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.
"I'm Only Human," Michaela Anne
Michaela Anne lets go of shame and embraces liberation on the string-laden "I'm Only Human," from forthcoming album Oh To Be That Free (out June 10 via Yep Roc Records).
"It's kind of surreal the way this record turned out to be exactly what I needed to hear when I was at my lowest," Michaela Anne says in a statement. "These songs became healers, almost as if I'd written them as letters to my future self."
Oh To Be That Free is the follow-up to Michaela Anne's 2019 album Desert Dove.
— Bobbie Jean Sawyer
"Raised," Hailey Whitters
Hailey Whitters' newly released album Raised is a love letter to the small Iowa town where she grew up. The title track, a rootsy love song, finds the singer-songwriter reflecting on how her upbringing shaped her view of love.
"If I take this love right to my grave it's 'cause I fall like I was raised," Whitters sings.
Raised is the follow-up to Whitter's 2020 album The Dream.
— Bobbie Jean Sawyer
"Marry That Girl," Easton Corbin
Easton Corbin's "Marry That Girl" should please fans of throwback sounds, as it's the type of heartfelt romantic statement that would've made George Strait a pretty penny during any phase of his career. At the same time, its blend of backwards-glancing storytelling and forward-marching vibes surely caught the attention of mainstream country listeners during Corbin's early March performance on the Fox reality show Joe Millionaire.
"Yes I am a traditionalist, but the whole thing is keeping one foot in the traditional and one foot in the modern and kind of marrying those things," Corbin told Wide Open Country at the 2022 Country Radio Seminar (CRS). "Music does deviate over time. It just does. You've got to learn to take that and use it [to your benefit]."
Corbin co-wrote his latest example of the past seamlessly informing the present with Shane Minor, Wade Kirby and Adam Craig.
"The day we wrote 'Marry That Girl,' Adam had been telling us about how he knew he was going 'marry that girl' from the minute he met his now wife and as soon as he said those words, we knew what our hook was for the day and went with it," Corbin told People.
— Bobby Moore
"Take It Easy," William Lee Golden and The Goldens
For almost 50 years, The Oak Ridge Boys have sustained a spot in the same multi-part singing group pantheon as countrified rockers The Eagles. That truth alone makes classic rock radio staples "Take It Easy" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling" high points of a three-album covers project (out this Friday, March 25) by The Oaks' William Lee Golden and his sons Rusty, Craig and Chris.
The Goldens join kinfolks (namely William Lee's fiddle-playing granddaughter, Elizabeth) and family friends (such as Aaron McCune, the rare Oak Ridge Boys or Statler Brothers-caliber bass singer) for albums that follow specific themes: Nashville standards (Country Roads), country-rock building blocks (Southern Accents) and songs of praise (Old Country Church).
"Take It Easy" kicks off Country Roads with a heaping helping of fast-driving rock 'n' roll. From the new recording's a cappella opening to its harmony-heavy home stretch, the Golden family deliver a cover that's true to timeless source material by the song's co-writer (along with Jackson Browne), the late Eagles guitarist Glen Frey.
— Bobby Moore
"I Don't Wanna Go To Heaven," Nate Smith and Tenille Townes
Nate Smith originally recorded "I Don't Wanna Go To Heaven" as a solo track, but he recruited singer Tenille Townes for a new rendition, which expertly captures the love story in the lyrics. The two trade off vocals in this instantly memorable duet, singing about how they've found heaven in the love they have for one another.
I don't wanna go to Heaven
When Heaven's right here lying next to me
I count every kiss and every blessing
"I'm a huge fan of Tenille, and I kind of just cold emailed her asking if she'd be willing to be part of the song," Smith of told Taste of Country.
"I was such a fan of Nate's voice and had been hearing the song already and loving it," adds Townes. "It's so fun to sing this with him so I'm so glad he reached out."
— Courtney Fox
"Port City," Madeline Edwards
Rising star Madeline Edwards wrote this heartfelt ballad with Josh Moore and Courtlan Clement, inspired by her move from Texas to Nashville with her husband to pursue her country music dreams. We can all relate to those huge life-changing decisions — we know we just have to try or we'll always regret it. Edwards perfectly captures those sentiments with powerful lyrics like "And if I don't sink now, I may never learn to swim."
"I think everyone has one of those moments, whether it's moving out of the house for the first time, getting married, having a baby, going off to college; so I wanted a song that incorporated everyone's first experiences of taking a leap and having the faith to complete that journey," Edwards told CMT.
— Courtney Fox
