Imagine if we could go two weeks in this newsletter without having to reckon with some country/politics foolishness. Imagine if people like Jelly Roll and Kid Rock would just shut up and sing!! I jest, of course, but naturally, in a week where we should only be talking about
Greetings from Nashville, Tennessee, where I start this post the same way I did last week: worried for my neighbors who still don't have power and worried for the world, which makes talking about a television show feel a little silly at times. But look - I love
put a record on
We love our hooks here at DRTI!
I'm not going to lie to you, newsletter readers: it's hard to newsletter "normally" today, though, to be fair, I could almost say that about any day for the last near decade. Outside my window, the town is frozen. Somehow we currently have power,
Dierks Bentley has always been an enigma - he can bust out the most country radio-friendly tune you have probably ever heard in your life (see: "Drunk on a Plane") but then he will show up at the CMA's flanked by Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, and
Thinking about country music that doesn't fit (in a good way).
put a record on
New year, new music - though yes, there are at least two songs with whiskey in the title. It's a country newsletter!
A country music newsletter.
Hello readers - welcome to 2026, Happy New Year (are we still allowed to say that?) and thanks for allowing us a wee break to tend to our tired hearts and tiring children. If you missed our best of 2025 list, you can review that here, too. New year, same
A workout playlist by an extra special guest!
A quick note to our community: we cannot thank you enough for reading and subscribing to our little country newsletter this year! We're very excited for what 2026 will bring, and hope that you will let us know in the comments what you hope to see more of
Somehow we're already just about done with list season, and on the cusp of that blissful couple of weeks when time sort of collapses into a decadent holiday haze (unless you're working in retail or food service, in which case — I am so sorry, on behalf
Happy end of 2025 - we did it, everyone! Well, almost. This year, we were excited to once again partner with our friends at Stereogum to rundown our favorite albums of the year (with our favorite songs listed below as well). I think Natalie summed up everything expertly in her
For a Lone Star holiday :)
An homage to a legend of country and beyond.
If you're chronically online (and I'll start by saying I hope you aren't), you probably caught a secondhand whiff of various discourses earlier this year among the tragically music nerdy about poptimism — a savior or a villain or something in between, depending on where
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. Oh PS - our 40% off sale ends this
In case you didn't notice, it's the holiday season. While normal beings have fun decorating the tree, spinning dreidels, shopping for presents or partaking in whatever kind of festive pursuits you enjoy, those of us who write about music for a living are making lists: best
First off, thanks for all of you who joined me last week in the CMA chat post. Some of you gave the excellent feedback that you think we should consider a DRTI Discord - curious to hear what more of you think (Discord? Right here on the newsletter? Reddit? Whatever?
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 "In Her Eyes (Act I, Scene