Izzi Mitchell – Raised Rowdy Contributor
Good morning Raised Rowdy crew. I’m up super early pumping the newest mainstream country ready to give y’all a little insight into the music and lyrics a few hours early. From my tiny studio in Sydney, Australia, they all sound pretty damn good, and the coolest part is that most of these artists didn’t just perform them, but also helped to write the songs themselves. Let’s get started.
How They Remember You – Rascal Flatts (Album)
I’ve been loving the incremental release of this album over the last three months. Rascal Flatts has been teasing us with their new album and today is finally the day the album is out! With seven new tracks, there is definitely a melancholy to this album but in an upbeat way. They were one of the first bands I discovered when I fell for country, and my inner fifteen year old is extremely satisfied.
Bad Mother Trucker – Eric Church
“I was raised on jerky from here to Albuquerque… You only get one and I wouldn’t want another, ‘cause mama was a bad mother trucker”
Not sure what I was expecting with a song title like this, but it wasn’t for him to be talking about his mum. This song is characterised by Eric’s classic guitar twang and his husky voice. I think it’s pretty cool talking about your mum like this, and if the mum he’s describing is anything like his mum in real life, you can see how Eric turned out to be such a badass.
You and Islands – Zac Brown Band
“Last night I had a dream, we were in quarantine, and all the oceans turned to dust. I woke up in a sweat, time hadn’t run out yet, I heard the tide calling us, to wash away, all the grey”
If you know Zac Brown Band, you can pick out that it’s them playing within the first chords. I love the reference to quarantine and I think this song captures how we’re all feeling right now – we need a little break from the world, and where better to do that than the islands?
Hatin’ Somebody – Brothers Osborne
“Waking up putting that smile on beats the hell out of waking up dead, that ain’t how grandpa always was but it is what he always said”
Now I’m officially awake – there’s nothing like a little Brothers Osborne to get you out of bed in the morning. “Hating somebody ain’t never got nobody nowhere” is a pretty good motto to live by, and a great reminder in the times the world is facing right now. Their third studio album, Skeletons, is being released on October 9 of this year and I cannot wait to see what they come up with.
Off the Edge of the Summer – Eric Paslay
“We whispered wishes into wine bottles and we threw them into the ocean, did your come true? I wished for you”
Personally, this song brings me right back to a summer love I found on the beaches of Cambodia, and how for so long after, I couldn’t forget him. I think this song is meant to be very emotive, and that everyone has a story like that. While beautiful, this song is almost sad, as he aches for his lost love.
“Run, daddy said the trucks all yours if you make it run, so you spend your sixteenth summer under that small town sun, just to make it run”
Lauren Alaina has one of the best voices in mainstream country music, and I’ve known this since I watched her put the whole room in tears at the Opry early this year. Fortunately this one’s a little more upbeat – I love the Springsteen references, that we’re all born to run.
Waste of a Whiskey Drink – Gary Allen
“Hey buddy do what you want, but if she’s what you do, I hope you like the taste, of salt, tequila and lime, ‘cause you’ll never taste Jack again without her on your mind”
Damn the woman in this song sounds evil. Gary Allen sings a warning for another bar-goer not to get involved with the woman he knows because she’s going to mess up his life. The lyrics in this song are my favourite this week, and I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that one of my favourite songwriters, Michael Hardy, helped to write this.
I Should Probably Go To Bed – Dan + Shay
I’m absolutely dying for this song to come out, but it hasn’t in Australia just yet. It will be released tonight at 11pm CT, you can get some peeks at the new song on their Instagram, but be sure I’ll have this one on repeat.
With a couple more songs to come out tonight, it’s a great week for country music. Stream them, pump them and play them – that is what I’ll be doing all week. Still craving more music? Check out our Raised Rowdy New Country playlist and find your new favourite artist.