Playlist

Best New Country Songs

Featured Artist: Secret Sisters

Holler Country Music

Featured Artist: Secret Sisters

March 29, 2024 8:03 am GMT

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It’s not just a Good Friday, it’s an absolutely incredible one! So much for taking the day off, we’ve got some absolutely massive new country records to tell you about. They’re all in our Best New Country playlist, lovingly compiled by Holler for the long weekend ahead.

This week’s cover stars are Secret Sisters, who release their brand new album, Mind, Man, Medicine, today, and we’re kicking off this week’s Best New Country playlist with ‘If The World Was A House’, taken from it.

In the making of the new record, Alabama-bred siblings Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle found their songwriting transformed by a newfound sense of self-reliance and equanimity, threading their lyrics with hard-won insight into the complexities of motherhood, commitment, compassion, and self-preservation in an endlessly chaotic world.

"It feels monumental to release a record into the world at any point, but especially so from the trenches of young motherhood," they told us. "That’s part of why this album feels like such a big deal for us-because it allowed us to escape the daily demands of raising our kids to discover that we still have things to think about, process, and say. Making Mind, Man, Medicine has given us a boost of confidence in our ability to balance our newfound love for homemaking with our lifelong need to make songs, and we are excited for our fans to hear what we’ve been working on. It is our hope that, as always, they find parts of themselves in the parts of us that we share in this body of work"

“Writing sessions can prove to be tedious and taxing,” Lydia Slagle told us about writing ‘If The World Was a House.’ “But sometimes, the atmosphere is just right and the song spirals into existence while its creators hold on for dear life. Such was this songwriting session. Ruston Kelly and Kate York were with us for this ride, and our main objective was to write a song about the dream of a unified society that always seeks the good of those with whom we share our existence.”

“We’ve all heard about moments in history where people collectively experienced something very challenging, but ended up coming out of it stronger,” adds Rogers. “When I look at the world around us, it seems like the pandemic didn’t have that effect—if anything, it feels like we’re even more divided now. That song is wrestling with a longing for everyone to take better care of each other, and to recognize that every person you share the planet with matters just as much as you do.”

With that in mind, the highly anticipated album from Beyoncé is finally out in the world today. "This ain’t a Country album,” the singer previously said. “This is a 'Beyoncé' album.” But to our ears this is everything we absolutely love about country music all rolled into one enormous line-danceable, top of your lungs singable, fist-pumpable, cry along to ball, and we are very much here for it.

We’re spoiling you with four of the album’s tracks included in our Best New Country playlist today, including Bey’s cover of the Beatles ‘Blackbiird” featuring Holler favourites Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer and Tiera Kennedy, ‘II Most Wanted’ with Miley Cyrus, ‘Spaghettii’ which features additional vocals by one of our 10 Artists You Need To Know for March, Shaboozey and Linda Martell, plus the Post Malone collaboration ‘Levii's Jeans.’

Dylan Scott adds a whopping great 10 tracks to his latest album and gives it the deluxe treatment for Livin’ My Best Life (Still). The deluxe edition features five fresh selections, including surprise viral hit ‘What He’ll Never Have,’ and five formerly released favourites, including his rowdy collab with Dylan Marlowe, ‘Boys Back Home,’ and his new radio single, ‘This Town’s Been Too Good To Us.’ The massive 26-song set also showcases the LP’s original 16 cuts, which already boast three chart-topping hits.

It's a great day for duets too. Ashley McBryde joins Terri Clark for a new version of ‘Better Things To Do,’ and Lauren Watkins has teamed up with Graham Barham for the heartfelt ‘Straight To My Heart.’

“The title was Lydia Vaughn's idea,” Barham explained about how the song came about. “I've been wanting to write a song with Lauren for a long time. It worked out well that Will Bundy, my best friend and producer, is her fiancé and they were counselling me through a relationship at the time. Lauren was such an important part of writing this song, and of course she and Will knew what was happening in my life. She took the reins, and we wrote the song and cut it all within 36 hours.”

“When Lydia brought the title, Graham was immediately like, ‘That clicks with me,’” adds Lauren Watkins. “So from there, we just ran with it. Lydia and Will are both such amazing writers and we all found how we could each relate to the song, so we really dove into helping Graham say what he wanted to say. It just came naturally.”

Following up here Country Curious EP and a festival stealing appearance on the Holler Saloon Stage at C2C Festival in London, Lola Kirke is back with a brand new single and a brand new duet partner. She’s teamed up with Kaitlin Butts for a cover of Paula Cole’s ‘Where Have All The Cowboys Gone’ and we are absolutely head over heels in love with it!

Evolving for its third instalment of iconic country collaborations with a new artist at its helm, the HIXTAPE is back for Vol. 3: DIFFTAPE, a tribute to GRAMMY and CMA Award-winning country legend, Joe Diffie. Both a lifestyle brand and a countrified mixtape, HIXTAPE was pioneered by Big Loud Records' heavy hitter HARDY and produced by Joey Moi.

Released in conjunction with the Diffie estate on the fourth anniversary of his passing, the album features never-before-heard recordings of Joe captured in 2006, and one previously unreleased original, ‘Life Had Plans for Me,’ featuring his son, Parker.

“It is both an honour and a humbling experience to have been asked to participate in this extraordinary project," Parkershares. "As someone who had the profound privilege of performing alongside my father, it fills my heart with immense joy to witness his enduring legacy continued with the same passion and fervour that he embodied. The release of HIXTAPE: Vol. 3: DIFFTAPE is an opportunity to not only celebrate the past but also to embrace the future with reverence and enthusiasm.”

We’ve included three songs in Best New Country this week, including ‘Ships That Don't Come In’ featuring Joe Diffie, Luke Combs and the late Toby Keith, ‘Third Rock From The Sun’ featuring Joe Diffie, Blake Shelton, HARDY and Brooks & Dunn, and ‘Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox (If I Die)’ featuring Joe Diffie, Tracy Lawrence, Lainey Wilson and The Difftones.

HIXTAPE: Vol. 3: DIFFTAPE also features all-star appearances from Lauren Watkins, Clint Black, Larry Fleet, Old Dominion, Luke Bryan, Reba McEntire, Jake Worthington, Jon Pardi, Randy Houser, Darius Rucker, Hailey Whitters, Aaron Tippin, Randall King, Sammy Kershaw, Mark Wills, Nate Smith, Kameron Marlowe, Jack Ingram, Chris Young and Koe Wetzel.

Dawn Landes releases her brilliant reimagining of The Liberated Woman’s Songbook, timely released to coincide with Women’s History Month. Filled with 11 songs that pull from a centuries old canon of women’s activism bringing back around tales that could not be more prescient. We’ve got her version of ‘The Housewife’s Lament,’ originally written in 1866 in today’s Best New Country playlist. You can read more about the project over on Holler in our long read feature.

Jenny Don’t & The Spurs release their new single today; their first for the always reliable Fluff & Gravy records from Portland, label home of Margo Cilker and Jeffrey Martin among others. Taken from their forthcoming album, Broken Hearted Blue, due out on June 14th, ‘Pain in My Heart’ is an instant honky tonk classic to get your party well and truly started.

“The song was inspired by the writing style of Johnny Paycheck and his classic delivery of telling a story while the band keeps it rollin’ on,” Jenny Don’t told Holler. “I love how some of those old classic country singers charm their way through a song where even though they might be in the wrong you still want ‘em to win in the end. Yeah, I know, I’m a jerk - but I love ya. Come on, come back home.”

“Not me personally,” she adds. “But you get the idea…”

Watch the video for ‘Pain in My Heart’ by Jenny Don’t & The Spurs below.

Elsewhere we’ve got new ones from Riley Green, Scotty McCreery, Joshua Quimby, Adeem the Artist, Lost Dog Street Band, Robert Vincent, Stephanie Lambring, Angel White and lots lots more. Plenty to keep you busy for the long weekend ahead.

Check out this week's new country song releases and listen to the full playlist below:

  1. 1.

    If the World Was a House

    Secret Sisters

  2. 2.

    II MOST WANTED

    Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus

  3. 3.

    What He'll Never Have

    Dylan Scott

  4. 4.

    STRAIGHT TO MY HEART

    Graham Barham and Lauren Watkins

  5. 5.

    Ships That Don't Come In (feat. Joe Diffie, Toby Keith and Luke Combs)

    HIXTAPE

  6. 6.

    Wind Up Missin' You

    Tucker Wetmore

  7. 7.

    OUTLAW

    Angel White

  8. 8.

    Survived

    Lost Dog Street Band

  9. 9.

    Pain In My Heart

    Jenny Don't and The Spurs

  10. 10.

    The Housewife's Lament (1866)

    Dawn Landes

  11. 11.

    Worst Way

    Riley Green

  12. 12.

    Red Letter Blueprint

    Scotty McCreery

  13. 13.

    I Like Trains

    Ashley Monroe

  14. 14.

    Where Have All the Cowboys Gone

    Lola Kirke and Kaitlin Butts

  15. 15.

    Big Mack Truck

    Joshus Quimby

  16. 16.

    Rotations

    Adeem the Artist

  17. 17.

    Complicated

    Josh Ross

  18. 18.

    SPAGHETTI

    Beyoncé, Linda Martell and Shaboozey

  19. 19.

    Bury Me In This Bar

    Dalton Dover

  20. 20.

    Take the Girl

    Matt Stell

  21. 21.

    Cowboy Cry

    Jay Webb

  22. 22.

    Forgive Me (feat. Willie Jones)

    Norman North

  23. 23.

    Better Things To Do

    Terri Clark and Ashley McBryde

  24. 24.

    BLACKBIIRD

    Beyoncé, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer and Tiera Kennedy

  25. 25.

    Third Rock From The Sun (feat. Blake Shelton, HARDY, Joe Diffie, Brooks & Dunn)

    HIXTAPE

  26. 26.

    Over Me

    Aaron Lewis

  27. 27.

    Higher Ground

    Annie Bosko and Vince Gill

  28. 28.

    Drink That Strong

    Smithfield

  29. 29.

    Yard Sale

    Alaura Lynne

  30. 30.

    Burden

    Robert Vincent

  31. 31.

    Roots

    Austin Burke

  32. 32.

    Hospital Parking

    Stephanie Lambring

  33. 33.

    Dab a Dolly

    Christie Huff and Kirstie Kraus

  34. 34.

    Cozy

    Braxton Keith

  35. 35.

    LEVII'S JEANS

    Beyoncé and Post Malone

  36. 36.

    Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox (When I Die)(feat. Lainey Wilson, Tracy Lawrence and The Difftones)

    HIXTAPE

  37. 37.

    Dogbane

    Sarah Shook & the Disarmers

  38. 38.

    Mule

    Call Me Spinster

  39. 39.

    You've Got A Shine

    Jim Lauderdale

  40. 40.

    Lay Your Burdens Down

    Miko Marks, The Resurrectors and Buddy Miller

  41. 41.

    It Was Always You (Siempre Fuiste Tü)

    Carin Leon and Leon Bridges

  42. 42.

    Brown Dog

    The Brother Brothers

  43. 43.

    Trouble Darling

    Scott Ballew

  44. 44.

    Live Close By (Visit Often)

    The Mavericks and Nicole Atkins

  45. 45.

    Champagne, Cocaine, Cadillacs and Cash

    Charlie Overbey, Marcus King and Jaime Wyatt

  46. 46.

    Stronger Than You Ever Knew

    Sarah King

  47. 47.

    Wannabe Cowboy

    Zach John King

  48. 48.

    Somewhere in a Silverado

    Kaylin Roberson

  49. 49.

    Evergreens

    Nate Good

  50. 50.

    Studio Apartment

    Chanel Yates

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Written by Jof Owen
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