2023 has already been a great year for country music! Read along below for a list of our favorite songs, in no particular order, released this year so far!
Your Love- Wynn Williams
If you’re on the hunt for a song to cruise down the highway to with the windows down and your favorite shotgun rider, look no further than Wynn Williams’ first single release of 2023. As we’ve come to expect from Williams, the song is loaded with fiddle and comes equipped with a singalong chorus that’s sure to become an earworm.
Town Left Me- Mae Estes
Mae Estes has been on a steady ascent for years, and with the release of her debut EP, Before the Record, in February, she kept that momentum rolling forward. The rock-solid vocal track on track five perfectly captures the emotions of a hometown not being as familiar as it once was. Estes told us that the song still makes her emotional, and listeners can certainly feel that.
Broken Beautiful- Shelby Lee Lowe
It took us about three seconds into “Broken Beautiful” to know we were going to be massive fans. The piano, guitar and steel intro immediately captivated us, and when Lowe’s soulful vocal comes in shortly after, we were hooked. With “Broken Beautiful,” Lowe pays homage to single mothers that is sure to tug on the heartstrings every time.
Still Have Some Cowboy Left- David Adam Byrnes
We truly believe the last stretch of releases is far and away the best work of David Adam Byrnes career to date. His newest effort is a piece of Texas country gold chock full of fiddle and steel that will be sure to pack the dancehall floors as Byrnes sends a love letter into the cowboy way of life once the work day ends.
Weddings, Funerals & Empty Hotel Bars- Erin Endedlin
For many years, Erin Enderlin has proven that she can write a masterclass on sad songs. The instrumentation here is sparse, allowing Enderlin’s storytelling to take the forefront. Enderlin transports listeners beside her on a barstool as she paints a picture of heartbreak and loneliness, and that’s what great songs do.
State You Left Me In- Jake Worthington
When a song like “State You Left Me In” is an album opener, you know you’re in for quite a record, and man, what a record Jake Worthington released this year. The track is a tear-in-your-beer, country-as-hell tune that would’ve fit perfectly on a Mark Chesnutt album in his heyday. This song, and the album as a whole, are a massive win for our kind of country music.
Rosemary- SJ McDonald
The recent string of murder-country tunes being released has been quite the welcome sight. SJ McDonald turned in a bluegrassy number that chastises an abuser and sees him getting what he has coming to him. With an up-tempo melody full of dobro and fiddle, mixed with McDonald’s smooth vocal, who would’ve thought murder could sound so fun?
We Were Livin’- Taylor Tumlinson
At our core, we’re clingers to sad ol’ songs, and with her debut album, Taylor Tumlinson turned in a great one with “We Were Livin’.” Capturing the emotions of packing away memories from an old flame that has burned out, Tumlinson delivers an emotional vocal that propels us directly into that moment, and that’s what a great song does.
God and the Ground She Walked On- Craig Campbell
When Campbell shared a snippet of this song in August of 2021, we were instantly hooked. When it was released in February of this year, it blew even our highest expectations out of the water. First of all, what an absolute gem of a title. Secondly, Campbell nails the vocal. It’s country as hell, and it’s a monster of a song.
2 Steppin’- Amanda Fields
The sign of a great record is ever-evolving favorite tunes on it. Since the release of Amanda Fields’ debut album, What, When and Without in February, we’ve had no less than four different favorites at different points. As we write this, it’s hard not to pick “2 Steppin’,” a cheating waltz that finds Fields drawing us in with a descriptive narrative and atmospheric production.
Bring on the Neon- Tyler Booth
If we didn’t know any better, at the outset of “Bring on the Neon,” we would’ve thought it was Jamey Johnson singing the song. We weren’t surprised to hear that Johnson was a co-writer on the track, which sees Booth delivering a tear-in-your-beer tunes that puts his poignant vocal at the forefront of a haunting acoustic, steel and piano melody.
Households- Gloria Anderson
Ever since we discovered Gloria Anderson around the release of her sophomore single, “Like She Does,” she has been one of our favorite storytellers and wordsmiths in the genre. She has a way of setting a scene and turning a phrase that is unmatched, which is accompanied by a voice tailor made to deliver them. “Households” is a perfect example of all of that in one.
Makes a Man- Jonathan Hutcherson
We’re suckers for a good ol’ love song, and Jonathan Hutcherson turned in a great one in January. The acoustic-driven melody perfectly captures the tenderness of the lyric, and Hutcherson delivers it perfectly. “Makes a Man” expertly captures the evolution of a relationship, and feels destined to be a soundtrack for many couples’ dances for years to come.
Country Inn- Addison Johnson
Much of Addison Johnson’s recent output could rival any of the recent true crime offerings on your streaming service of choice, and we love him for it. When he sent us “Country Inn,” he said it was “probably the only song you’ll review with antifreeze in it,” and it’s details like that that make Johnson’s music stand out. He’s an expert scene setter and one of our favorite storytellers doing it.
Keep the Sad People Happy- Donice Morace
Fiddle, steel, twanging guitars and tempo changes make Donice Morace’s most recent album closer one that will be sure to get boots scootin’ out on the dancefloor each time he and the band fire up this one. It’s a unique offering that we’ve been returning to regularly since its release, and it transports us directly into a Texas honky tonk.
Rest in Peace- Taylor Austin Dye
With the recent output of murder-country songs this year, there’s nobody that’s done it better, or more successfully, than Taylor Austin Dye. Dye flexes her country-rocking muscles to craft a song that puts an end to a domestic abuser, all the while, showcasing her impressive vocal range and ability to spin a murderous tale.
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