Today marks an unfathomable loss: Dolly Parton has died. Brilliant artist, devoted philanthropist, remarkable human; to list her achievements here feels redundant, as the cult of Dolly has long since gone national. Here, I've collected some of my writing on Dolly that has been scrubbed from the web;
It's sort of a surreal time to be writing this newsletter. (Also, a surreal time to be alive I suppose but when isn't that the case…) For years now, Marissa and I have jointly been banging the drum: Appreciate the women in country music, and make
Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox. Here’s this week’s music recommendation post and playlist, which are for paying subscribers only. If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email. The Good "If I Was An Outlaw,"
Over the past few months, I've been really enjoying sharing some archival interviews from woman I spoke with for my book Her Country, which will finally be available in the UK this fall, on Omnibus Press. You can preorder a copy here, which has a new cover, extended
Like sands through the hourglass, the days of 2026 are already way more than half gone (somehow!!). Though we are perilously close to year-end list season, I don't think you should have to wait until then to listen to good tunes. Some of these I've
We all know that Bandcamp can be a jewel for hidden music, so every now and then I like to take a late-night spin through the site for great new country finds - it's much better for the soul than spending your last waking hours of the day
There's always been a stark honesty to Caleb Caudle's songs, but on his new album Heavy Thrill, the North Carolina native delves even deeper into the corners of the human experience we all recognize but aren't always comfortable talking about. Recorded at the Cash
A country music newsletter.
Everybody loves a pedal steel these days—it's all over indie and Nashville's neotrad revival and of course lends a glossy honky-tonk flair to the biggest song of the year. Am I sort of spoiling what I should pitch as an actual story? Maybe! But
It's a nice idea that "This Land Is Your Land" should be our national anthem, a wonderful song full of generous and idealistic sentiment that's actually easy to sing. (That the Star-Spangled Banner should be replaced, I think, is a truth universally acknowledged
Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox. Here’s this week’s music recommendation post and playlist, which are for paying subscribers only. If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email. The Good “Too Little, Too Late,” Orville Peck: Absolutely
Happy dogs days of summer to you all (or "fuck are my kids going back to school summer," whatever you celebrate). Some fun international news from me: as I mentioned last month, my book Her Country will be available in the UK this fall, on Omnibus Press. You
I recently started running. Not really for the obvious reasons - health, heart, etc - though those are good reasons, too. But because I needed to find a way to quickly and efficiently feel the sun on my face (or at least the humidity) a couple times a week. I hear that&
I was invited to give a presentation at the Dallas Public Library last weekend (which I obviously accepted with enthusiasm, because the library is the best!) on the topic of women in Texas country music (or Texas women in country music, or some other combination of those words…). With 90
Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox. Here’s this week’s music recommendation post and playlist, which are for paying subscribers only. If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email. The Good "Carolina Rain," Rhiannon Giddens: It&
Michaela Anne is one of those voices in Nashville I connected with almost immediately - just truly great, emotionally connected country and folk songs. Her new album, These Are The Days, hits both me and Natalie where it hurts: in the throes of motherhood, watching the days both drag and fly
First and foremost, I hope you're not having to work and that you're staying cool this holiday weekend. During these days when the patriotism seems even more delusional than usual, thankfully we've got great artists reminding us that the struggle against it and the
A check-in on the state of the country charts: are they as depressing as usual?
Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox. Here’s this week’s music recommendation post and playlist, which are for paying subscribers only. If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email. The Good "Backroad Rodeo," The BoykinZ: Brazen
Sapphic imagery is a recurring theme in mainstream country music these last few years – but why? And what if we don't?