Put A Record On: Cowboys, Carter and Otherwise (and a surprise John Moreland drop!)

Get your hats, boots and tears on for this week's picks :)

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Angel White

The Good

“Outlaw,” Angel White: I’ve been consistently obsessed with Angel White since I was tipped to him by the good folks at Deep Vellum books in Dallas. Not that it really matters, but he has legit cowboy/horse-raisin’ genes, and brings both a real freewheeling western sensibility and bluesy guitar approach to his songs. I’m always a sucker for plays on the “outlaw” trope, and one is about actual crimes and not just a vague idea of being cool. Bonus points for the slick video with lots of pretty horses. - MM

"Just For Fun," Beyoncé ft. Willie Jones/"Alliigator Tears," Beyoncé: My faves so far off Cowboy Carter (is anyone else hearing a bit of "Dear Prudence" in "Alliigator Tears" LOL). — NW

“Cowboys are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other,” Orville Peck featuring Willie Nelson: Did I cry listening to this on the way home from dropping my kid off at school today? Maybe! I adore Orville and the community he’s created, and the way he has energized so many people to feel like they can embrace this genre they never felt welcome in, and I love this song, written by Ned Sublette and made famous by Willie - there’s something about the word choice of “frequently” that carries so much power, like he’s not talking about one little tryst here or there but something that is actually very normal and human and happens all the time! Willie sounds great (and I love we’re hearing him with Beyoncé one week, here the next), Orville’s voice is rich and gorgeous, and I keep thinking about something he told me when I interviewed him for Playboy: “I think the stigma that country music is made by a certain type of person, and is only for a certain type of person, is something perpetuated by big-wig old white men who run record labels and feel like how that’s how they can keep control,” he said. “But look at Willie Nelson. That guy’s a week-smoking gay-rights activist.” Damn right. - MM

"Fiddle In The Band," Kane Brown: I wish Kane Brown didn't feel like he had to make these kinds of musical arguments for his own artistic existence, but as far as that goes this is probably the most fun version of saying "genre doesn't matter or even really exist." "Took a trip to Music City, brought a little bit of everything with me" - hell yeah. — NW

Visitor, John Moreland: “Why do I keep feeling like a soldier in a holy war that I never signed up for?” These are the sorts of questions John Moreland drops on his surprise new album, Visitor. Moreland stripped everything down to make this record – his band, his electronics (no smartphone), no live shows. He experimented with what life is like when you peel back the distractions and the digital footprints. Turns out, it brings everything that matters into focus again, and everything we’ve fucked up, too. He’s quick to examine the error in our ways (“The More You Say The Less It Means,” “One Man Holds the World Hostage”), but also hold himself to the fire (“Visitor,” “Blue Dream Carolina”). Hands down, one of the best songwriters of our generation. - M.M.