6 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Zach Top, Austin Snell, HARDY, Anne Wilson & More
Check out all of these and more in Billboard's roundup of some of the best country, bluegrass and/or Americana songs of the week below.
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Zach Top, 'South of Sanity'
Top continues establishing himself as a premier purveyor of neo-traditional country as he gears up for his sophomore country set, Ain't in It for My Health, to release later this month. Swaths of piano and pedal steel underpin this rich ballad, as Top details the devastating toll that chasing the life of a performer can take on a relationship. 'She says she loves me on the phone as she cries/ And wishes I'd come home to stay,' he sings on this 1980s country-leaning track, which he wrote with Mark Nesler and writer-producer Carson Chamberlain and in the process, adds to his already top-shelf catalog of songs.
Austin Snell, 'Family Tree'
Snell delivers an unflinching meditation on generational trauma on his new song. 'How much of it is in my veins/ How much of it is up to me?' he ponders, asking a stark question of just how much familial struggles such as alcoholism weave through bloodlines, and how much one's self-determination changes that trajectory. This clear-eyed but hopeful track is one of Snell's most captivating to date, one that declares history doesn't have to dictate one's destiny.
Anna Vaus & Madison Hughes, 'Scenic Route'
Tender, flowery guitars, keyboards and percussion, elevate this dreamy solo write from Vaus, who together with Madison Hughes turns in dusky, warm harmonies. 'I used to believe there was such a thing as a wrong/ 'Cause I'd taken so many,' she sings, but ultimately realizes that even when life unspools in a direction that departs from hopeful plans, there's wisdom in appreciating the unexpected beauty of the journey.
Anne Wilson, (EP)
Wilson continues her hybrid country/Contemporary Christian sound on her latest EP, the four-track God Story. The songs continue several lyrical themes she's become known for; from turning trials and triumphs into an interlocking testimony ('God Story') and paying tribute to her late brother Jacob ('Twenty Three'). The EP's standout is the jangly, country-rocker 'The Devil Is Too,' which evolves into a jamband feel, with handclaps, swaths of acoustic guitar and mandolin, and a sing-a-long vocal chorus as Wilson leans into her rich soulful country tones.
Wyatt Ellis feat. Trey Hensley and Michael Cleveland, 'Country Boy Rock n' Roll'
Sixteen-year-old bluegrass prodigy, vocalist/songwriter and mandolin player Wyatt Ellis, possesses a musical acumen and knowledge of of musicians twice his age. Here, he teams with bluegrass stalwarts Trey Hensley (guitar/vocals) and Michael Cleveland (fiddle) for a reimagined version of this 1956 song from acclaimed bluegrass/country duo Reno and Smiley (which Marty Stuart also covered in 2010). Slabs of fierce fiddle, precise mandolin picking and rich harmonies envelop this tale of a country boy, used to a life filled with fields of corn and cotton, who trades life in the fields for life on the road thanks to his newfound love of rock 'n' roll.
HARDY, 'Bottomland'
HARDY issues one of his most soulful country songs to date, with this somber, piano-fueled song offering one person's hopes that when the time comes, they are buried in the bottomland pattern of camo they so favored while hunting in the woods. 'Bury me in bottomland, with my grandpa's rifle in my hands,' he sings, with this reflective track serving as a sterling reminder that HARDY isn't just one of country music's premier songsmiths, but he's also capable of delivering soul-stirring, emotionally charged vocal performances.
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