This week’s crop of new music features songs from mainstream country hitmakers, rising artists and surging alt-country successes. This week’s songs highlight a slate of collaborations. Singer, songwriter and host of Apple Music’s “Today’s Country” Kelleigh Bannen teams with Lady A’s Charles Kelley for the song “Nothin’s On,” while MacKenzie Carpenter teams with trio Midland for “I Wish You Would.” Also, Aubry Rodriguez, daughter of country star Johnny Rodriguez, teams with Vinny Tovar on a remake of Rodriguez’s classic “Pass Me By.”
Check out all of these and more in Billboard’s roundup of some of the top releases in country, bluegrass and Americana of the week below:
Kelleigh Bannen and Charles Kelley, “Nothin’ On”
Bannen offers a potent reminder of her musical talent as she teams with Kelley for this moody, pop-leaning, post-breakup slow burn of two ex-lovers who can’t quite move on, despite ample temptations and efforts to do so. Their pitch-perfect harmonies and angst-filled vocals elevate the yearning and emotional tug-of-war the song’s characters are navigating, with Kelley’s ever-soulful voice pairing well with Bannen’s warm, pristine vocal. Bannen wrote “Nothin’ On” with Claire Douglas and Will Bowen, with production by Logan Wall.
Charles Wesley Godwin, “It’s The Little Things”
Godwin’s attuned songwriting and gruff-yet-honeyed voice broke through on albums including How The Mighty Fall and Family Ties. On his latest song, Godwin sings about the struggle to refrain from pining over big, make-or-break moments–or as he sings, “the big pay, the big show”–and learning to focus on the smaller moments that lean toward peace more than prideful gain, and harboring those moments with just as much appreciation. This solo write from Godwin, produced by Al Torrence, will be featured on his upcoming seven-song EP, Lonely Mountain Town, out Feb. 28 on Big Loud.
Vinny Tovar and Aubry Rodriguez, “Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through)”
Aubry Rodriguez, daughter of country music star Johnny Rodriguez, teams with Vinny Tovar (“Gator Boots,” “Leaving With My Heart”) for a fiddle-drenched remake of Rodriguez’s 1972 classic “Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through).” Their voices blend gloriously on this fresh yet stone-cold country rendering of the song, which highlights the enduring heritage of Latino country music. The video for the song, filmed at San Antonio venue The Lonesome Rose, also features a cameo from Johnny Rodriguez.
Mackenzie Carpenter feat. Midland, “I Wish You Would”
The collabs continue with this sensual pairing between Carpenter and Midland lead singer Mark Wystrach. The song centers around two people who find the sparks of a potential romance in a dingy, late-night dive bar. Their vocal chemistry and mutual affinity for a retro-country sound is undeniable, and this tale of an evening spent drinking, singing karaoke and hoping this dive-bar connection could turn into more serves as a perfect sonic setting. Carpenter wrote the song with Jonathan Hutcherson, Jamie Moore and Chris Tompkins, and the song is set to be featured on Carpenter’s debut album Hey Country Queen, which will be released in March.
Angel White, “Running in Place”
White crafts a powerful track centering on the intertwining of identity, family, love, broken truths, and lineage, as White sings potently and vulnerably about processing hard familial truths. At once soulful, country and introspective, this song marks one of White’s best to date, and one that highlights his rugged, engaging voice. Written by White and Dwight A. Baker, with production by Baker, this marks a powerful preview to White’s upcoming March album, Ghost of the West: The Album.
Belle Frantz, “Do Ya”
Mississippi native Frantz has made a name for herself through lending her rich, resonant voice to cover versions of ballads made popular by Reba McEntire and Loretta Lynn. Here, she offers up a new song, written by Frantz, Brandon Hood and Bart Butler, as part of the soundtrack to the hit series Landman. An uptempo, ’90s country-inflected track chockfull of pickup lines and paired with Frantz’s bold, Southern twang, it proves she can handle flirty, uptempo fare just as adeptly as she sings those classic ballads.
