The Cadillac Three’s ‘Dirt Road Nights’ + 12 More New Songs You’ve Got to Hear [LISTEN]
Country stars dropped quite the stacked lineup of new tunes this week. Read on to get to know all the newest tracks!
The Cadillac Three, "Dirt Road Nights":
The Cadillac Three's latest release, "Dirt Road Nights," is a sweet and reminiscent track about the fun a couple can have keeping themselves busy in a small town. The song is sparked by an old flame, who shows up in her old hometown bar and runs into her past.
From there, the pair start reconnecting, and they talk about all the fun they used to have during their "Dirt Road Nights." The group sings, “Do you remember the time the cops showed up / Poured out our beers and put me in cuffs / Well, they kept 'em on super tight / Till they called your daddy and he showed / And he never liked me after that /Wanna split and head back down that road?” "Dirt Road Nights" will appear on The Cadillac Three’s upcoming release, Country Fuzz, expected on Feb. 7. -- CC
Luke Combs feat. Eric Church, "Does to Me":
Together, Luke Combs and Eric Church make for the kind of collaboration country fans dream about. Now, that duet is getting even better: Combs took to Twitter to announce that his Church collaborations, “Does to Me,” will be his eighth single coming to country radio soon.
The singer explained how he was able to get Church onboard “Does to Me,” saying “Ray Fulcher, Tyler Reeve and I loved the song when we wrote it back in 2016 and thought it sounded like a Church song. We joked about getting it to him, but at the time we had no way to get in touch with him." A little later on, with Combs’ access to fellow artists at an all time high, he was able to make the connection, "I never wanted Eric to feel like it was something he had to be a part of, but thankfully he loved the song when I sent it to him and helped us take it to another level." -- CC
Carly Pearce, "You Kissed Me First":
Carly Pearce drops another flirty, romantic taste off her forthcoming self-titled second album with "You Kissed Me First," a song all about the early stages in a relationship. The song fits perfectly into Pearce's own love story with her husband and fellow artist Michael Ray, so it may surprise some fans that it's actually one of the songs on the record that she didn't write.
Ace Nashville songwriters Josh Kear, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson are actually the minds behind "You Kissed Me First." However, according to an Instagram post from Pearce, it was pretty clear in the writing room that the "I Hope You're Happy Now" singer would be a perfect fit for the track.
"I’ll never forget sitting on my bus one night and getting a text that Hillary Lindsey had sent this song for me to hear because she wrote it with me in mind," Pearce writes."The minute I heard it, I knew she had yet again written a moment in my story." -- CL
Randy Rogers Band, "You, Me and a Bottle":
When things get tough in life, the men of the Randy Rogers Band know all you need is your special someone and a bottle of something strong. In “You, Me and a Bottle,” the group sings how things melt away with the right combination. “Under chandelier skies / Shining down on that look in your eye / Let's let another glass slow down the going too fast," the band sings. "Problems, no we ain't got em / When it's just you, me, and a bottle.” "You, Me and A Bottle" appears on the group’s latest album release, Hellbent. -- CC
Reckless Kelly, "I Only See You With My Eyes Closed":
It's been quite a while since Reckless Kelly had new music to share, but now, the band is making up for lost time. Their first offering since 2015's Sunset Motel is "I Only See You With my Eyes Closed," the opening track off one of two forthcoming albums: American Jackpot and American Girls.
We were actually going to put [American Jackpot] out last year," the band explains to Billboard. "I ended up having this idea to make it a double record at the last minute. We went back into the studio a few months after we had wrapped it up and decided to take our time and not rush it. Since it had already been awhile we wanted to do it right, so we just took our time with it." -- CL
CJ Solar, "Coming My Way":
The acclaimed singer-songwriter known for penning hits like Morgan Wallen's "Up Down" has unleashed a country banger of his own in "Coming My Way." The song celebrates all the fun of letting your hair down and letting the good times roll, set to Lynyrd Skynyrd-inspired riffs. Solar's "Coming My Way" is headed to country radio, as the singer heads out on the road to join Aaron Watson for a handful of tour dates in late January and early February. -- CL
The War and Treaty, "Jealousy":
The War and Treaty's groove-heavy new release, "Jealousy" spotlights the husband-and-wife duo's signature call-and-response vocals and penchant for harmony. "I don't want a love that hates me / The kind of love that berates me / I don't want that, I don't want that love," the pair sing in the foot-stomping, string-swirling chorus of the song.
"Jealousy" is the first music the War and Treaty have shared since signing to Rounder Records, along with another track they dropped at the same time, "Hustlin'." They're also the reigning Emerging Act of the Year at the Americana Honors & Awards. -- CL
Puss N Boots, "It's Not Easy":
The women of Puss N Boots -- Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, and Catherine Popper -- have shared the first single off of their upcoming album, Sister. Throughout the song, the women sing about how it's not easy to make the mistakes that they have and the hardships that come along with a complicated relationship.
“We were rehearsing for something and we took a break,” Popper explains in a press release about the group’s new music. “I sat at the drums and started messing around, Norah came back and picked up a guitar and riffed, and Sasha picked up the bass, and in an hour we had ‘It’s Not Easy.’ My bandmates just love to make music and it’s been a great learning experience for me about setting my ego aside and taking a chance.” Sister will be released on Feb. 14. -- CC
Katie Pruitt, "Grace Has a Gun":
Katie Pruitt's “Grace Has a Gun” tells an all-too-real story of a couple struggling to make things work. “In a relationship centered around the toxicity of mental illness, I learned firsthand how difficult it is to love someone that doesn’t love themselves,” explains Pruitt in a press release about the song.
She continues, “The red flags you are willing to miss and the burdens you are willing to carry, because you are under the impression that you could be their cure. Only to learn, that loving someone this self-destructive will only kill you both.” "Grace Has a Gun" will appear on Pruitt's debut album, Expectations, that will be released later this month. -- CC
Della Mae, "First Song Dancer":
Della Mae has released a fun-loving song that gives thanks to all the people whohave the time of their lives when at concerts. “First Song Dancer” is an appreciation anthem for those fans in the crowd that jump right into things and start letting loose immediately.
"First Song Dancer" appears on Headlight, the band's first full-length release in five years. The group's Kimber Ludiker explained what exactly a “First Song Dancer” is in a press release, describing them as "that person in the audience who gives you all their energy right off the bat, and makes you feel like you're up there for a reason." -- CC
Granville Automatic, "Twentynine Palms":
Inspired by their time in Joshua Tree National Park, Granville Automatic have released "Twentynine Palms." In addition to taking inspiration from their beautiful natural surroundings, Granville Automatic said in a press release that the song is also based off a novel written by they friend Deanne Stillman. The song itself sounds like the duo, comprised of Vanessa Olivarez and Elizabeth Elkins, are telling a rich story steeped in mystery. -- CC
James Robert Webb, "Think About It":
Chances are, you’re reading this on your phone and if not your phone, definitely a digital device of some sort. This dependence on our screens is the inspiration behind James Robert Webb’s uptempo “Think About It.” Webb explains in a press release, "this song dares us to turn our screens off and truly connect with those around us. Get outside, act like a kid and revel in the splendor of this world.” "Think About It" was written by Webb along with Shelby Lee Lowe and Alex Dooley. -- CC
Lilly Hiatt, "P-Town":
Lilly Hiatt's jangly, free-wheeling "P-Town" is the new single off her forthcoming album, Walking Proof. There's a swagger to the song, but Hiatt admits that it took her some time to put an uptempo spin on "P-Town"'s subject matter -- a trip to Portland, Ore. that went awry.
"It was a fun song to write, but had I written it two years ago, there would have been a little more pain," she tells PopMatters. "To me, it's a bit funny, and I can have a laugh to myself about the whole week. It's impossible to be a visitor there and not have a great time, but somehow in that week, I was able to get wrapped up in a frenzy of emotion." Walking Proof is due out March 27. -- CL