Put a Record On: Don't Forget (That Very Good Country Music Is Made By Popstars)

Plus more honkytonk tunes than you could ever ask for

Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox! Here’s this week’s music recommendation post and playlist, which are for paying subscribers only. Subscribe to get access to all our new (and old) music picks and pans, and so much more — including new playlists weekly, which are always at the bottom of this email (paying subscribers — make sure you don’t miss them!). If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email.

And don’t forget about our upcoming events! First, we have newsletter fave Lola Kirke joining us on Zoom for Don’t Rock The Inbox Live! (!!) Mark your calendars for Tuesday, February 13th at 8 p.m. CT; the Zoom link will be sent to paying subscribers that morning, so make sure you’re subscribed before then so you don’t miss out on all the fun!

***We’ve got two more incredible live Q&As to announce (!! a true embarrassment of riches): Jaime Wyatt on February 21st at 6 pm CT, and Lizzie No on February 27th at 6 pm CT. Mark your calendars now, and the flyers will be live soon!***

We are also hosting our first meet-up!! If you live in North Texas, come party with Natalie (and possibly pick up a koozie and sticker) and see friends of the newsletter Billy Law and Van Plating at Sundown at Granada in Dallas on February 23rd! Pick up your tickets here, and make sure you get there right when the doors open at 9 for all the meet-up fun before the music starts.

Now, on to the picks…

The Good

“Don’t Forget Me,” Maggie Rogers: Maggie Rogers releasing songs that turn up the twang a little more than usual (which, for the record, is where she started anyway)? Friends, we’ve won. I tweeted that this song sounds like if Faith Hill went to Oberlin and I stand by it. Maggie still makes everything sound thoroughly Maggie though, which is the magic, and I love how she just lets her voice rip in a way that makes those lyrics punch even harder (“a good lover or someone that’s nice to me” gives you 1,000 words of backstory for the price of a few…the low expectations loaded into “nice”!!!!). Between this and the Waxahatchee record, I feel like we’re in for a very good year of rootsy songs spun through rock and pop lenses. Who needs Nashville, anyway?  - MM

Kentucky Bluegrassed, Brit Taylor: So many gems on this reimagining of her 2023 album (don’t worry, there are new tunes too), a perfect example of how artists can fit starkly modern ideas into a reverent, traditional aesthetic. "Rich Little Girls" rules; I need to keep it in mind when my Instagram scrolling gets too green-eyed. We've already talked about "Saint Anthony" in this newsletter, but "Church Bus" and "No Cowboys" are gems too; if you like Alison Krauss but can take a little spice with your bluegrass sugar, Brit Taylor is for you. - NW

“Double Down,” Chris Young: I have always contended that Chris Young has one of the best voices in this town and could make an absolute banger of a classic country album if he wanted to. This isn’t exactly that, and even though it talks about the same tired themes of partying down with a lotta booze, it’s fun as hell. Now we just need his ACAB anthem.... - MM