While it seems a little cheap to rely on Taylor Swift to truly seize a comeback hit after "Still The Same" didn't exactly live up to the hype, at least this is a pretty decent song ... even if it has so much going against it. 

The song starts with a loud clapping beat, and considering the acoustic riff that accompanies it isn't all that exciting, it's fair to call the production fairly stale, which is why I didn't really care for "Still The Same." 

Another knock to make is in the writing, mainly because it's a pretty plain kiss-off song that we've heard from Swift before. It's fine I guess, but there's not really a story as to what the ex-lover in question actually did that was so wrong. It seems like I repeat myself with this time and time again, but fleshing out the story always helps to add more meat to a song. 

On top of that, Swift doesn't really contribute a whole lot of anything to the track other than singing "this is the last time" a bunch of times. I think even Kristian Bush got as much time as she did. Plus, the hook is fairly unmemorable, as the lover in question could be "babe," "honey," "bunky," "sugarmuffin," or in this case, likely something far worse. 

With all of these criticisms, I can't understand for the life of me why I don't think this is so bad. Honestly, it just might come down to Nettles herself. While the production is stale, it also stays out of the way to let her work her vocal magic and deliver a dynamite performance, and the chorus is fairly catchy as well even if it's lacking lyrically. 

Overall, "Babe" is an enjoyable, but ultimately lacking song that only fully utilizes one of the three artists involved with this. Still, it works in spite of its flaws, so if you're curious, it's worth a listen. 

Grade: B-
Listen: "Babe"

Author: Zackary Kephart

Roughly one month ago, Bobby Bones made the idiotic claim that artists need to continue feeding us new material continuously to satiate fans instead of taking the time to perfect their art.  

Carrie Underwood on the other hand is one of the few artists willing to debunk that theory, with others including Eric Church and ... wow, that might be it. Say what you will about her music whether you like it or not, but Underwood makes her fans miss her and wonder where she's been. Of course, that's not to say it's totally positive. You can also have media hounds wanting to see pictures of her face after her fall to see what she looks like now instead of how she actually is, but that's in the past. 

I bring up that last part to show how it could have potentially helped frame "Cry Pretty," because instead of a story song this time around, Underwood delivered a shockingly personal, vulnerable tune. 

For the most part (at least at the beginning), this song is mostly restrained, making me wonder about the claims that Underwood went full on Pop or some other asanine statement like that. I mean, a happy Pop-Country balance has always been her cup of tea, but I digress. There's some electric guitar strumming, some faint pedal steel that kicks in a little ways in as well as a drum-like effect that sounds like someone hitting a can. In honesty, it doesn't fit well with the song, and if the first two elements had been what remained, it would have sounded a little better. 

Once the chorus kicks in, it enters a comfortable ballad territory for Underwood, the electric guitars kick it up a notch, with the pedal steel remaining to help carry the more vulnerable nature of the track. With the exception of a well-done guitar solo, this fits comfortably not only in the current Country landscape, but also well within Underwood's discography. 

Because this is a more vulnerable track as well, Underwood mostly handles herself very well vocally. She has a tendency on other songs to start belting, and while that talent is admirable, she shows that she's best when she's quieter and exposed like this. 

Lyrically, we also explore a more defenseless side of Underwood, one where she admits that she's a human who has emotions like the rest of us. You can lie and smile to fake when you're down, but when you're alone crying, that's when the dam breaks, and more importantly, that's alright for everyone to do. 

I do wish the lyrics had a little more meat to them. The message is received, but with only two verses (one of which is considerably short), the song doesn't quite take off the way it should, with the hook ultimately being a tad unmemorable. Even after the first verse, we turn the attention away from Underwood and onto advice for anyone going through these emotions, and again, I just wish it pushed itself a little to explore those emotions on a deeper level. 

Despite that though, in terms of every other area, this is a top-notch single from Underwood, displaying great production and a vocal performance that's excellent. This shouldn't be touted as a "comeback" considering Underwood simply hasn't released music in three years (which isn't THAT long), but hey, if it's ultimately giving more attention to a good song, I'll take it. 

Grade: B+
​Listen: "Cry Pretty"

Author: Zackary Kephart

Kenny Chesney really shouldn't be allowed to speak on the "real" issues, because everytime he does, he ends up saying nothing at all really. 

To be fair, Chesney has proved in the past that he can handle serious material with ease. Songs like "Don't Blink" and "There Goes My Life" are some of the finest Country songs of that decade. However, ever since 2016 or so, Chesney has felt this urge to "say something" with his music, beginning with "Noise" which wanted to tackle our obsession with technology. Instead, in an attempt to prove how we get lost in this metaphorical noise of nothingness, Chesney just made a loud, obnoxious tune that didn't say anything. 

This time around, Chesney still doesn't say anything profound, but at least it sounds nice ... I guess. In the age of identity politics dividing us from one another, Chesney wants to all "get along" on his new single. While he isn't obnoxiously accusatory like he was on "Rich and Miserable," Chesney still fails to really dig at the heart of his message. He presents two verses that offer nothing coherently relevant to his overall point. Verse one presents a man holding a bible and a bottle promoting happiness, but having an optimist attitude isn't going to make all the problems in the world go away. In the other verse, Chesney examines a model and ponders her backstory, but wait, is the point to make better life decisions, or is it about getting along? 

The chorus offers no resolution. It's the same list style that Chesney adopts on all of his more "serious" songs as of late, telling us to learn to dance, call our moms, and oh! Make sure you buy a boat too. That'll solve our grouchiness. Dude, even Chris freakin' Janson can't buy his own boat, so don't be preaching to me about what we need to do to love one another. Maybe my criticism of this track isn't helping the "love" necessarily, but I'm doing just as good of a job as you are. Don't get me wrong, I agree with the sentiment, but again, it presents the usual problem with Chesney's material as of late - it's scattershot. 

At least this time around the instrumental and production mix fits the song in a good way. The gentle, warm acoustics give off a friendly vibe, and the banjo that kicks in during the chorus definitely helps this song's catchiness. Even though Chesney can't make me care from his lyricism or his vocal delivery, this is at least a better part of the track. 

Overall though, it's an ultimate miss for Chesney. I have no problem with Chesney wanting the world to be a better place. As evidenced on this song as well as his latest single with David Lee Murphy however, he offers very little substance to his messages. I can tell you that we're all going to win the lottery tomorrow, but it doesn't mean it's going to happen. 

Grade: D+
Listen: "Get Along"

Author: ​Zackary Kephart

*Sigh* ... I had a feeling this might happen. 

I liked Russell Dickerson's debut single, "Yours", probably more than most. In fact, it grew on me more throughout the year. Call it a gut feeling or something else though, but I had a feeling he might be a one trick pony with that song. Hearing his debut album confirmed that (I didn't cover it, but it wouldn't have been pretty), and while his latest single, "Blue Tacoma" isn't the worst offender in his catalog, it still has its fair share of problems. 

Sure, the song dances around typical bro-cliches at times by drinking a different type of beer, name-dropping Shania Twain over Hank Jr., and driving during the daytime instead of the nighttime, but it's still a pretty faceless tune overall. There are too many songs adopting this same theme right now, and unfortunately while it tries to go for different details, it's still lacking in overall depth. 

Then again, a lack of lyrical depth can be excused provided that everything else is good, and unfortunately it's not. The production on this song is terrible, with the loud drum machine pushed way too far to the front of the mix completely swallowing the tune. Yeah, the atmospheric banjo is nice and all, but it's so buried that it feels simply tacked on rather than essential to the song. 

Dickerson is a better vocalist than he'll get credit for, with a surprisingly good range and likable personality, however it's hard to really get excited for a song about nothing at the end of the day. 

Grade: C
Listen: "Blue Tacoma" 

Author: Zackary Kephart

Kelsea Ballerini's "I Hate Love Songs" presents a fascinating, unique problem - a song that sounds confusing and grating in the context of the album it's in sounds great as a standalone song. 

If anything, it might even just prove that albums are never just collections of singles no matter how hard they try. While "I Hate Love Songs" is literally sandwiched in between love songs on Unapolgetically, on its own it's better than I gave it credit for. 

I'm not a huge fan of the waltz craze in Country music right now, mostly because most of the songs adopting it are schmaltzy or bad for some other reason. With this song, the waltz beat has a very relaxing, retro atmosphere to it, creating something that excellently matches the lyrical content. 

Speaking of lyrical content, this song is clever and humorous in the way that it debunks romantic cliches. What I like is that she's so specific about the love-related things she dislikes, and lines like "you'd die if your heart really skipped a beat" or "we were drunk when we met, so we don't know our anniversary" are witty, charming, and overall funny. Despite these cliches though, she loves her significant other because of other elements beyond those cliches, and while this song could have afforded to go more in depth about why she DOES love him (it's the Eric Paslay "Song About A Girl" syndrome, only here the chorus really underwhelms), this is solid nonetheless. 

I won't say that Ballerini is really exuding as much personality on this track as she usually does (the jokes can fly right by you if you're not careful), but she's able to keep a steady flow regardless. 

Overall, this is a solid offering from Kelsea Ballerini that's very witty and tasteful. 

Grade: B
Listen: "I Hate Love Songs"

Author: Zackary Kephart

While I have my doubts that this song will be a comeback hit for Miranda Lambert, I enjoy the fact that she doesn't care about that anyway. 

"Keeper Of The Flame" will not be for everyone, but it's a solid song that shows Miranda Lambert continue to be the artist she wants to be. A song about carrying the torch for the legends who've influenced you and influencing other artists is a song Country music surely needs right now. However, I'm not even sure it's really about that. Lambert isn't really saying that she alone is carrying that torch. Instead, she's essentially saying that she's her own artist, and she hopes to be an example to younger artists looking to follow their dreams. Basically, that flame is about staying true to who you are. 

The song has a very atmospheric, soft-rock vibe to it with the smoother electric guitar, and by the time we reach the chorus, it has this large, anthemic swell to it that helps to reinforce the message. While I think Lambert is holding back a bit vocally, especially on the verses, this song is truly something I think she needed to release. 

Grade: B+
Listen: "Keeper Of The Flame"

Author: Zackary Kephart

If this song proves anything, it's that an artist can have a song that mention a party atmosphere AND include some depth, contrary to belief. 

Granted, it's hard to flag down a lot of information about Travis Denning, but like many songwriters as of late, Denning has finally moved away from writing album cuts (he helped to write songs on the latest albums from Jason Aldean and Justin Moore) to releasing his own music to the world. The result is a song that's very easy to like. 

The song's biggest selling point is its lyrical content. While receiving a fake I.D. to essentially drink yourself silly sounds par for the course on a mainstream country song (especially if we hop back in time to 2014), the focus isn't really about that. While the song does gloat about being able to drink and smoke illegally, the focus is more about being an adult and actually getting to experience something you've never experience before. The song also takes the time to focus on the man that Denning is impersonating, and it's a nice touch to have Denning be so obsessed with reading over the card to figure out who this man is. Honestly though, they could have done a better job than describing Mr. Parker as a "Levis, t-shirt, all-American guy" considering it sounds pretty faceless, but overall, it's a cool perspective on being integrated into adulthood in a way that's more fun and engaging than boring. 

While I wouldn't call Denning a distinctive vocalist, he's got a healthy amount of charisma. He does a great job convincing me how excited he is just to experience something all the adults do, and considering that the lyrics never tilt into anything obnoxious like most songs in this vein, I'd say he's got a very likable personality as well. 

The production here starts off too compressed, with that echoey drum machine taking up too much room. Once the chorus hits, the sweeping electric guitar helps to give this song somewhat more of an edge. 

Overall, I'll be interested to see what else Travis Denning can do, because he's off to a solid start with his debut single. 

Grade: B
Listen: "David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs"

Author: Zackary Kephart

​I've been blogging for three years, and this is ironically the first time I've reviewed a Florida Georgia Line song ... and a Bebe Rexha one for that matter. 

Any external discussion surrounding this song's claim to fame will be dealt with in due time, because for as many articles that I see written regarding this tune and the artists involved, I've rarely seen an actual discussion on the song itself. 

Yes, it's by a Pop artist, but as far as this particular song being the furthest thing from Country music's roots is concerned, all I can say is, Walker Hayes says "hell no" to that. In fact, at worst, "Meant To Be" is simply boring. After a handful of listens, my only assessment is that at worst and best, this is just a half-baked version of Florida Georgia Line's "H.O.L.Y" with chintzier production. 

In fact, sonically I have a hard time distinguishing the two. The drum machine and fake snap percussion adds a layer of grayness rather than color. There's some weird sounding steel meets electric sounding instrument during the verses, but you can just basically chalk that up to the producers wanting to add a "Country" element to this. Admittedly the piano carrying the melody does add flavor, and it's nice to see that instrument appearing in more mainstream country singles (now if only we could get the fiddle back!). However, the entire mix just eventually drowns out the song as it goes on, especially during the unimaginative chorus. 

On that note, "unimaginative" is the perfect word for the lyricism on this track. Beyond the repetitive usage of saying "it'll be" a million times, it's just an unusual set up of Hubbard (you didn't expect Brian Kelley to do anything, did you?) essentially saying "hey baby, don't worry about love, we'll work it all out together." Meanwhile, Rexha at least seems serious about finding a solution for love, and while Hubbard may be an alright fit for her, him just telling her that she's in over her head comes off as ... I don't know, more than a tad condescending? By the end it's just a lazy, generic "we're going to make it" song that offers nothing of value really. 

The two singers have decent chemistry I suppose, but if this is Rexha's song, why is Hubbard singing more than half of this song? For a song claiming to be purely Pop, it sure seems like they purposely didn't let the female artist get as much attention, a trait which is common in another genre I know and love. I wonder what it is? 
But overall, I can't honestly say I feel anything toward this one way or another. It's lazy and boring, but also not nearly the worst thing I've ever heard. "Meh" is really all I needed to say about this. 

Grade: D+
Listen: "Meant To Be"

Author: Zackary Kephart

​There are three things that are certain in life – death, taxes, and the fact that we’re going to get some type of Willie Nelson project every year. Coming just a year after God’s Problem Child, Nelson is set to release his new album Last Man Standing on April 27th, and the lead off single is one of his most jovial (and best) in awhile. The concept of death isn’t exactly a happy topic, so to hear this bright, up-tempo mix of electric guitar, bluesy harmonica, organ, and piano is odd upon first listen.

However, the lyrics paint the bigger picture. While we’ve seen an artist like Alan Jackson tackle the subject of growing older from a different perspective with “The Older I Get” (that is, looking forward to those days instead of dreading the eventual end), Nelson tackles it from the traditional perspective. In other words, he’s not ready to go. There admittedly isn’t much to the lyrical content here, however we do see Nelson get personal for a moment by admitting it’s hard seeing all of his friends check out before he does. After all, he’s lived just as hard (likely harder) than they have, so why is he still among the living? It’s a statement that hits hard despite the cheery nature, but it also shows that despite all of that, Nelson wants more life because if anything, he’s actually going to live it instead of waste it.

At this point in his career, it’s hard to say that Nelson will ever give a “knockout” vocal performance, however thankfully here, he’s sounding better than he has in a long time, with a delivery that's on time and consistent. There’s even a hint of charisma to his delivery that can’t help but make the listener smile.

Overall, “Last Man Standing” sees Nelson triumphant rather than letting something such as death get in his way. Like always, he’s miles ahead of most younger artists, and it’s great to see him continue to release great music. I’m glad Nelson wants to stick around a bit, because I know quite a few people that would enjoy that as well.

Grade: B+
Listen: "Last Man Standing"

Author: Zackary Kephart

Usually when an artist parts ways with their record label after releasing a slew of mediocre singles, a rebirth is in order. Jake Owen is one of Country music's most charismatic performers, so to see him try and emulate a sound rather than craft his own on songs like "Real Life", "If He Ain't Gonna Love You" and "Good Company" was disappointing. 

Unfortunately, joining the Big Loud Records team has made Owen's music even more watered down than it was before. "I Was Jack (You Were Diane)" may have what it takes to propel Owen back to the top of the charts, but it is by no means a good song. 

The reasons as to why that is are fairly clear too. For one, Owen joined back up with producer Joey Moi for this song, which explains why the chorus sounds like one giant blob of generic electric guitars and a banjo that ultimately makes Owen fight to be heard. His latest past singles may have had more of a funky Reggae vibe to them, but at least they had more color than whatever this is. 

Lyrically, you'd expect a song referencing the famous John Mellancamp song to feature at least another reference beyond the title. Heck, even Rae Sremmurd managed to sneak a reference in to the Beatles' "Day Tripper" on "Black Beatles." Unfortunately, this song is one long lazy summer romance song. Mentions of every single past cliche you could think of for a Country song in the past couple years are here. Whereas "Jack and Diane" actually had some details to it and was about something, this has none of those elements. 

Then again, if you couldn't be bothered to actually listen to the lyrics, I couldn't blame you. Why Owen has insisted on his this obnoxious talk-rap singing style for three singles of his now is beyond me. It's unneeded, distracting, and completely unnecessary, especially when Owen can't rap all that well (most Country artists can't). 

In short, "I Was Jack" is simply more of the same generic fodder we've come to expect from Owen over the past couple of years. Owen once shined at making these easy-going feel good tunes, and now he's either putting me to sleep with them or making me cringe at his delivery. This song may have Mellancamp's own seal of approval, but it doesn't have mine. 

Grade: D
Listen: "I Was Jack (You Were Diane)"

Author: Zackary Kephart