by Elliana Fermi Ashley Cooke’s self-titled second album lives comfortably in the space between country tradition and the genre’s increasingly expansive present. It is polished and contemporary, but its most convincing moments are often its smallest: the grain of an acoustic guitar beneath Cooke’s voice, the aching slide of pedal steel, a melody rising against … Read more
by Eliana Fermi Broken View never fully settles. That becomes clear through its lyrics and through the way Sam Barber sings. He shapes phrases, delays melodic landing, and lets the vocal line blur with the edges of the lyrics. Some listeners have criticized the album’s rough-edged delivery and indistinct hooks, while others hear emotional honesty … Read more
By Eliana Fermi There’s a particular kind of movement that doesn’t feel like escape. It feels like suspension, like being carried forward before you’ve fully understood what you’ve left behind. Time passes cleanly, evenly, almost reassuringly. But something underneath it lags, resists, holds on. Owen Riegling’s In the Feeling lives inside that space. Arriving as … Read more
by Eliana Fermi Megan Moroney’s Cloud 9 is a collection of 15 songs forming a collaborative system. The defining characteristic of the record is not tempo variation, tonal shading, or even its high-profile features. Instead, its strength is the repetition of co-writer constellations that shape its overall coherence. Moroney appears on every track as a … Read more
By Eliana Fermi On Mount Pleasant, Kelsea Ballerini continues her evolution from polished hitmaker to emotionally fluent songwriter, delivering a six-song set that prioritizes clarity of feeling and solid singing. This is a refinement of Ballerini’s pop-country sound as the songs succeed because they trust intimacy, strong vocals, and storytelling that brings listeners into her … Read more
by Eliana Fermi Lauren Watkins’s sophomore album, In a Perfect World, opens not with bravado but with a whisper to pull you into her country charms. Having made her mark through The Heartbroken Record, a debut steeped in the ache of lost love, she now turns that same sharp lens toward acceptance, renewal, and the … Read more
by Seamus Fitzpatrick Shelby Means has spent the better part of the last decade building her reputation as a rock-solid bassist and harmony singer in other people’s bands. From her early tenure with Della Mae to her more recent years with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, she’s always been the anchor, the heartbeat beneath the … Read more
by Steph Cosme When Bobby Osborne passed in 2023, bluegrass lost one of its towering voices, and C.J. Lewandowski lost a mentor who shaped his musical identity. Keep On Keepin’ On is a project that reflects a legendary past and a vibrant future. Produced and shepherded by Lewandowski, this project preserves Osborne’s final mandolin recordings … Read more
by Eliana Fermi Megan Moroney’s momentum and musical persona have been grabbing attention since breaking through with Lucky and Am I Okay?. Moroney’s pop-country sound is at the forefront of Gen Z country storytelling, and she has a playful, poetic, and unapologetically personal style. “6 Months Later,” a post-breakup anthem, arrives as a teaser for her … Read more
by Eliana Fermi Hudson Westbrook’s new single “Sober” arrives with timing and intent. Released exactly one year after his debut single “Take It Slow,” the track positions the 20-year-old Texan as more than just a promising newcomer. It reveals him as a songwriter-producer with a keen sense of sonic identity and emotional pacing. “Sober” is … Read more