Will Hoge continues his signature “rock and roll and country soul” with an insightful and affirmative look into small towns and dreams in his tenth full length record, Small Town Dreams. The album, produced by Marshall Altman, contains eleven tracks, including his current single “Middle of America,” that are well told, thoughtful stories, personal yet identifiable and brought to life by Hoge's signature vocals that paint pictures with believability and soul. 

Things kick off with “Growing Up Around Here” in which he reflects upon where he grew up and makes the realization that typically only comes with age that it wasn’t such a bad place as his younger self might have thought. “I spent seventeen years trying to find a way out/Took a whole lot of miles to know what I know now/I’m kinda proud of growing up around here.”

The themes of small towns, adjusting dreams and finding happiness where you are permeate throughout numerous tracks. The whispered “1,2,3” and the gentle acoustic guitar strumming of “Little Bitty Dreams” is a moving celebration of love and family. The song reminds us that the dreams of youth may not work out the way you originally planned, but it doesn’t mean they didn’t work out the way they were supposed to…and for the better. “’Cause I met you and then I knew that my big dreams were done and I’d settle down in the same small town and swear you were the one/Some might call it giving up, but it don’t feel that way to me/I think it’s just the two of us and our little bitty dreams.”

Whether you’re just beginning as a couple, or have been together for years, the piano laced “Just Up The Road,” targets following those dreams with the one you love while filling the heart with a serenity. “Let’s chase these white lines ‘til we find that promise we’ve never known/Let’s take that fast lane all the way girl/Heavens just up the road……There’s place called forever and we can go there together/We both want something better.”

Rockin’ and edgy, “Guitar Or A Gun” explores a man’s first decision: something that will last forever or something that is for fun, although which one is which is difficult to discern. “One can feed family and one’ll end ya in jail and he seemed to know which one was which me I couldn’t tell.” “Desperate Times,” co-written with Adam Hood, is a swaggering Cajun flavored tune (hand claps!!) about living in times that may test us, but coming out stronger, a survivor. Things shift heavier emotionally in “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To,” an ode to his “solid as the gospel truth” father whom he wants to live up to and emulate. “As I get older I’m standing on your shoulders trying to be just like you/But they don’t make ‘em like they used to.” 

The triad of “Better Than You,” “All I Want Is Us Tonight” and “The Last Thing I Needed” all center on relationships. The first focuses on dealing with the dissolution while the second, with it’s call and response in the vocals, is more about an immediate kind of love, being caught up in the moment and “making another memory we’ll never forget.” The third, (co-written with Chris Stapelton) bluesy and romantic, is about finding your beginning, your lover, and your best friend…even though she may have been “the last thing I needed.”

The album closes with the rollicking, sure to be crowd pleaser, “’Til I Do It Again.” Describing a Saturday night that often spills into Sunday; with good intentions not do to it again, he cant however avoid that “call of the whiskey and wine” that “make a fool of me every damn time.” 

We’ll be waiting for him to do it again, in the meantime Hoge has given us a treasure of an album full of intelligent songs brimming with positivity, insight and soul.

"Superman" is the second single from Anjelia Pelay's upcoming EP The Heart Decides, which was recorded at WAX LTD Studios in Los Angeles with producer Brian Blake. "Superman" is a departure from Pelay's first single "Kiss My Ass," as it showcases a much softer side. The single is a mid-tempo tune about the dissolution of a relationship, remembering the early days when you dreamt of the future together, to growing apart, yet still keeping that person in your heart. Pelay's vocals have a thoughtful, sincere quality that along with the acoustic guitar, banjo and harmonies, convey a fondness for what was, yet a realization that one must move on. 

"You were the one 
And the only
My light when I fell 
To my darkest place
Superman
Always saved me
How could I forget
It was good,  it was great, now you're gone"


For more information visit her official website
"Superman" can be purchased in iTunes

In 2014, Kaitlyn Jackson wowed the American Idol judges with an original song dedicated to her grandfather and made it to the final Hollywood solo rounds. Prior to that, the New York Native got her musical start at the age of 5 singing with her father and has received the Horizon Award for promising new artists by the New York State Country Music Hall of Fame. Additionally, she has opened for major artists including Jamie O’Neal, Kristian Bush and more. In January, the seventeen year old released her self titled album and is poised to release a new single "All The Little Things."

"All The Little Things" is an uplifting single with a mid-tempo melody that showcases Jackson's voice, which has a maturity, strength and realness beyond its years. "All The Little Things" is inspirational and thoughtful; reminding us to be mindful of all of the little miracles that happen around us in daily life that assist in guiding us on our path. 

"All the little things
That you take for granted
Are all the little seeds that God has planted
To keep you on your way toward a better day"Watch the video here
Purchase the single here

Carrie Underwood's "Something in The Water" and Love and Theft's "Whiskey On My Breath" are two recent releases that prominently display faith. The songs remind listeners that country music isn't always all about tailgates and having a good time, and that country music and religion have strong ties. 


Christian singer Tanner Clark is contributing a sizable dose of faith to country radio with the release of  "Cold Water," a song about the importance of faith that has been doing very well on Christian AC radio.

"Cold Water" is not a hymn in the traditional sense. It is a guitar and drum driven track with a very easily likable melody and tempo (reminiscent of "Lean On Me") that delivers an uplifting message of faith, finding God, and becoming a better person.

"So Baptize me down in the cold water
Wash me clean, make me a better man
When I rise You never ever let me falter
So take me down, down in the cold water"

Purchase "Cold Water" here

Watch the video here

Nashville based singer songwriter Jay Taylor released his new EP, Hold On, in January of this year. The five song collection can quite easily be described as diverse. There is some Blues, tinges of Elvis, Rock, Pop and of course, Country. 

"Hello Railroad's" gentle introduction leads into a cadence that feels like a train barreling down the tracks and relates to the lyrics about paving your way and heading out on life's journey. “I'm a drifter/Can't find myself at home.” That song is preceded by "The Light," on which you can hear a 1950's influence and "Hold On," a rockin' country tune, heavy on electric guitar. 

The stand outs of the EP, however, are "How I Wanted" and "The Green Dress Song." The former (with everyone's favorite--harmonica!) tells the story of a relationship that didn't end how he wanted. "You had me chained to your pocket/I was on the end trying to unlock it/Oh how I wanted to/You took me for a ride then you stopped/I saw it all coming, but I didn't get off." The latter, sprinkled with pedal steel, is a true country song about summer love that would sound splendid on country radio.  

You can purchase the EP here

Canadian Country Music Association award winner and Willing Nashville recording artist Bobby Wills just released his new single, “Never Didn’t Love You,” to Country radio in the U.S.

The up tempo song, written by Wills with Walt Aldridge and Mike Pyle, has a driving energy as well as a bevvy of radio ready "nah nah nahs" that you will find yourself singing along to on first listen. "Never Didn't Love You" finds a guy, who didn't seem to say those three words often enough, reflecting on the little things that he loved about his lady including the way she sang along to the radio and how she made him feel strong when she asked him to open a jar. The lyrics, written in the past tense, make the listener wonder if she already left him or he's trying to prevent her from leaving (the video however, offers an entirely different, positive interpretation). Recognizing that "I'm just a guy baby/Not so good with words" he doesn't offer excuses or apologies, but his words are heartfelt and by the end of the song you hope she recognizes that he never didn't love her. 

Whichever way you interpret it, "Never Didn't Love You" is one that would be a welcome addition to terrestrial country radio.

"If I didn't say every single day
It doesn't mean it wasn't true
If I never told you
If I never showed you
If I never shouted from the rooftops
How I felt about you baby
I always believed you'd feel it
And figured you knew
I never didn't love you"

Watch the music video for “Never Didn’t Love You” here

Texas crooner Pat Waters & The Chainlink Band’s debut single "Crazy That Way" has recently been released to radio. The track is from their latest EP, Like A Radio, which was released in February. 

"Crazy That Way," written by David Lee, Tony Lane and Eric Church (yes, that Eric Church), definitely has an early Church feel, even in the way Waters delivers the lyrics; lyrics that showcase the values of marriage, family, honesty and hard work. Waters conveys thoughts like "You can't hold your head up when you got your hand out" in a believable and relateble manner. He and the song are never preachy; he's more like the everyman who is seen as the "crazy" one for still believing in traditional values (quite often missing in today's society). While you are humming or toe tapping along, really listen to the lyrics because you might just find yourself recognizing that you too are "crazy that way."

"Well I don't care if you're a four door Chevy man
Red state or blue state we're all the same
I'd fight for your right to tell me I'm wrong
That's just me, and I'm crazy that way
Wrong is wrong and right is right
I do means I do and it don't mean I might
It could be that I've gone completely plum out of my mind"

Terrestrial country radio is missing what made country music great: meaningful story songs with a traditional sound. However flipping through the channels, I heard something that made me stop and do a double take: Love and Theft's "Whiskey On My Breath." The single, written by Stephen Barker Liles with Tyler Reeve, Trent Tomlinson, Russell Dickerson, Adam Craig and Mark McGuinn, is the first from their latest (and independent) album of the same name which was released in February.

"Whiskey On My Breath" is a meaningful, honest and emotional song about a man living with an addiction that cost him dearly: "I lost her and all my friends/Broke all but one of my Lord's ten." Although he seemingly is resolved to those losses, he strives to "pull himself together" before he meets Jesus, an event that does hold importance to him. The instrumentation, as well as the duo's vocals and immaculate harmonies, convey a sadness, vulnerability and even determination. 

"Oh I know I'm going to Heaven
But I can't go with me like this
I need to pull myself together before then
Lord I ain't afraid of dying
But what scares me to death
Is meeting Jesus with whiskey on my breath"

Undoubtedly, "Whiskey On My Breath" is Love and Theft's best single to date. The song can currently be heard on Sirius XM as a Highway Find.

Jordyn Stoddard's debut album, Southern Tide, will be released on March 9th. The album was produced by Grammy Award winner David Hall and mastered by Tom Coyne, who recently won seven Grammys for his work on both Taylor Swift's and Sam Smith's albums. Additionally, the album features current ACM Guitarist of the Year Rob McNelley on lead guitar. Recorded at Blackbird Studios, Southern Tide contains eleven tracks including her current single "Like Me 'Til You Love Me" and a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams."

Stoddard shows versatility on sorrowful ballads ("The Clown") and lighter, breezy summer fare ("Southern Tide"). Her etheral voice on "Burn Out Bright," a song about remembering an evening that was "perfect for a moment", is reminiscent of Taylor Swift while "No One Wins" demonstrates a darker feel both melodically and in her delivery. Personal favorite "Disasterpiece," about finally moving on after the end of a relationship, packs the proverbial emotional punch. Whether it has only been a few years ago, or many, "Sixteen" will make you feel nostalgic for that age when love was new and worries were few and far between. "Heart First" about diving "down to the bottom of your, your love," "Politician," a clever song that compares a (not so honest) guy to an elected official and "Talk Like That" round out the album.

Stoddard's debut showcases a young woman with a bright future and is one that should appeal to all generations of music lovers.

Purchase the album here: iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/southern-tide/id964298782

Iowa native Diana Upton-Hill is making her debut on the country scene with the release of her album Do Love Well. The record contains six songs, including the lovely title track written by Mitch Goudy, on which her Broadway ready voice relays an encouraging and inspiring message. 

Upton-Hill has said, "As a woman, I understand many of the day-to-day triumphs and struggles we experience in life,” says Diana. “If we focus on what's going wrong, that is all we see. But if we step back and look at all our blessings, all our beautiful perfections (and imperfections), we realize that life is full of wonder. Our spirit can be overflowing with love & joy if we would only allow it. To get love, we not only must give it; we must show it and we must do it. That's where ‘Do Love Well’ comes from. It's not about a feeling or emotion; it's about taking action and making choices to put love first.”

Things take a vibrant, rocking turn on "Southern Gentleman" an ode to those God fearing boys from Alabama, Mississippi and other southern states who treat girls like ladies from pulling out a chair to carrying your bags and saying yes ma'am. "Aim's Gettin' Better" has an old time-y acoustic introduction then goes full on dance hall number about a country girl with a broken heart and what shes' going to do about it while "Remember the Fighter," about following your heart, and dreams, leans slightly more pop. "What My Love Sounds Like" and "Take Me Away" round out the record. The former is a sweet mid-tempo love song while the latter, and closing track, is a ballad about how in a relationship, actions speak louder than words.

"Do Love Well" is an album that is, well...done well. The record is varied, yet a cohesive unit and Upton Hill's voice, clear and rich, is one that was meant for radio (or the stage).

Recorded with Grammy-award winning producer Bryan White, Do Love Well will be released on March 10th. That particular date was chosen because of its connection to Women’s History Month and National Women’s Day Sunday, March 8th.