Muchacho Sanchez and Lainey Wilson are reviewed today.
“Again”
Muchacho Sanchez
Written by Robert Sanchez Alarcon
Jonathan Keefe: On the surface, “Again” is a pretty-good honky-tonk twanger. The steel guitar break on this? Come the whole way on. That’s an easy sell. Sanchez has a solid enough voice to sell the song with sincerity and a clear, if somewhat indistinct, vocal tone.
The subtext here is actually a lot more interesting to me, in how this love letter to his wife runs as a counterpoint to the Manosphere mentality that has taken root in the country mainstream and to the machismo culture that led to such a right-wing swing in the Hispanic population. Here, Sanchez is singing with a real sense of kindness about how his wife is his “best friend” in a way that, in April 2025, sounds far more revolutionary than it should. And it’s that point of view and fundamental empathy that elevates “Again” at least a little bit above its less notable technical virtues. B
Kevin John Coyne: The intimacy of this record is something else.
It sounds like he’s sitting on the edge of the bed with his guitar and serenading his wife, but the rest of the band snuck into the hotel bathroom to provide some backing support without violating the couple’s privacy.
This production approach works because of the direct simplicity of the lyrics. This is a simple and honest statement of love presented without any muss or fuss. B+
“Bell Bottoms Up”
Lainey Wilson
Written by Aslan Freeman, Meg McRee, Kevin Nolan, Matt Nolan, Tommy Scifres, and Lainey Wilson
Kevin John Coyne: Lainey is giving me Wilson vibes of the Gretchen variety these days.
There can be a very thin line between a brand and a caricature, and “Bell Bottoms Up” pushes Lainey Wilson over that line. The song’s central metaphor makes no sense outside the context of her Bell Bottom Country conceit. It’s as if Lainey Wilson suddenly became a lifestyle unto herself, but this isn’t a Kenny Chesney island vibe kind of deal where there’s a larger world that this music fits into.
Because tropical islands actually exist, and Bell Bottom Country does not. What utter nonsense this is. D
Jonathan Keefe: In an absolute sense, this isn’t as absurd as “Whiskey Colored Crayon” from her most recent album, but that’s about the only bar this clears. I’ve been lukewarm on Wilson from the get-go– she can carry a tune better than most of her peers, and she has a few singles that are pretty good but have never once been great– but it feels like we’re past the inflection point with her.
The quality of her music just flat-out doesn’t justify her rapid, unquestioned ascent to the A-list.
I’m just baffled that it took six humans to write this, and I have a very low opinion of the capabilities of my fellow humans these days. As Kevin noted, the central conceit only works on the assumption that the listener is invested in Wilson’s previous album as a lifestyle brand. So maybe this works for her diehard fans.
For anyone else? This is Wilson wildly and fundamentally misunderstanding what Chappell Roan recently said about country as drag. That someone who just doesn’t get it to the extent that they’d release caricatures like “Country’s Cool Again” and now this has been anointed the genre’s standard-bearer is indicative of the dire state of things. D
Jelly Roll is the only thing keeping Lainey from being the most overexposed artist in Nashville these days.
Exactly this.
…that could be a sign of undeniable quality, folks. just a couple of weeks ago the album “almost home” of the ghost hounds was highlighted here. a terrific album in its own right but lainey wilson manages to lift it even further by collaborating in the song “before you leave”. whenever she takes part in a production she adds another level to it. just check out her by now numerous collabs – not least the one at the grammys. her own stuff is by no means perfect (yet), but way more often than not in the last few years i have found that her songs/music grows on me over time. again, a sign of quality, i find. i like “bell bottoms up” quite a bit. then again, it could be because of its intro’s “tiger feet” and “sugar baby love” 70s british “top of the pops” vibe.
coincidentally, she played zurich/switzerland just about a month ago. here’s what the review from overseas said (quickly translated by microsoft’s rather helpful copilot):
Prime time USA y’all
At 9:00 PM—prime time in the USA — President Trump addressed both houses of Congress and the American people on March 4, 2025, with a 100-minute-long speech. At the same time, 9:00 PM Zurich time, Lainey Wilson performed for a lively crowd at the X-TRA, also for 100 minutes in her own way.
The large hall of the X-TRA, which includes a gallery, was completely sold out with around 1,800 people. The high demand suggested that even more tickets for the concert of the current female US country superstar could have been sold. The show had already been moved from the smaller Kaufleuten venue to the almost double-sized X-TRA due to demand.
Zach Meadows’ opening act was somewhat overshadowed by the audience’s high expectations for a “Whirlwind” experience. The calm songs performed by the singer-songwriter, armed only with an acoustic guitar, deserved more attention than they received — a common fate for opening acts.
Lainey Wilson likely didn’t disappoint her fans, nor those who were dragged along by partners or friends of various identities. At the small meet-and-greet an hour before the show, she was in high spirits, approachable and looked stunning. Lainey Wilson ownes the cowboy hat and not vice versa.
Her Swiss debut opened briefly with Barbara Mandrell’s updated legendary 1981 self-praising refrain, “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool,” while at the same time, on the other side of the Atlantic, a much more exaggerated show of self-praise was being delivered by the highest office. But that was the extent of the self-referencing at the X-TRA, while over there, things were just ramping up.
After the usual opening fanfare with a lot of noise and flashing lights, she, as is her country and horseback riding nature, warned of what was to come: “Hang Tight Honey.” And off she went. Next up was “Dirty Looks”, which had nothing to do with the people of Zurich, whom she described in the short time she spent there as “good people.” Her mesmerizing brown eyes, which appeared darker under the black hat, revealed fire, joy, and confidence at the brief backstage meeting. But there was also genuine warmth when she patiently asked for the correct spelling of names during autograph requests – at least, that’s the impression one could get. In Washington, Democratic Congress members held up signs reading “False” a little later.
Her care for what’s good was also evident in “Good Horses”, which she co-wrote with Miranda Lambert. The song, performed and filmed for screens big and small around the world, showcased her deeply rooted connection to the craft. The 31-year-old from the heart of Louisiana has endured a ten-year climb in Nashville to reach where she is today. That journey shapes a person, teaching them to distinguish good from bad, as reflected in her first major hit, “Things A Man Oughta Know”, which was, of course, performed too in Zurich.
Although these were quieter tones right after the opening fireworks, it wasn’t a quiet show. Lainey Wilson is — and this isn’t just an album title — a whirlwind when unleashed. Give her a stage, and she owns it and the audience before her: “We’re kickin’ up dust with y’all tonight!” she promised before performing the title song of her current album, “Whirlwind”, diving straight into the task with her band. Energized and on the front foot, she rocked the stage from left to right and back and again…
While across the Atlantic a President was promising to tear down or build barriers at will, his compatriot overseas was busy breaking them down — especially linguistic ones: “There are language barriers even in the States, where many folks don’t understand the way I talk,” she remarked laughingly in her thick Southern drawl, emphasizing this with colloquialisms like “Smack dab in the middle of it” from “Middle Of It”. Few phrases sound more central than that.
Of course, the hits weren’t missing. “Watermelon Moonshine” evoked nostalgia, and when she turned to trucks, it could mean resilience (“Heart Like A Truck”) or being deeply in love, as in her current number-one hit “4x4x” — a fitting expression for the newly engaged artist. Both themes fit her perfectly, as did her stage outfit featuring her now-signature bell-bottoms and cowboy hat, which no one has worn so perfectly since Terri Clark in the ‘90s when country was undeniably cool.
When she left the stage after “Wildflowers And Wild Horses” at 10:40 PM, Zurich had received exactly what it had hoped for — a whirling country superstar in top form. Hang in there, honey.
I mean, I’ve denied the quality of her work on multiple occasions. Not just this one. This is someone who covered 4 Non Blondes’ horrific “What’s Up” on purpose for one of her albums, and then released “Whiskey Colored Crayon,” a song so preposterous and divorced from reality that even Martina McBride at her most cloying would have said, “Y’know what? No.”
I think she’s more innately talented than many of her popular contemporaries, and that matters. I just don’t think she’s approached the level of quality work to justify her ubiquity or her anointment as one of the genre’s new standard-bearers.
Oops. I do like “What’s Up.”:) I’ll agree with you on “Whiskey Colored Crayon” though.
My first impression was that Lainey’s song was more of a banger than I anticipated, by about two and a half minutes in I was very much over it.
I don’t know, but I like this Lainey Wilson song too. She’s one of the very few mainstream artists that I’m really enjoying. I’d feel some shame, but it turns out that I’m enough of a fan that I guess it is what it is. I I can’t explain why this song has a zillion writers though.
Now, I’m hoping you guys have Blake Shelton’s “Let Him in Anyway” on deck to review! I’ll be cringing for the rest of my life from that song!!
I tend to like Lainey Wilson – this song sounds good, but the lyrics are garbage D+
Curious what you guys think about the new Alison Krauss/Union Station album
Really enjoying it so far! It’s so great to have them back!
The album was included in our weekly album review post last week! Be sure to check that out!
ah i missed that! will definitely check it out!
I feel like I would like Lainey Wilson a lot more if not only she had better material, but also had a different producer besides Jay Joyce. Other than some of Eric Church’s earlier records, I’m overall not a fan of his production style and find it too gimmicky and trying too hard to sound “cool”. It’s frustrating because I want to be supportive of newer female artists coming out, and yet the industry finally decides to really push one that I just haven’t been able to get exited much about yet, except for maybe a couple of her singles. A little over a minute into this new single, and I was pretty much out. I liked the melody, but that was about it. Like Kevin said, it’s also giving me a Gretchen Wilson vibe with the gimmicky lyrics, which is not a good thing for me.
I tend to like Jay Joyce productions. I prefer him to someone like Dann Huff, because his choices are are at least interesting to me while Huff’s are bland. I also like his production choices because he doesn’t seem to rely on drum machines and electronic instrumentation like Keith Urban and so many others in mainstream seem to be plagued with in the last 20 years.
Fair points. One thing I’ll give Joyce is his style is definitely unique and you can’t say it’s bland. It’s just not really my thing. I’m overall not too crazy about much of Huff’s work either (I shudder thinking about some of those mid 2000s Rascal Flatts records), but I do find myself enjoying some of the records he produced around the late 90s and early 2000s lately. It’s distinctly from that era, and it kind of makes me nostalgic, too (Ex: Shane Minor’s self-titled debut from 1999). I’m completely with you in wanting less use of drum machines and other electronic influences in mainstream country!
I think Wilson leverages her gimmick her to good effect. It’s a song for the summer through and through. I can hear this sounding great on patios and at backyard parties. It plays like a lot of harmless fun to my ears even if it is overly self-referential nonsense.
I will also step up to the plat on behalf of “Whiskey Colored Crayon.” It stands firmly in line with the country music tradition of children unexpectedly offering wisdom and the impetus to change for adults. Tammy Wynette’s ” I Don’t Want to Play House” immediately comes to mind. I also am reminded of John Conlee’s “Honky Tonk Toys,” Little Jimmie Dickens’s Raggedy Anne” and O.C.Smith’s “Daddy’s Little Man.” Or Stoney Edward’s “A Two Dollar Toy.”
Let me fire a shot across Kevin’s bow and say “Whiskey Colored Crayon” is even in the same vein as Kane Brown’s “Backseat Driver.”
There’s no wisdom in that song; just flat-out ignorance of the way social services and mandated reporting actually work in reality, in service to a completely mawkish and manipulative narrative. I actually find it indefensible.