Billboard: 8 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Morgan Wade, Ella Langley, Wendy Moten & More
Jordyn Shellhart, William Beckmann and Josh Kiser are also among the artists releasing new music.
Women offer a slew of top-shelf new music this week, from new projects from Ella Langley, Jordyn Shellhart and Caroline Jones, to freshly-released new tracks from Morgan Wade and Wendy Moten. Also in the mix are Kyle Nix and the 38’s, Texas troubadour William Beckmann and newcomer Josh Kiser.
The “Wilder Days” singer-songwriter follows her breakthrough album with this tale of infatuation between two kindred spirits who find comfort in each other’s eccentricities. “Your dreams are your parents’ fears/ But can I steal you away from here?” she sings, on a succinct, heart-reeling line. She also blurs the swaggering spirit of pop-punk, acoustic country sensibilities and top 40 verve. Though Wade possesses enviable vocal power, here she relies on her gritty lower range to intimate effect. A solo write from Wade, “Psychopath” is the title track to Wade’s upcoming album, out Aug. 25.
Langley brings a heavy dose of hard-driving rock, alongside tender balladry and intimate songwriting, to this project’s compact eight tracks. “You make me wanna drink ’til I’m sick of it,” she sings, depicting a relentless emotional war on the searing “Make Me Wanna Smoke.” She offers slowed-down, moody modern country on the title track, warning a potential suitor that if he gets too close, her heart’s as messy as her home; she later circles back to the premise of being content with imperfection on the softly acoustic album closer “Don’t We All.” Meanwhile, “Could’ve Been Her” finds Langley musing about her ex-lover’s new flame, and contemplating all the ways she would have to compromise herself in order to stay in the relationship (“If I’d just hung around, didn’t know my worth/ I could’ve been her”). Overall, this album offers an all-around solid look into the specificity of Langley’s artistry.
Blake Shelton ‘still hasn’t gotten over’ Wendy Moten and her Blind Audition on ‘The Voice’
Wendy Moten and Blake Shelton performing on ‘The Voice’ Season 21 | Trae Patton/NBC
