Of all the up and coming artists to be on the lookout for in 2024, few are higher on the list than Drayton Farley and Nolan Taylor.
Both of these artists are coming off of a massive breakthrough in 2024 in which they have become well known for their brutally honest lyricism and raw, passionate vocals. While the majority of their music prior to 2023 had been largely acoustic and rather simple sonically, with the focus almost solely on their lyrics, each have begun to experiment with a full band as their touring momentum picks up, and in turn, are really honing in on their own unique sounds.
There are plenty of differentiating factors between the two artists as well, of course, as Taylor hails from Ohio and Farley, Alabama, their backgrounds and influences are different, but they both bring an authentic approach to their craft.
In a “real recognizes real” moment from one artist to the other, though, Farley recently took to Instagram to share an awesome cover of Taylor’s semi-viral hit “68.”
And he absolutely kills it.
“This song just cuts like a knife. A little cover of “68” by the incredible, one and only Nolan Taylor.”
I always find it super cool when artists within the same scene, for lack of a better term, who are in similar stages of their careers, cover each other’s music and spread it to their own fanbases. One might assume that, due to their similarities, Taylor and Farley would be competitors, but that’s not really the case.
In most of the country music music scene today, it seems as if artists really just want each other to succeed for the sake of the song and real, honest music. And Farley and Taylor are a great example.
A few months back, Nolan Taylor posted an awesome cover of Farley’s fan-favorite “Pichin’ Fits” to his social media as well.
“Hell of a song by my brother Drayton Farley. This is Pitchin’ Fits.”
Both of these songs experienced semi-viral success over the last couple of years, despite each having been released previously, as a result of their features on the RadioWV YouTube page that has done an incredible job lately promoting some of the genre’s most underrated artists, and in many ways, catapulting their careers to the next level.
If you haven’t already, check out these RadioWV videos of Nolan Taylor and Drayton Farley to hear the original versions of each of these songs.
“68” – Nolan Taylor
“And I’m tired of being nice
I just don’t have it inside me
I can’t take much more shit from you
And I have cut you out of my life
You love me when you need a high
I’m done spending my money on you
I’m done now and I’m through with you…”
“Pitchin’ Fits” – Drayton Farley
“So tell me I’m still breathing, I’m gonna be okay
Tell me you’re still here and you won’t ever go away
Tell me I’m not dying, I just need to get some rest
And tell me all this trying will pay off in the end
‘Cause it’s a long and hurtful phase
And I don’t know if I belong here at all
But when I’m here with you
I don’t mind at all
I don’t mind at all…”
Both Nolan Taylor and Drayton Farley are in for a big year in 2024, and I can’t wait to see the heights to which their spectacular music takes them.
