All” by Jamey Johnson
“I Won’t Back Down” by Brothers Osborne
“Refugee” by Wynonna Judd & Lainey Wilson
“Angel Dream No. 2” by Willie Nelson & Lukas Nelson
“Learning To Fly” by Eli Young Band
“Breakdown” by Ryan Hurd feat. Carly Pearce
“Yer So Bad” by Steve Earle
“Ways To Be Wicked” by Margo Price feat. Mike Campbell
“Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Midland
“Free Fallin’” by The Cadillac Three feat. Breland
“I Need To Know” by Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives
“Don’t Come Around Here No More” by Rhiannon Giddens feat. Silkroad Ensemble
Every weekday on her “Kelly Clarkson Show” talk show, she does a segment called “Kellyoke” where she covers another artist’s song, and turns them into her own.
This week, she did a cover of Miranda Lambert’s “Tin Man” – one of Miranda’s best in my opinon- and just completely owned it.
As per usual.
How gorgeous was that? “Tin Man” is one of those songs that no matter where you are at in life, when you hear it, it just stops you in your tracks and makes you want to cry. Truly masterful songwriting, and Kelly definitely did the vocals justice.
Here’s another fantastic cover Kelly did this week of one of Shania Twain’s biggest hits:
Just beautiful.
Can Kelly finally drop an actual Country album, please?
If Beyonce did it, then, hell, Kelly sure deserves to!
Also, I want her to cover Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.”
Post Malone is about to make a big mark on Country Music. Heck, he already has. He and Blake Shelton just dropped the perfect Summer party song called “Pour Me a Drink”, and while not exactly a lyrical masterpiece, it IS super catchy and fun, which is kind of the point.
I have a feeling that will be in heavy rotation on Country Radio this Summer. It reminds me of Mid-2010’s Blake Shelton when he was in his heyday.
Post Malone will release his full-length Country album “F 1 Trillion” on August 16th.
Let’s celebrate with new music from Lainey Wilson, shall we?
Lainey has a new song that she wrote for the upcoming “Twisters” movie soundtrack called “Out of Oklahoma”, and I think it’s one of her best yet:
LOVE IT!
Lainey’s vocals, style, and writing are perfect modern Country, and I am definitely adding this one to my personal playlist.
“Out of Oklahoma” will be featured along with tracks by Luke Combs, Shania Twain, Miranda Lambert, Red Clay Strays and more on the “Twisters” movie soundtrack with comes out the same day as the movie on July 19th.
The soundtrack alone will be worth seeing the movie for!
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