Today, we combine a classic feature with our latest one.
What are your Top Five Track Recommendations?
They don’t have to be that recent, but should be something that wasn’t a single.
Here are my Top Five:
- Reba McEntire, “She Got Drunk Last Night”
- Punch Brothers, “Magnet”
- Tim McGraw, “Overrated”
- Nickel Creek, “You Don’t Know What’s Going On”
- Rodney Crowell, “God I’m Missing You”
Josh Turner – “Pallbearer”
Eli Young Band – “Guinevere”
Chely Wright – “Notes To The Coroner”
David Ball – “Happy With The One I’ve Got”
George Strait – “4 Minus 3 Equals Zero”
Gloriana Where My Heart Belongs
Jon Pardi Empty Beer Cans
Lucy Hale Red Dress
Carrie Underwood Do You Think About Me
Lady Antebellum Damn You Seventeen
All of these songs modern while also sounding really amazing.
The womenfolk rule the roost on this one:
WILLING–Linda Ronstadt
ARE YOU STILL IN LOVE WITH ME?–Tift Merritt
DALLAS–Caitlin Rose
MR. RADIO–Trisha Yearwood
PRAYER IN OPEN D–Emmylou Harris
Dierks Bentley–Hurt Somebody
Tim McGraw–Still On The Line
Wade Bowen/Randy Rogers–El Dorado
Zac Brown Band–Bittersweet
Chris Stapleton–When The Stars Come Out
1. Reba McEntire, “More Than Just Her Last Name”
2. Shelby Lynne, “Paper Van Gogh”
3. Pam Tillis, “Callico Plains”
4. Jason Isbell, “Super 8”
5. Trisha Yearwood, “End of the World”
1. Hal Ketchum – Daddy’s Oldsmobile
2. Delbert McClinton – People Just Love to Talk
3. Georgia Middleman – Table 32
4. John Denver – Matthew
5. Victoria Shaw – There’s a Song in There Somewhere
Recent album tracks (some of the better ones)
Dustin Lynch – American Prayer
Tim McGraw – Words Are Medicine
Dierks Bentley – Here On earth
Kristian Bush – Sending You a Sunset
Darius Rucker – So I Sing
1. Live Oak by Jason Isbell
2. Our Town by Iris DeMent
3. Daylight & the Dark by Jason Eady
4. Fences by Jason Boland & the Stragglers
5. Daddy Loved Trains by Keith Whitley
Bonus:
Quick-Quick, Slow-Slow by Dale Watson
Cup of Kindness by EmmyLou Harris
The Scientist by Willie Nelson
1. Chris Stapleton, “More of You”
2. Joe Nichols, “Life Don’t Have to Mean Nothin’ At All”
3. Patty Griffin, “Up to the Mountain”
4. Josh Turner, “Loretta Lynn’s Lincoln”
5. Nickel Creek, “Where is Love Now”
1. Jet Black and Jealous – Eli Young Band
2. Won’t Let You Down – Keith Urban
3. She – Emmylou Harris
4. Are You With Me – Easton Corbin
5. I’m A Fire – David Nail
1. Lifeline Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis
2. If the Rain Don’t Stop Charlie Robison
3. Come Unto Me The Mavericks
4. Methamphetamine Old Crow Medicine Show
5. When You Get to Me Lee Ann Womack
1. “Lance’s Song” Zac Brown Band
2. “I Still Love You” Alan Jackson
3. “The Ballad of St. Anne’s Reel” John Denver
4. “Rovin’ Gambler” Dierks Bentley
5. “Pour Me” Switchback
Switchback usually does Celtic-leaning music but they occasionally dabble in alt-country, I’d recommend checking them out if that’s your thing.
Andrew and Leeann, you guys stole my Josh Turner’s picks! Luckily, he has plenty of other great album cuts!
Josh Turner Edition:
1. “Whatcha Reckon” (They should have released this song. It would have been a number 1 hit for Josh.)
2. “The Way He Was Raised” (I won’t give away the twist of this song.)
3. “The Long The Waiting (The Sweeter The Kiss)- (Absolute classic love song and personal theme song. Someday, I will get that first kiss!)
4. “Good Problem” (Just a fun, love song, you don’t hear much anymore.)
5. “Baby, I Go Crazy” (Another fun song.)
Special mention to his covers of “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” and “Lord Have Mercy On a Country Boy.” Both songs (along with “Pallbearer” and “Loretta Lynn’s Lincoln” deserved slots, but I wanted to save room for his original songs and songs not mentioned yet.)
Eric Church edition:
I am tempted to just list every non-single off “Sinners Like Me.”
1. “Dark Side” (Haunting ballad about how darkness lurks in everyone.)
2. “Devil, Devil” (Imaginative imagery with a rocking beat.)
3. “I’m Getting Stoned” (Tragic breakup song. An spiritual ancestor to “Cold One.”)
4. “Longer Gone” (Every time, he sings about mountains in the song, I think of Splash, Big Thunder, and Space Mountain.)
5. “What I Almost Was” (Shows how God works in our lives)
6. “These Boots” (This is how you do a regret song.)
Honorable mention: “Can’t Take It With You”, “My Heart’s Got a Memory” and “Lotta Boot Left to Fill.”
Hank Williams – Thy Burdens Are Greater Than Mine
Chris Knight – A Crooked Road
Emmylou Harris – Better Off Without You
Rodney Crowell – ‘Til I Gain Control Again
Robert Earl Keen – The Raven and the Coyote
@Andrew – “Notes to the Coroner” by Chely Wright? YES. All kinds of YES. It’s dark as hell, but it’s supposed to be. On a personal note, I confess I played it several times on the night of 6 October 2011, as I prepared to take my own life. Strange as it may seem, I don’t have a negative reaction to the song. On the contrary, I feel even more intimately connected to it, having stood where Chely Wright stood.
As for my list, I’m gonna be a bit lazy and name five album cuts I always felt ought to have been singles:
“Go West” – Brooks & Dunn (Kix Brooks, vocals) from Steers & Stripes
“Allison Miranda” – Garth Brooks from The Lost Sessions
“Real Mean Bottle” – Vince Gill from Next Big Thing
“Lie Before You Leave” – Montgomery Gentry (Troy Gentry, lead vocals) from My Town
“The Storms of Life” – Randy Travis from Storms of Life
Subset: George Strait Edition
“I’m All Behind You Now” from Ocean Front Property
“Make Her Fall in Love with Me Song” from Troubadour
“She Used to Say That to Me” from Honkytonkville
“When Love Comes Around Again” from Love Is Everything
“Why Not Now” from One Step at a Time
Travis,
I’m so glad you came through that dark time to still be here now.
“Notes to the Coroner” is a great song, but yes, chillingly dark.
I agree with “Lie Before You Leave.” I’ve always liked that song.
CountryKnight,
I have to admit that I’ve been underwhelmed by Turner’s cover songs, especially “Lord Have Mercy on A Country Boy.” I really like that song, but I thought Turner’s version lacked the energy of Don Williams, which is saying something considering Williams isn’t exactly known for his high energy.:) I do really like Turner’s cover of Waylon Jennings’ “America” though.
Adding to Leeann’s comment, I was underwhelmed by Turner’s cover of Jim Croce’s “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim”. I was a big fan of Croce. He died so young but still left a lot of great music that I still play today. I wish Turner had better material because I really like his voice.
Ok that does it what I mean what Josh Turners material is fine I mean I’ve only listened to singles and that’s what I usually judge by Singles and Josh Turner has yet to have a mediocre song each one of them are good and no I found Time Is Love to be a sold fun song it felt nice and traditional.
Carrie Underwood Edition:
Someday When I Stop Loving You – Play On
Look At Me – Play On
Do You Think About Me – Blown Away
Forever Changed – Blown Away
Wine After Whiskey – Blown Away
…And let’s get this comment thread back on track:
Recommended tracks:
1. “Giving it Up” Kristian Bush
2. “Parachute” Chris Stapleton (Why couldn’t the album have more of this?)
3. “Acadia” Marianas Trench
4. “Tumble And Fall” Little Big Town
5. “Married Men And Motel Rooms” The Dirt Drifters
Really Tumble and Fall I found it pretty underwhelming and Chris Stapletons album I found too be perfect. If LBT releases another song is support Live Forever and maybe Silver & Gold but that album was basically 80s pop-rock songs
Some great songs recommendations above.
My own include:
Troy Cassar-Daley – “Trains” (an oldie, but a song that is close to me)
Charlie Worsham – “Young to See”
Sam Outlaw – “I’m Not Jealous”
Catherine Britt – “Swingin’ Door”
Wade Bowen – “Sun Shines on a Dreamer”
Hopefully some of these songs are new/unfamiliar to you guys.
1) Chris Stapleton – When the Stars Come Out (I love this album and this song)
2) Frankie Ballard – Don’t Tell Mamma I was Drinking
3) Kenny Chesney – Save it for a Rainy Day (Catchy and would make for a nice single)
4) Wildfire – Zac Brown Band (I am slowly starting to enjoy the album more on repeated listenings)
5) Silent House – Dixie Chicks
I’ll give five more that never charted but I play a lot:
Jo Dee Messina – If Heaven Was Needing a Hero
Darius Rucker – If I Could Fly
Earl Thomas Conley – Crowd Around the Corner
The Judds – Flies on the Butter
and Brad Paisley – Mr Policeman (just because I’ve seen so many people fail to even come close to the picking he does on this song. True guitar string smoker)
Male Vocals:
1. Glen Campbell – These Days (this one is a Jackson Brown cover)
2. Hal Ketchum – Lonely Old Me
3. David Nail – Strangers On A Train
4. Eric Church – Lightning
5. Charlie Worsham – Mississippi In July
One for good measure – Hannah-McEuen – Ocean
Female Vocals:
1. Suzy Bogguss – Forget About It (Alison Krauss did a great version, as well)
2. Kathy Mattea – Who’s Gonna Know?
3. Lari White – Tired
4. Lee Ann Womack – Painless
5. Lisa Brokop – West of Crazy
One for good measure: Allison Moorer – Alabama Song (never charted)
Another song I can’t help but recommend is “Silent Movies” by Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear. A mother-son duo, I just love their sound.