Each week the Wide Open Country staff rounds up our favorite newly released country and Americana songs. Here are five new songs we can't stop listening to this week:
"Hot Beer," Dillon Carmichael
In the grand tradition of Travis Tritt's "Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)" and Luke Combs' "When it Rains it Pours," Dillon Carmichael lays out just how much he doesn't want his ex back in "Hot Beer." ("I'd rather drink a hot beer/ Build a fire in the pouring rain/ Burn all of my fishing gear/ Then set sail in a hurricane," Carmichael sings.)
Produced by Jon Pardi and co-written by Hardy, "Hot Beer" is full of '90s country swagger and barroom singalong ready.
"I heard this tune and it had me at the line about 'Uncle Bubba's dip spit,' Carmichael said in a press release. "One thing that made it even better was that this song was written by my buddy Hardy, aka 'The Redneck,' along with the talented Ashley Gorley, Hunter Phelps and Ben Johnson. I also found out one of my all time favorites, Jon Pardi, wanted to produce the song, and he crushed it! In all seriousness... nothing about this song is serious."
— Bobbie Jean Sawyer
"Christmas Always Finds Me," Ingrid Andress
Ingrid Andress delivers an ideal holiday tune for 2020 with the stunning "Christmas Always Finds Me." Written by Andress, Derrick Southerland and Sam Ellis, the song has the gorgeous melancholy of Judy Garland singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and the childlike wonder of Roger Miller's "Old Toy Trains."
Andress earned three 2021 Grammy nominations, including one for Best New Artist.
— Bobbie Jean Sawyer
"Missing You All, All the Time," John Driskell Hopkins
In recent years, Zac Brown Band member and multi-instrumentalist John Driskell Hopkins has shared a trio of holiday albums: 2016's In the Spirit: A Celebration of the Holidays, 2017's You Better Watch Out! and the 2019 Atlanta Collective collaboration Our Finest Gifts. Hopkins's late-year solo flight for 2020, "Missing You All, All the Time," serves up a way different take on milestones synonymous with family gatherings. It tells of the personal sacrifices touring musicians make, especially when they have kids. Once live music comes back, never forget that someone like Hopkins's next gig in driving distance might overlap with a birthday party or softball game back home.
— Bobby Moore
"River," Margo Price
Margo Price looked beyond your typical Christmas covers to cap off a year that brought us her studio album That's How Rumors Get Started and live collection Perfectly Imperfect at the Ryman. Her holiday gift to fans comes from the catalog of one of her guiding stars as a performer and songwriter, Joni Mitchell. Price's version stays true to the original's gorgeous piano accompaniment and solemn tone while reminding us how favorably Price's talents compare to those of past rock, folk and country storytellers.
—Bobby Moore
"Doing Life With Me," Eric Church
Eric Church's latest single is the sweetest acoustic love song that we all needed. The country superstar lists out all of the burdens his loved ones carried as he rose to fame. He thanks his family, friends and fans for sticking by him over the years and reflects on the things in life that are really important. It's guaranteed to become a classic. "Doing Life With Me" is the latest release from Church's newest album and we can't wait to see what else he has in store for us!
— Courtney Campbell
Now Watch: 'Me and Bobby McGee': The Story Behind the Song
