That cool breeze you feel comes from Canada this week.
North-of-the-border stars High Valley, Brett Kissel, Gord Bamford and Terri Clark all have new sounds for your consideration. Gord and Terri’s duet is essential.
That said, whenever a listening session includes Country Champ Luke Combs, you know who is taking home the Disc of the Day award. Luke wasn’t without challengers, namely Morgan Wallen and Lindsay Ell, as well as Gord & Terri.
The DISCovery Award has three contenders—Ryan McMahon, Jessica Willis Fisher and our winner, third-generation country talent Tess Frizzell.
BRENNEN LEIGH & ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL / “Obsessed With the West”
Writer: Brennen Leigh; Producer: none listed; Label: Signature Sounds
–This is the title tune of Leigh’s new album. She’s a western-swing revivalist on it, but this languid track is a ballad with her gracious croon backed by swaying fiddle. An audio delight.
LUKE COMBS / “Tomorrow Me”
Writers: Luke Combs/Dean Dillon/Ray Fulcher; Producers: Luke Combs/Chip Matthews/Jonathan Singleton; Label: Columbia
–He has one of those voices that has you hanging on every line. On this melodic mid-tempo outing, he expresses desire, regret and emotional conflict in a wonderfully shaded performance. Beautifully sung and produced with clarity and elegance.
TESS FRIZZELL / “The Wrong One”
Writers: Dottie West/Tess Frizzell/Bobby Tomberlin/Billy Lawson; Producer: none listed; Label: TF
–Tess is the daughter of Shelly West and Allen Frizzell. This lovely ballad is based on a song that grandmother Dottie West began in the 1960s. The song has a magnetic pull, and the singer’s lustrous alto is a deep pool of wistful meditation. I’m in.
BRETT ELDREDGE / “Songs About You”
Writers: Brett Eldredge/Jessie Jo Dillon/Ben West; Producer: Nathan Chapman; Label: Warner
–Hearing songs like “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Dancing in the Dark” transport him back to their love affair. Brett’s muscular vocal is backed by a serious R&B backbeat. A Southern soul strutter.
RYAN McMAHON / “One More Fire”
Writer: Ryan McMahon; Producers: Jordan Pritchett/Danielle King; Label: Elbowroom (Canada)
–This one’s an upbeat toe tapper. He seeks new adventures and experiences in a hearty, range-y voice backed by a kickin’ band. Promising.
MORGAN WALLEN / “Don’t Think Jesus”
Writers: Jessi Leigh Alexander/Mark L. Holman/Richard Chase McGill; Producer: Joey Moi; Label: Big Loud
–In this aching, deliberately paced ballad, he falls into substance abuse and fast living until he pulls himself back from the brink. It’s a slow but dramatic build from a wounded, frail beginning to a torrid, top-of-his-range midsection. Then it resolves in a hushed, tender finale. A terrific performance from one of country’s most expressive artists.
HELENE CRONIN / “Barbed Wire”
Writers: Helene Cronin/Nicole Lewis/Davis Corley; Producer: Brianna Tyson; Label: HCM
–She has a low folkie alto voice on this moody, offbeat, somewhat wordy ballad. The production lays on plenty of echoey ambiance.
HIGH VALLEY & GRANGER SMITH / “Country Music, Girls and Trucks”
Writers: Brad Rempel/Micah Wilshire/Jaron Boyer; Producer: Micah Wilshire; Label: HV
–You read that title correctly. And, no, they aren’t kidding. We are supposed to take these cliches with straight face.
BRETT KISSEL & 98 DEGREES / “Ain’t the Same”
Writers: Brett Kissel/James Timothy Nichols/Karen Kosowski; Producer: Karen Kosowski; Label: Warner (Canada)
–Creamy harmonies color this lovelorn pop-country ditty. Pleasant and catchy, but ultimately bland.
LINDSAY ELL / “Right On Time”
Writers: Lindsay Ell/Jordan Schmidt/Geoff Warburton; Producer: Jordan Schmidt; Label: LE
–Her strongest track yet. The rhythm punch is totally hooky, and her husky vocal delivery is supremely confident. The rapid-fire lyric is matched by sizzling electric guitar work and her conversational pep. Loved it from top to bottom.
GORD BAMFORD & TERRI CLARK / “I Ain’t Drunk”
Writers: Buddy Owens/Meghan Fitzpatrick/Mitchell Edward Oglesby; Producers: Gord Bamford/Phil O’Donnell; Label: GB
–I am a big fan of both of these singers. Bamford’s beefy baritone is matched note-for-note by the honky-tonk drawl of Clark. She shadows him perfectly in soprano harmony while the soaring, melody-rich tale of heartache unspools. This is country music the way it was meant to be. The song is drawn from Bamford’s Diamonds in a Whiskey Glass collection, which is also highly recommended.
JESSICA WILLIS FISHER / “Fire Song”
Writers: Jessica Willis Fisher/Jon Randall; Producer: Ben Fowler; Label: JWF
–Formerly of The Willis Clan, Jessica Willis Fisher is issuing her debut solo album, Brand New Day. This dramatic, minor-key rocker is the collection’s first single. Her haunting, Appalachia-flavored soprano is backed by her own fierce fiddling and a furious rhythm undertow. The song of a survivor.
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