Every week, the Wide Open Country team rounds up our favorite newly released country, folk, bluegrass and Americana songs. Here are six songs we currently have on repeat.
"Godspeed, Los Angeles," Hannah Bethel
Singer-songwriter Hannah Bethel bids a fond farewell to a relationship on"Godspeed, Los Angeles," the latest release from her forthcoming EP Until The Sun Comes Back Around (out March 25).
"Sometimes our emotions and circumstances are so overwhelming, we fear that in fully acknowledging them we may be swallowed up completely. But I have found that the secret is in the surrender," Bethel says. "Only by scraping the bottom of the barrel of our experiences can we fully move through them, come clean. The only way out is through. This record is about moving through those stages of grief and transition."
Until the Sun Comes Back Around, recorded in Nashville during the pandemic, follows Bethel's three critically acclaimed singles, including her 2018 breakthrough song "Train," "Rhinestone Rodeo" and "The House Is on Fire."
— Bobbie Jean Sawyer
"Loser," Erika Lewis
With "Loser," Asheville-based singer-songwriter Erika Lewis delivers a classic country heartbreaker you can dance to.
Lewis, a member of the group Tuba Skinny, says "Loser" is "loosely based on my own experience in romantic relationships and the push and pull that comes with it."
"The push of dedication and loyalty and the pull of betrayal and broken promises," Lewis says. "Feeling like you would do anything in order to make it work yet not really knowing what to do."
"Loser" is featured on Lewis' forthcoming album A Walk Around the Sun (out April 29).
— Bobbie Jean Sawyer
"Rubber," Sean Della Croce
A Nashville singer, songwriter and guitarist of the highest order with Vince Gill and Gretchen Peters' stamps of approval, Sean Della Croce knows a layered, brilliantly-worded song when she hears one. It's no surprise then that she's drawn to "Rubber," a storytelling masterclass by "dirt emo" singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly.
Della Croce's acoustic cover of "Rubber" reflects the influence of her late stepfather, former John Denver and LeAnn Rimes guitarist Pete Huttlinger.
"I shot this video with the wonderful director and videographer Brett Price," shared Della Croce in a press release. "This song was featured on Ruston's 2020 album Shape and Destroy, and I was captivated from the opening guitar line. I find the lyrics hypnotic and aspirational. One stanza in particular always stays with me: 'God I wish I was quiet/ but my head is full of bells. Something's always ringing/ my suitcase always smells. Pour me a drink and then leave it/ on the edge of the wishing well'."
— Bobby Moore
"Alabama Clay," Dustin Herring
Dustin Herring grew up on a farm in Hartford, Ala. and studied agriculture at Auburn University before being lured away by the bright lights of Nashville. Naturally, he knows plenty about the experiences described in "Alabama Clay," a Larry Cordle-penned deep cut from Garth Brooks' self-titled 1989 debut.
Yet the specialness of the song for Herring has more to do with memories of his late best friend, Justin. Per a press release, "Alabama Clay" played at Justin's funeral, and his mother frequently requested that Herring cover the song during live sets. A recording made as a Christmas gift for Justin's mother can now be streamed by potential fans as they discover one of Music City's most promising students of '90s country.
— Bobby Moore
"All In This Together," Pat Green and Abby Anderson
Texas treasure Pat Green and rising star Abby Anderson have collaborated on an inspiring anthem that couldn't have come at a better time. "All In This Together" will encourage you to look to loved ones when times are tough and to focus on the positive when you're feeling challenged. Its uplifting lyrics penned by Green and Sean Michael Giddings are supported by some classic guitar in Green's second new song since his 2015 album Home.
"We're all in this together, we can make it through / Been down at the bottom too many times, now I'm holding onto you," Green and Anderson sing. "We're all in this together, through the wind and through the rain / You bring me hope when I'm hopeless and joy when I'm in pain."
—Courtney Fox
"Greener Pasture," Carter Faith
Carter Faith has consistently proven that her songwriting skills can't be rivaled and she's ready to take Nashville by storm. "Greener Pasture" is the ultimate cowboy breakup song, perfectly capturing the painful feelings you're left with after a lover moves on to someone else.
"Greener Pasture is about that heartbreaking feeling when someone leaves you for the possibility of something better, looking for something greater is human nature but never fails to leave a lot of hurt in its wake," Faith explained to Guitar Girl Mag.
—Courtney Fox
