The Boot’s Weekly Picks: Van Andrew, Rachel Wammack + More
Every week, The Boot highlights recent favorites from country, Americana and everything in between. In each list, music fans will find picks from our contributing team that we think you'll love. Keep reading to check out the latest installment of The Boot's Weekly Picks.
Van Andrew
"Sad Cowboys and Rock and Roll"You may recognize Van Andrew from his time as a contestant during Season 19 of The Voice, but the Nashville-based singer-songwriter has recently earned a new audience through TikTok. His dreamy new single "Sad Cowboys and Rock and Roll" is one of the latest tunes to unexpectedly go viral on the app, and for good reason.
Propelled by Andrew's gripping vocals, melodic accompaniment from Victoria Bigelow and soaring pedal steel and guitar from Juan Solorzano, the track's mystical soundscape elevates its poetic lyrical depictions of romantic escapism. -- Lorie Liebig
Rachel Wammack
"Like Me"After two years of not releasing music, powerhouse country vocalist Rachel Wammack is back with a brand-new song, "Like Me." Co-written by Wammack with Kelly Archer and Thomas Salter, the autobiographical tune candidly chronicles the singer's personal struggles with self-doubt, insecurities and unending comparison.
"I only post pictures where I look pretty / 'Cause if I'm not honest, I can be perfect / If I keep listening to my insecurities / I'll get 'em all to love me, but boy is it worth it?" she sings in a verse with an aching tear in her voice.
Of her vulnerable tune, Wammack says that she hopes "people who have experienced similar struggles will be able to relate to it and know that they don’t have to change who they are to be liked.” -- Jeremy Chua
Lund
"Paper Tiger"In "Paper Tiger," Lund (aka Asheville's Nicole Lund) punctures overinflated masculinity with a slinky, grungy groove. lund's voice is smooth as honey, a sharp contrast to the song's swampy groove and gritty guitars. The band soars in time with lund's takedown of men who think they are better — or more dangerous — than they actually are. It's the first song off her debut LP Right This Time, out Sept. 9, and it speaks of great things to come. -- Rachel Cholst
Drew Green
"This Miller Lite of Mine"Rising artist Drew Green puts a fresh spin on the enduring gospel tune "This Little Light of Mine" with his reimagined country version, "This Miller Lite of Mine." As one can guess, this summery number tips its hat to the often-sang-about country lifestyle of drinks, party and a jolly good time. It is summer after all, which is what makes Green's euphoric (and very catchy) new tune the perfect soundtrack to the season.
"This Miller Lite of mine / I'm gonna drink all night / This Miller Lite of mine / I'm gonna drink all night / Drink all night, drink all night, drink all night," Green proclaims in the spirited, singalong chorus. -- Jeremy Chua
Timothy Alice and the Dead Star Band
"Winning Number"Timothy Alice and the Dead Star Band recorded "Winning Number" in the deep freeze of a Buffalo, N.Y. winter -- and you can hear that bleakness in the song. Delivered with soulfulness, the song touches on the yearning of a quiet life in the Rust Belt. It's Americana storytelling at its best, with a sense of grit and life to it. -- Rachel Cholst
The Mars MacClanes
"The Liar"The Mars MacClanes marry the heavy intensity of Pacific Northwest rock with the rollicking honky-tonk of Dallas, where they spent years cutting their teeth. On "The Liar," the Portland-based band sketches a portrait of a compulsive, if harmless, liar with frenetic punk rock energy and country rock humor. The character feels complete and lived in, no small feat matched by The Mars MacClanes' frenetic energy. -- Rachel Cholst
Jo Smith
"Ammunition"Singer-songwriter and Navy Intelligence Officer Jo Smith blends classic storytelling and traditional instrumentation with a modern-day delivery on her latest track, "Ammunition." The song, which she co-wrote with folk artist Josh O’Keefe, is filled with nuggets of life wisdom and serves as a mini guidebook of sorts to those needing a little encouragement.
"A gun is just a toy without the ammunition / A man is just a boy without a little ambition / A prayer without a little faith is nothing but superstition / Like a gun is just a toy without the ammunition," goes the plain-spoken chorus.
Sonically, "Ammunition" also boasts a Latin flair that takes listeners back to the yesteryears of old western films. -- Jeremy Chua
Bill Scorzari
"I-70"Bill Scorzari's sandy blast suggests he was born to sing tales of the dusty highway. In fact, Scorzari was a trial lawyer in New York City before hanging it up to tour, the setting for "I-70," in which he fights the literal winds to make it back to the East Coast to care for his mother.
The song's surging melody and Scorzari's impassioned punk-influenced performance calls to mind vintage Two Cow Garage. There's more to come from his album The Crosswinds of Kansas, out this Friday, Aug. 19. -- Rachel Cholst
Mariel Buckley
"Driving Around"Mariel Buckley's heart takes her on a voyage in her new song, "Driving Around." The wistful and ruminative Americana tune digs deep and harkens back to Buckley's early years. Throughout the song, its lyrical narrative, composed solely by Buckley, details fond childhood memories and the present-day freedom she found in passionate, lovestruck moments.
"'Cause when the lights come on / And the sun goes down / I'm gonna lay you down In the backseat of whatever / I'm drivin', drivin' around," Buckley sings over pedal steels moans and a pensive melody.
"Driving Around" is featured on Buckley's sophomore album, Everywhere I Used to Be. The autobiographical 10-song set was produced by Marcus Paquin (The Weather Station, The Barr Brothers, Arcade Fire, The National, Julia Jacklin). -- Jeremy Chua