Ingrid Andress’ ‘Life of the Party’ and More New Country Songs You Need to Hear [LISTEN]
There's no better Valentine's Day gift than a box full of chocolates -- unless it's a roundup full of new country tunes! Read on to hear all the latest from your favorite stars.
Ingrid Andress, "Life of the Party":
Ingrid Andress parties through the pain in her new song, "Life of the Party," a piano-driven, pop-inflected anthem about putting on a smiling face in order to avoid being alone with her heartbreak.
"Y'all know I love a good party and a sad song. So just in time for Valentine's Day, here is 'Life of the Party,' a sad party anthem brought to you by me. You're welcome," Andress joked on Instagram when she released the song. The song comes off her recently announced debut album, Lady Like, which is set for release on March 27. -- CL
Randall King, "She Gone":
Randall King's "She Gone" is a boot stompin' song filled equally with attitude and traditional country music vibes. In "She Gone," King lays out all of the details about waking up and finding his lady peeling out of the driveway, leaving him in the dust.
Everything happened so fast, he sings: “Should've seen the bright red goodbye lipstick writing that was on the wall / Could've saved myself from blindside hell if I'd'a never fell at all /It's almost like she had the whole thing planned out all along / She came, she loved / She took off in a rush....” If things weren’t bad enough, King reveals that when his lady left, she even scooped up his dog on her way out. -- CC
Dylan Scott, "Nobody":
Dylan Scott is confident in his abilities to love his woman right in his song, “Nobody.” Despite nearly everyone always checking out his partner and trying to swoop in and snatch her up, Scott knows he has everything under control.
"Girl nobody, nobody, nobody gonna love you like I do / Yeah nobody, nobody, nobody gonna love you like I do," Scott sings, laying out his intentions. "Imma love you 'til the good Lord comes back for me and you / Yeah nobody, nobody, nobody gonna love you like I do.” -- CC
Hailey Whitters, "Happy People":
Singer-songwriter Hailey Whitters is set to release her full length album, The Dream, later this month on Feb. 28. Ahead of the album’s release, Whitters has shared “Happy People.”
Penned by Whitters and Lori McKenna, the song sings the praises of genuine happy people and the virtuous qualities that come along with them. “Happy people don’t cheat / Happy people don’t lie / They don’t judge or hold a grudge / They don’t criticize," she sings. " Happy people don’t hate / Happy people don’t steal / ‘Cause all the hurt sure ain’t worth all the guilt they’d feel...”
If “Happy People” sounds familiar, it’s because the track was originally recorded by Little Big Town in 2017. -- CC
Logan Ledger, “(I’m Gonna Get Over This) Some Day”:
Before dropping his self-titled debut album in April, Logan Ledger has shared the sixth track off the project, "(I'm Gonna Get Over This) Some Day." A mid-tempo meditation on trying -- and not quite succeeding -- at being happy, the song spotlights the classic country roots and psychedelic inflections that course throughout Ledger's T Bone Burnett-produced new project.
“I’ve always believed that in order to create something new with purpose, one must be steeped in the past and work from within the tradition," Ledger explains of the project. "This record represents the manifestation of so many of my lifelong dreams about music.” -- CL
Jon Langston, “Drinks”:
Jon Langston wallows in the pain of heartbreak in his atmospheric new "Drinks," a song the singer co-wrote with Jared Mullins and Matt Alderman. Though the studio version of the song is brand new, Langston says "Drinks" is already road-tested.
"I've been wanting this song to be out for a long time," he says in a press release. "We've been playing it live this past year and the fans are ready for it too! I'm really excited for the world to hear this one."
Langston will have plenty of opportunity to continue mixing the song into his live sets: He'll be joining Morgan Wallen on the latter's upcoming Whiskey Glasses Roadshow Tour. -- CL
The Panhandlers, "Cactus Flower":
Texas supergroup the Panhandlers may have originally intended to put out a covers album, but Billboard reports that their project quickly took on a life of its own. Their newest song, "Cactus Flower," began with the writing prompt of a "ladyfinger cactus."
"I didn't even know what that was," explains bandmate Cleto Cordero. "So I decided to write one called 'Cactus Flower' and showed it to Josh [Abbott, who delivered the prompt.]
"Fast forward two year and I was throwing songs out [for the Panhandlers] and I pulled it out and said, 'Man, this one's really West Texas-y. I think it could work. Me and [Abbott] sat down in the bunker, where we recorded, and finished it off, which was really cool since he helped me start it." -- CL
Rachel Reinert, "Some Kind of Angel":
Rachel Reinert is celebrating Valentine's Day which her dreamy and danceable new love ode, "Some Kind of Angel." Per People, the inspiration behind Reinert's new tune is her husband, Caleb Crosby, who she married in August of 2019 after five years together.
"'Some Kind of Angel' is the first song I had ever written about my now-husband, Caleb," Reinert explains. "I co-wrote the song long before we were married with Autumn McEntire and my producer Davis Naish. The whole vibe and feeling captures his essence perfectly. He is such a light and has been there for me through some difficult times. I really do look at him as my angel." -- CL
Lewis Brice, "It's You (I've Been Looking For)":
Along with Ben Simonetti and Niko Moon, Lewis Brice has written the perfect song for expressing your love to those that matter most. “It’s You”is a sweet slow jam with an enduring message about not thinking you’d ever find “your person” -- when suddenly there they are.
"It is just a really poetic love song to the core and I'm really proud of what Ben, Niko and I wrote,” says Brice in a press release about the track. -- CC
Christian Lopez, "Sip of Mine":
Christian Lopez left Nashville and found fresh inspiration in the West coast for his next batch of songs, including the brand-new single, "Sip of Mine." The singer tells Billboard that he wrote the tune while traveling back and forth from Beverly Hills to Revolver Studios, where he was recording new music. Admittedly, it was a time of uncertainty for Lopez, who'd just broken some ties with his Nashville team in order to find a fresh start in L.A.
“Around the time I started to feel uneasy about the future, when I had trouble visualizing it, I started to open my eyes to the real point of why we’re even here. To trust ourselves, give it all we got, and most of all -- enjoy it," he explains. -- CL
Emily Hackett, "Hangovers and Heartbreak":
Emily Hackett reflects on the kind of love that keeps pulling you back in -- even after it burns you -- in "Hangovers and Heartbreak," her newest release. In a press release, the singer says she initially planned to put the song on her last record. However, something about the tune just felt like it was part of a different chapter.
"We actually prepared it for the last album, but felt that it didn't really fit with the rest of the songs," Hackett explains. "I always knew I wanted to release it not long after, but Valentine's Day just seemed appropriate, for all my V-Day haters out there. Hangovers and heartbreak truly make you feel the same way, but somehow we keep coming back for more..." -- CL
Johnny McGuire, "I Can't Even":
Johnny McGuire is making his solo radio debut with his new heartbreak slow jam, "I Can't Even. "[The song] seemed like a natural choice for my solo debut. It’s one that embodies the musical style and lyrics that have influenced my musical journey like Tom Petty’s ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’ or a bit of Bon Jovi aligning with contemporary Country,” McGuire explained in a press release.
He continued about the meaning behind “I Can’t Even,” “It also tackles the universally shared feeling of heartbreak—that gut-wrenching moment we’ve all experienced when you don’t think you’ll be able to go on. We can all look back and remember that feeling. Thankfully, we also remember that when one door closes, another one opens.” “I Can’t Even” was penned by Hardy, Mark Holman, James McNair. -- CC
Russell Dickerson, "Love You Like I Used To":
Russell Dickerson is taking a step in a different direction with the release of “Love You Like I Used To.” “The beginning of this song is intentionally different from me,” Dickerson says in a press release.
He continues about the song, “It makes you think it is a breakup song but it is really a lead-up to how great loves evolve and get better over time. Like all of my songs, I’ve lived it. I started dating my wife 10 years ago and it is true— I don’t love her like I used to and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to this song. It’s a really special song that I’m crazy proud of!”
“Love You Like I Used To” is the first track that Dickerson has shared off his upcoming full-length album. -- CC
Fairground Saints, "Anchor Below":
Fairground Saints put the spotlight on dreamy instrumentals and ethereal, lonesome three-part vocal harmony in their new single, "Anchor Below." In a press release, the band explains that the song is an ode to finding last partnership, even if life sometimes takes you in opposite directions.
"'Anchor Below' is a song about missing someone that you love dearly and the pain of not knowing when you'll see them again. It's about the inevitable storms we all have to face along the journey of living, and the promise that love will always be the anchor that keeps the ship steady," the group's Mason Van Valin explains. -- CL
Brennley Brown, "One More Hallelujah":
Brennley Brown taps into an awe-inspiring inner strength on "One More Hallelujah," a song that brings a message of hope and empowerment to those who are struggling. "The moment I heard 'One More Hallelujah,' I knew immediately it was a message I wanted to share through my music," Brown explained to Wide Open Country.
"Having a strong faith, along with my deep country and gospel roots, I felt this song would combine those things together so perfectly," she added. "But most importantly, I hope and pray that the true message of this song resonates with each person that hears it. May it bring reprieve and restoration and hope to all that listen to it." -- CL
Ross Ellis, "Home to Me":
Singer-songwriter and in-demand Nashville collaborator Ross Ellis meditates on the meaning of home in his newest song, "Home to Me." Though Ellis may have chased big-city dreams in his younger days, the tune's lyrics reflect on how now, all he wants is to get back to the rural hometown where he grew up.
"Home is everything to me. It's who I was and who I am," Ellis explains in a press release. "But like a lot of kids, I couldn't wait to leave home. I wanted to chase my dreams and see the world. It's funny how time and distance often leaving me longing for home, though. The place I dreamed about leaving behind is now the inspiration behind so much of my music." -- CL
Travis Denning, "Abby":
"After a Few" hitmaker Travis Denning returns with a Valentine's Day kiss-off all about ditching a bad relationship in favor of, well... "Any Body But You," or "Abby."
Denning didn't write the song -- Ashley Gorley, Matt Jenkins and Chase McGill did -- but "Abby" nails the sly wordplay and mischievous twinkle that the singer nailed on his early hit, "David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs." In fact, he says that as soon as he heard the song, he knew he wanted to cut it.
"Because my instant reaction was, 'Man, I wish I'd written that,'" Denning goes on to say. "I feel like anyone who has gone through a breakup can relate to it in some way and wishing they had a response as bold as 'Any Body But You.'" -- CL
Puss N Boots, "Sister":
Supergroup Puss N Boots have dropped the grungy, slinky title track off their new album, Sister. The three bandmates -- Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson and Catherine Popper -- co-wrote the track, which features jazz-inflected lead vocals from Dobson and close harmonies from her two fellow artists. Sister dropped on Valentine's Day. -- CL