Country music has officially become overwhelming… it’s a good problem to have.
Flashback to about 10-15 years ago… the bro country era was hitting its stride, Florida Georgia Line was dominating the charts with “Cruise,” Sam Hunt was exploding on the scene, and names like Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson and even Cody Johnson and Chris Stapleton were largely unknown. These days, Florida Georgia Line isn’t even a band anymore (although a reunion is coming soon), Cody Johnson and Chris Stapleton have become award-winning, household names in the mainstream, Tyler and Stu can sell out massive venues without an ounce of radio play, and in the mainstream you have some real country artists like Ella Langley and Zach Top dominating the space… it’s a good time to be alive.
But with the kind of quality we’re seeing in the country world, in the mainstream, in the indie world, and in the sub-scenes of bluegrass, Texas country/rock guys like Whiskey Myers and Koe Wetzel, Appalachia is KILLING it, there is just so much good music right now. I have a hard time multi-tasking, especially when it comes to really listening to an album… I like to sit down, maybe pour a drink (more like an N/A beer these days), and really dig in, but it’s just hard to find the time in a day to give that level of thoughtful listening… let alone write about it. I have two young kids (another on the way), a business to run, a lawn to mow, bass to catch, and I just can’t give every album the attention I think it probably deserves.
We’re still a pretty small team here and there just isn’t enough time to cover everything, but one of our contributing writers, Hill, does a great monthly segment on some of the songs that might’ve snuck through the cracks each month. Titled 40 New Songs That Need To Be On Your Radar, it usually features songs we didn’t get a chance to cover in depth, and in the spirit of that, going forward, we’re gonna shine a spotlight on a few albums from the previous month that we didn’t get to cover in depth.
These won’t be full reviews, but more of a quick-hit recommendation of 5 albums that I’m digging from last month, albums we didn’t cover in a standalone blog, and it won’t cover any of the big album releases that everyone is already well aware of… I don’t need to tell the world that Stella Lefty dropped an album last month… everybody already knows that.
So all that being said, here are my top 5 under-the-radar albums from August:
5. Charlie Worsham – Once Upon A Second Time Around
Charlie Worsham is one of the unsung heroes of the country music world. Ask anybody in the country music industry, anybody who has been around for a minute and knows what they’re talking about, and they’ll tell you that Charlie Worsham is one of the most talented dudes in the whole business. He’s also one of the hardest working, and honestly, his talent is only out-matched by his kind soul.. for as good as he is on the guitar, he’s an even better human.
A phenomenal singer, songwriter, guitar player, producer and all-around musician… the man is just a Swiss Army knife of country music talent who can, and has, played with the best of them time and time again. And while the unfortunate, cruel reality of the entertainment world is that the best and most talented don’t always become the biggest stars, Charlie has put forth a catalog that just continues to get better with age. Charlie released his debut album Rubberband in 2013, and followed it up with another stellar project, Beginning Of Things, in 2017, which was a Top 5 album for Whiskey Riff that year.
And his most recent project, Once Upon a Second Time Around, picks up right where he left off. With features from Lainey Wilson, Stephen Wilson Jr. and the Travelin’ McCourys, it’s quintessential Charlie Worsham… honest songwriting, great pickin’ and the kind of album that you can play all the way through… no skips.
“Years Go By” featuring Stephen Wilson Jr.
4. Kimmi Bitter – Bittersweet
Kimmi Bitter is back with another stellar effort on her sophomore album, Bittersweet. Self-described as a “West Coast Countrypolitan album inspired by surf-soaked guitars, mod glamour, and the psychedelic haze of early California,” I couldn’t have put it better myself. This album is an absolute VIBE… one that takes you back in time for a fun… perhaps nostalgic those old enough to remember… trip to California.
This album almost feels like it belongs in a movie, or in an episode of Mad Men (you know, the ones where Don disappears to California). And that’s really part of the charm… it’s from a different era, but I don’t think you have to have been around in the ’60s to enjoy it. Is it for everyone? No, of course not, but that’s the great thing about music… it doesn’t have to be.
“Return My Stolen Heart”
3. Red Shahan – Hard Land
Red Shahan has been criminally underrated for a while now, but thanks to exposure from Yellowstone creator, Taylor Sheridan, on a few of his different shows, we can hope that Red’s audience is growing. The Yellowstone Effect has been very real for some artists on the show… Whiskey Myers and Shane Smith and the Saints to name a couple. Sheridan actually helped co-write a song on the album.
But Hard Land is essentially inspired by Shahan’s upbringing in Erath County, Texas, and the hard living that comes with living in small town central Texas. Much like Shahan’s music, it’s not flashy or glamourous; it’s honest, rugged and authentic… and simply put, damn good.
“Friends”
2. Silverada – Living Proof
Silverada, formally known as Mike and the Moonpies, continue to be one of the best bands in country music. Of course, the real meat and potatoes here, what makes this band so damn special, is their live show, which is as tight as anyone in the business, but that doesn’t mean the album isn’t stellar as well. Everyday anthems for the common man, Living Proof finds frontman Mike Harmeier taking stock of how far the band has come, examining life on the road, while still looking towards the future, with a sound that feels familiar but refreshing and exciting at the same time.
I think it’s easy for bands to make the same album over and over… if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? But it’s also easy to go too far in trying something new and have fans begging for the old days. Silverada lands right in the sweet spot with Living Proof. Texas honky tonkers at heart, this album is giving a little bit of the Eagles, with a sprinkle of heartland rock vibes, but still features a healthy dose of honky tonk swagger. For me, this one got better and better after a few listens… I recommend you give it a few spins and let it marinate.
“Drag”
1. Brandon Flowers – Thrasher
Did the Killers frontman quietly drop one of the best country albums of the year? Granted, I may be a bit biased because I’m a pretty big fan of the Las Vegas-based rock band, but this solo, country music passion project from Brandon was absolutely fantastic. With an incredibly vivid and captivating brush, Flowers paints the picture of his childhood, growing up in smalltown Nephi, Utah, the heart of Mormon country.
With some of the most vulnerable and personal songwriting of his career (funny how country music is such a natural vessel for pouring your heart out, right?), he tackles his sister fleeing an abusive marriage on “Miss America” and pays tribute to another brother-in-law who passed away suddenly on “One Of Us.” On “Angel,” he tells the story of a Hispanic kid who is a baseball player, but gets a white girl pregnant and ends up bailing on baseball to join the military, falls into a drug-running operation, and winds up in trouble with the law… it’s heavy stuff. There are some Springsteen-esque moments with “Tiger’s Blood” and even some mariachi stylings, but overall, Brandon Flowers puts forth another phenomenal solo project that really does justice, both lyrically and sonically, to the country music genre.
“Miss America”
