Put A Record On: Ballads and Hooks Galore
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
Blackbirding, Queen Esther: A fixture of the place where country, Americana, jazz and everything else meet, Queen Esther's latest is essential listening. — NW
"Can't Sit Still," Lainey Wilson: A catchy energetic one from Lainey Wilson, which she's damn good at - I think what makes me most excited about this one is getting a little flash of what goes on in Wilson's inner world. - MM
"Whip-Poor-Will," Erin Rae: New Erin Rae siren!! A haunting Jason Molina cover, performed with typical aplomb. — NW
"Drunk As Any Rich Man," Trey Pendley: Sometimes all you need is a good title, and this one delivers on its promise. — NW
“I Ain’t No Cowboy,” Luke Combs: A perfect Kings Combs ballad, with a little nod to The Chicks, too. - MM
"Gas Station Flowers," Parker Graye: There's enough lyrical heft here to pull it out of echoey ballad mediocrity — as ever, some pedal steel doesn't hurt either. - NW
“Dry Spell,” Kacey Musgraves: Fun, thirsty Kacey with some really lovely instrumentation. Am I biding my time until the Miranda Lambert duet? Maybe. - MM
"Capital Letters," Joshua Ray Walker: Aesthetically and lyrically heavy — with a rock edge to match its reckoning with mortality — Walker's latest nevertheless has an almost inspirational bent: "It's a cruel, cruel world, but you didn't think so," he sings, outlining an aspirational way to move through the world in typically poetic fashion. — NW
“Fastest Gun Alive,” Charley Crockett: Honestly the speed at which Charley Crockett puts out songs makes me slightly uncomfortable – which is only assuaged by how reliably good he is. Love this little western. - MM
"Done Pretending," Brit Taylor: COUNTRY RADIO IN A BETTER WORLD!! Maybe the Langloney-issance rising tide will lift Taylor's boat to the hitmaking heights it should reach?? This is a banger, and I can't wait to listen to the whole album. — NW
"Real Slow," Flatland Cavalry: Extreme spring/summer vibes from Flatland - I'm ready for it. - MM
"Blood Moon," Humbird: A indie folk record that's just as pretty as can be, with an eclectic, almost jazzy edge. — NW
Lonely's What I Do, Vince Gill: Can Vince ever go wrong? Sometimes Gill's the perfect tonic for a very bitter world. - MM
"Storm Chaser," Caroline Jones: Big song with a bigger chorus — are hooks finally back?? — NW
The Mid
"LONESTAR GIRL," Angel White: This blues sounds a little clean, a little trite; would probably be fun live, but not much punch. — NW
"Cowboy Again," Wyatt Putman: Chock full of country song cliché, but executed in a nicely familiar country-radio style and Putman's voice isn't bad? His bio on the other hand…"a definitive voice in the realm of Dirt Road Country Rock"...yikes. — NW
"What Do You Mean It Don't?," Jon Langston: I'm primed for overly sentimental country songs about parenthood right now for obvious reasons, but starting "tiny bare feet running down the hardwood hall"...find another image!!! This one's overused!! Even if it still kind of gets me! — NW
"We Should Probably Stop Here," Alex Hall and Mae Estes: Mae Estes has such a good voice!! When will she get her proper shot?? This duet is *OK*, a little overwrought. — NW
The Bad
"Save My Life," Ryan Price: This guy's bio says he was inspired by Sam Hunt, and that's frankly an insult to Mr. Hunt. Zach Bryan x 2010s indie folk stomp clap is a potent, toxic combination that's enabling far too many (more) mediocre men. — NW
"Queen of 30A," Brian Kelley: Seriously, I cannot believe this man thought "country music about the place wealthy people have very vanilla vacation homes" would be a good post FGL brand? - MM
"STING," Presley & Taylor: Friend of the newsletter Jon Bernstein calls this particular vogue "Warped Tour country" and here…it's derogatory ("Change Of Heart" by Megan Moroney, on the other hand…). — NW
The Playlist
Here’s our 2026 picks playlist, on Tidal, Qobuz, Apple Music and Spotify.
And here is a link to all of our playlists so far! We’ll keep it updated as best we can.
