Thomas Rhett Namechecks Old-School Country With Unreleased “What’s Your Country Song”

A person playing a guitar

Before I even start this, I’m going to admit that this evening I did a full workout, then hopped immediately into a zoom “happy hour” with my high school friends.

I had a tiny dinner with a full bottle of a pinot noir, and then added a few beers in my wine glass once that bottle was gone.

(Editor’s note: respect)

When that conversation ended SIX hours later, I opened Instagram and saw that Thomas Rhett posted a video of an unreleased new one titled “What’s Your Country Song.” It name drops a lot of the classic country songs that I grew up on and I’m guessing that you did too.

Songs like “Chattahoochee,” “Strawberry Wine,” “Friends in Low Places,” and then goes back even further to songs like “Family Tradition,” “Mama Tried,” and “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool.”

I am so thankful to have grown up during the ’90s. Born in 1992 and starting talking by singing along with Alan Jackson, Trisha Yearwood, and all of the other amazing artists of the ’90s. And as much as people complain about today’s country artists, at least we know that they grew up on mostly the same thing that we did. It’s pretty clear in this new Thomas Rhett song.

Except recently I heard an artist say he grew up on people like Thomas Rhett and that made me cringe, mostly because it made me feel old AF. I grew up listening to his dad…

Anyways, moving on…

Do you ever stop to wonder what country music is going to sound like 20 years from now? Do you stop and think what country music is going to sound like after this pandemic is over? Do you think artists are writing differently during this time? Do you think the loss of some major legends of our childhood, like Joe Diffie and John Prine, are influencing their writing?

Because I do. Granted, I have a tolerance for a little bit of “pop-country,” I still prefer where it came from. I liked this TR song and as soon as it started, I thought, “yeah, I did grow up on a tractor and my dad did let me drive.” But I do sometimes wonder what the world will look like when this thing is over. I wonder what music will feel like when this is over. And then I wonder what the future holds. I wonder what will kids today say about the country they grew up on 20 years from now.

All I know is that for now, I’m thankful that we have right now. I’m thankful we have our experiences of the past. I’m thankful for how I grew up. I’m thankful for what I’ve known up until this point and how that is getting me through this moment. Lastly, I’m thankful for artists reminding us that we’re all in this together.

And finally, I’m joining the regular Whiskey Riff conversation and asking Thomas Rhett to PLEASE release more songs like this, because this is what we need.

A beer bottle on a dock

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