Yes Dear, comprised of members Joey Boone, Josh Jackson & Locke Sandahl, is a three-piece acoustic band from Nashville, TN that draws from a wide range of music including Classic & Southern Rock, Americana, Country and Folk.

Their self titled debut record was released in December 2014 and includes six new tracks, as well as two covers, “Rusty Old American Dreamer” and “Baby Don’t Go,” on which their stellar harmonies kick off the album. The rest of the project includes feel good love songs like “Somebody Like You,” on which they sing about being “as ordinary as a Christmas light stroll in June/Thank God for sending somebody like me somebody like you” and “Rosa,” a mid-tempo tune about a female who wants to live with no regrets that emotionally connects with the listener.

You’ll find a little more guitar and keen observations such as “funny how a group classified as a party gets to live it up on my dime” in "Na Na." “Things That Little Girls Do” is an absolute gem of a song about being amazed and in love with one’s daughter and the adorable things she does, from decorating his truck with Barbie stickers to sharing cereal bowls. The song is touching with the mandolin adding a definite sweetness.

The album rounds out with “If You Weren’t Here Today” and “Train Bound for Anywhere.” The former is a funny little country ditty about a man dealing with certain criticisms from his lady, from telling him how to drive, cringing when he speaks, and critiquing what he wears to church. The latter with its old time country flavor is about a man leaving the “devil woman” that “can’t tie me down.” It has an irresistible melody and those superb harmonies.

Yes Dear’s album is definitely one you can say yes to, check it out.

You can purchase Yes Dear's debut album at cdbaby and iTunes.

Texas Country Showdown artist Briana Tyson's newest single, “Moonshine," paints the picture of young love and a carefree day by the river. The female in the song takes the lead, encouraging her guy to hop into that truck and spend the day (and night) together under the influence of a little moonshine "killing time before church tomorrow morning." The instrumentation, along with her strong, faultless vocals, gives the song a sweetly romantic and sexy feel without being salacious. 
"Moonshine" has a relaxed, laid back groove that will have you yearning for a little romance, long lazy days and warmer weather. 

"We go down to the swimming hole
Those Crickets singing better than the radio
We're Skinny dippin' midnight sippin' all I need is a little more you
We'll hang our clothes out on the tailgate
I don’t care if were home late
We got a whole lot of nothing to do
And a little bit of moonshine"

You can watch the official video here

Usually I’m skeptical when artists put out a Christmas cd, however, the family trio The Henningsens definitely make the season merry and bright with their holiday release, Our Family Christmas. The ten tracks celebrate the season, and its reason, blending tradition and twang into a collection of enjoyable Christmas songs.

The music begins with “Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas Baby Jesus.” It’s a honky tonkin’ happy birthday ode that will have you singing along, even if you are not religious. From there, the album mixes festive favorites, including “Holly Jolly Christmas,” whose classic feel is enhanced by the sound of a record player and a very cute speaking part, with religious carols. Their gorgeous take on “Carol of the Bells” is peaceful and reverent as is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Clara’s vocals are on point throughout, but especially stand out on beautiful renditions of “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night.” The threesome take turns speaking “The Christmas Story” while a gentle guitar and mandolin strum in the background and are joined by Jerrod Niemann on the enjoyable “Christmas Kisses.” Closing out the record, appropriately, is “Auld Lang Syne” on which their lovely harmonies are on full display.

The entire record, from the vocals to the instrumentation, is a delight. Let The Henningsens family be a part of your family’s Christmas.

Purchase Our Family Christmas here

Singer songwriter Tom Monahan’s recently released EP is a four song collection about familiar topics including life, love, loss, and friendship. The EP definitely has a traditional sound that incorporates country, Americana and folk nicely. The melancholy opening track “Could It Be You,” about moving on after a relationship, segues into “She’s My Friend” a lovely song about true love.

Standout track “Such A Long Time Ago” is a delightful fiddle centered ballad about the inability to forget a first love. The EP concludes with “No Shame,” a song about the complexities of relationships, which is ominous & conflicting in both Tom’s vocals and melody. Throughout the EP, Tom’s delivery is emotional while the use of traditional instruments & the atmosphere the songs set make for an EP worthy of a listen.

Singer songwriter Cory Bishop spent a semester in Seminary before dropping out for good to pursue music. He has said "I see it now as my job and my duty to craft songs that can help people catch a glimpse of hope; catch a glimpse of love and redemption." It is a job he most certainly does well on his self-titled EP released this past October. The five tracks, all written by Bishop, tackle soul searching, love, guilt, and redemption in story songs that will leave you feeling.

The record leads off with “You Can’t Take Me,” a soul searching tune with an opening line that speaks a universal truth “We’re all a little bruised/We’re all a little broken.” The mandolin infused “Carolina,” whether a place, person, or both, is about moving on and travelling new roads, literally and figuratively. Standout track “Crown of Thorns” is so detailed, raw and honest it made me angry and sad. Hung-over and guilt ridden he tells a one night stand “When we wake I’m gonna take back everything I say/But you’ll never get back what you’re letting me steal away/It’s far more real than it seems/Although I’ll shake it off just like a dream.”

After that song emotionally drains you, “Wherever You Are, Babe,” will lift the spirits with its harmonica (for which I am a total sucker) and horns. A break up song that finds him looking forward with promise rather than lamenting what was lost.“I’ve played your lover, but I won’t play your fool.” The EP closes with “Honey I Ain’t” a delightful, uplifting song about love, acceptance and promising to stay in a world where people leaving/giving up is the norm. “We hung our love out on the clothes line/The world could end tonight and that’s fine/There are no names left to be learned/No wages I’ve left to earn/Since I’ve met you no pages left to turn.”

Well written lyrics and lovely melodies delivered by a voice truthful, grounded and warm, Bishop simply makes good music--and that is something to be appreciated.  

To purchase the EP visit here

US fans were introduced to Canadian Dallas Smith last year with his high energy single “Tippin Point,” which set the record for the fastest Canadian single to go GOLD and has since been certified platinum in Canada. Additionally, Smith gained new fans opening for Florida Georgia Line on  their US Tour and taking part in their recent cruise. Continuing to bridge the gap between rock and country, Smith will release a new EP, Lifted, on November 24th. The seven track collection includes six new songs, as well as a live version of “Tippin' Point.”

Lifted’s tracks showcase a diverse sound from Dallas's previous offerings while maintaining his unique energy. The themes of relationships and love run through the songs, whether they are straight up country rockers (“Thinkin’ Bout You”) or ballads (“Heat Rises”). In addition, the traditional instruments used, banjo and pedal steel, blend well with the rock crunch of the electric guitar. Carrying it all are Smith’s vocals which keep the rocker edge, while also bringing a country warmth and believability.

“Wasting Gas,” his current release on Sirius XM’s The Highway, is a road-trip anthem celebrating young love and its no-particular-place-to-go mentality. The title track reminisces on riding the dreams of youth; remembering the time when “we were high on nothing but living and loving running own something called a dirt road dream.” The destined to be a hit, “Cheap Seats,” will be the song of the summer 2015 due not only to its massively infectious melody, but its highly identifiable lyrics. Finally, in “Just Say When,” he's ready for a relationship, but is waiting on her to give him the green light. "Just lettin' ya know/I'm sittin' on go/I'm ready to roll/Just needin' to know/Baby if you're in."  

Be ready to feel Lifted when you listen.

Recording artist Austin Webb is preparing to release new music in 2015 via Streamsound Records. The new single, “All Country On You,” is produced by Grammy-award winner and Streamsound Records co-owner Byron Gallimore, (producer of Tim McGraw, Sugarland, Faith Hill) and is set to impact country radio on January 5th.

"All Country On You" was co-written by Mark Irwin, Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins, the songwriters behind such hits as "Before He Cheats" and "Redneck Crazy." The single best can be described as a fun, up-tempo song about what can happen if a guy wrongs his girl, but with a twist.....said guy takes full responsibility for her actions: " But you can't blame no one else/When you brought it all on yourself." The lyrics go onto describe what a girl might do when she goes "all country on you" while the undeniably appealing melody is one that will be stuck in your head at first note.

"Don't tick her off, break her heart, tell her lies,
Don't feed her any lipstick alibis
Ain't nothing she cant see through
No telling what she might do"

On the new single, Webb shares, "I know for a fact country girls are the best kind of girls, but they certainly don’t take any BS. The first time I heard the lyric 'going all Carrie Underwood on my truck' I was sold immediately. I’ve made my share of mistakes and learned the hard way what can happen if you mess it up. This song emphasizes the fact that you better treat your girl right… or she’ll go 'all country on you'."

For more information visit his official website

Singer songwriter Adam Hood released his fourth album, Welcome to the Big World, on November 4th. The Kickstarter funded project contains eleven tracks all of which he co-wrote. Hood is an artist, a singer, a picker, but above all he is a stellar songwriter; a storyteller whose album encompasses stories about life, love, family and the road. The stories, all united by Hood's warm, familiar vocals, are authentic, intimate and personal, yet relatable to the listener, making Welcome To The Big World, quite possibly, his best album yet.

The album starts off with the humorous, rockin’ and bluesy “Don’t That Sound Like Love” and segues nicely into “Trying to Write a Love Song,” which was a Top 5 hit on the Texas charts. Things take a quieter turn from there, but in a most wonderful way. Three songs in, the title track is definitely a centerpiece to the album. Sit back, listen to the lyrics and let them sink in--they’ll strike a chord.

Multiple tracks nicely tie together, referencing life on the road and missing the ones you love. The mid-tempo “Bar Band,” with its sing along city shout out chorus isn’t about carousing, rather it talks about Friday nights and those “good ole boys packed into a beat up van” who’ve “got it made, playin’ in a bar band.” The beautifully sad "Postcards and Payphones" (co-written with Will Hoge) expresses the loneliness of missing the ones you love so perfectly, it’s palpable. Finally, “Way Too Long” deals with the distance the road puts between people; tired and lonesome, needing her to meet him in the middle. “This place couldn’t be any colder, I need your head on my shoulder, my hearts been breaking way too long.”

In personal favorite, “Stars around a Cajun Moon” (can someone please sing this song to me??), the sweetly romantic mood is set by the accordion as he sings about returning from California to the one he loves. “I’m gonna hold her tight and kiss her and tell her just how much I missed her.”

The emotional “He Did” is reflective both lyrically and melodically (another song you can feel). In it he sings of his father and how he now does things like he did (like learning to like coffee and fixing things with a wrench) and how being like him brings him a sense of joy. “And out of all I dreamed I’d become, it’s the one thing I’m proud that I’ve done.”

Also on the album is “Whole Lot of Hard Work” which is about what it takes to make a relationship work, noting that “This road ain’t for the weak or for the faint of heart.” The album closes with a song about the end of a relationship, “I Took a Train,” that also contains one of the best opening lines in recent memory, “When she caught romantic fever I knew it was time to leave.”

Welcome to the big world indeed. If it’s a world filled with Hood’s music and storytelling, then it’s definitely a nice world to be in.

For more information on Adam Hood visit his official website.

During his short career, Matt VanFossen has shared the stage with national recording artists including David Nail, Craig Campbell, Brooks & Dunn, and more. In 2013, he was asked to become one of the main stage artists at the Ohio-based ‘Jamboree in the Hills’ festival. For the past two years, he has opened up for the likes of Neal McCoy, Aaron Tippin, and The Oak Ridge Boys.

With the release of his new EP, BOOM, Matt VanFossen should prepare to take his career to exciting new levels. The EP is a collection of five songs, including the hard rocking title track (and current single), which has already become a fan favorite. The rest of the EP showcases Matt’s diversity from the driving “Close If It Ain’t” to the mid tempo “She’s Just Like That,” which describes the intensity of love and on which his warm, enveloping vocals really shine.

A standout track is “Get To You,” a beautiful piano based ballad about how he would relive a painful relationship over again so long as it would bring him to his new love."I don’t know how, but I know when I started living when you walked in/I felt something I wasn’t sure of until you showed me your love/I’d do anything I’d have to do/I’d even relive all the hell I went through/I’d get hurt again to feel your love come true/I’d go back to her just to get to you."

My personal favorite, and radio ready single, “Time Ain’t What It Used To Be” reflects on one’s carefree younger days and the passage of time. "Don’t it seem like the clock ticks faster/Don’t it feel like a moment don’t last/All that time on our hands gone as quick as your fingers can snap/There was a time when the world spun around us/And we had forever to chase our dreams/Oh but time ain't what it used to be.”

Matt VanFossen's EP has something for everyone. Definitely give it a listen.

The EP is available at all digital outlets and is distributed by TuneCore.