FIRST 5 - Start With These New Releases 4/16
Two weeks back it was a list of songs that seemed to scream “here comes summer!”
Last week, we went into an era of self-reflection.
This week, the self-reflection element is still here, but it leans away from ‘self’ and lends more to a “join me in this nostalgia.”
Whatever it was, I somehow narrowed it to 5 songs, but had to stop myself 3 times from saying “this is the best song out this week!” Depending on what you need out music today, any of these songs could hold that title. There are a few that go beyond ‘great song’ and should instead, I believe, be labeled “incredible art.”
Even with my parents visiting Nashville - the first time I’ve seen them in person in over a year - I devoured hours of music (there are some amazing albums and you should have your eye on Ashley Monroe) from country artists around the world and chose the FIRST 5 songs to get started on New Releases, this week.
Want more? All the stuff I’m listening to is on my official playlist TY BENTLI’S DAILY SOUNDTRACK
Here are the FIRST 5 new releases you should hear:
“Country Again” - Thomas Rhett
I moved away from home a few weeks after high school. A summer apartment with my coworkers, then off to college and somewhere in the midst of that, radio found its way into my life.
If I’m honest in a way that I rarely acknowledge, I probably loved the idea of being an actor more than any other profession. I was extremely intrigued by physics, but not enough to stop me from chasing something else. It really came down to entertaining people, and experiencing things I never had - the allure of acting was mostly about the chance to race cars or parkour off buildings or learn self-defense for a spy movie…the idea of a laugh in front of a sitcom live audience wouldn’t be too bad, either. Then I got into radio and found out that there was a place to make people laugh as MYSELF. What I had found alluring about picking up new skills on action movies was that I wouldn’t be in a mundane daily routine, and radio gave me that, too. I was able to live on a school bus for a week in the freezing cold and meet hundreds of interesting, awesome people who were dropping off toys for kids who would otherwise never get to celebrate the holidays. I got to fly to Hawaii and meet Mickey at a resort so that I could talk about it on the radio and give away a trip that meant a whole family would get to do the same thing! I barricaded myself in my studio in Chicago and played Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You” on repeat for over an hour, straight before the Program Director forced his way in and put the kibosh on that (I was the #1 afternoon drive show, so he just wiggled his finger at me and told me he didn’t like that kind of ‘bit’). Listeners did…they still DM me about it 10 years later.
I spent the entirety of my life chasing a bigger and more illustrious city and job. I moved from Little Rock to Austin to Chicago to L.A. to New York. And then I met Corri, we had Radley and our family began… and we realized we wanted a yard (like the ones I’d had growing up in Iowa and South Dakota). Nashville gave us that chance. To move out of apartments and into our own home. Home: that’s a very important word. Not “this is fun for now” or “we love New York, but how can we raise a kid here? And we definitely can’t have another one.” Home means that I fall asleep at night and often say “I would be happy here forever.”
A lot of that feeling is because of who is inside this home. But a lot of it is the simple joy of hopping in the car and running to Target - rather than taking the subway to the bus, and then throwing all of our bags into a cab on the drive back to Hell’s Kitchen.
Then the pandemic took things to another level, for me. I found myself really wishing I were closer to my parents and sisters. We had all this time, and if we were stuck with just a few people that we could see in person in our daily lives, South Dakota was a great spot for it. The simple pleasures of life continue to be enjoyed there. It isn’t as busy as Nashville (pre-COVID) with honky-tonks and the Grand Ole Opry. Nashville’s got more museums and parties and rooftops and adventure. But when I was a kid, I just wanted to climb the tree out back, or play in the neighbor’s sandbox - all day. We visited my grandparents and snuggled with each other while watching tv. My friends and I literally had nothing to do but hang out at work (pizza place called Gigglebees). This is not just nostalgia, but comfort and the desire to share those same kinds of memories with my kiddos. This past year really forced us all to remember how easy it can be to be content. How much of a gift a family is. How important it is to have friends that you’d be happy hanging with in the back yard (no concert or distractions, just conversation). It reminded me how much I miss snow and even the sad ass little hill that we call a “ski and snowboarding mountain” in Sioux Falls seems achingly far away when I stare at my board on the garage wall here in sunny Nashville in a pandemic.
Thomas Rhett tapped into that peace and forced regression that 2020 dictated. We all had to slow down, and then we remembered how amazing that is. For those of us who grew up in small cities or low key towns, we miss them more. The comfort is real there. It pointed out how superficial most of the ‘entertainment’ in life is - a distraction from what we really miss. Or maybe an attempt to live something we thought we were missing in ‘the good ol’ days’…
TR’s tale of the simple, time-consuming (dare I say “unproductive”) activities and the gentle comforts of home and familiarity are universal. I don’t fish - I used to; I’d sit with my snoopy fishing rod on the dock or the boat in Lake Okaboji, IA. I was content to do it and had a swell of pride if I could reel something in. Then, one day, I cast the rod and let go at the last moment so that it sailed into the lake. When my parents fished it out with a snorkel and fins, I decided that looked WAY more fun (the snorkeling/swimming/diving off the dock) than the boring seated activity of fishing. So it began… but I’ll never forget the feeling of a great cast, and the attentive nature it takes to ‘feel’ a fish and guide it in. I don’t hunt cuz I hated the simple accident of hitting a raccoon with my car and realized I’m happy to let the grocery store do the hunting. But, the feeling is the same. We can all relate to this amazing song. Time and again, Thomas Rhett uses nostalgia and story to show us how good life is…and it works on me every time.
LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Country Again”
“Small Town Hypocrite” - Caylee Hammack f. Christ Stapleton
For me it was Little Rock. The one time I stayed in a city for a girl. I was falling for this girl that I’d picked up at Applebee’s. Seriously. Not only that, I picked her up using that scene from Top Gun where Maverick sings to Charlie in the bar - my buddy, Johnny, played Goose and I literally recreated “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” - everyone at Applebee’s sang along and I was invited to sit down and start a conversation.
I was offered the chance to move to Kansas City and join a great station with a really fun team. I turned it down cuz I wasn’t ready to leave the girl. It was probably two months later that I was single and applying for a job in Austin TX (I did end up taking them up on that offer).
Caylee Hammack is one of my favorite new artists for multiple reasons. Her voice is absolutely unbelievable - she can do anything she wants - but its the crafting of her truth that really drew me in. She came to visit my show before her debut album, and spent a week as our Artist in Residence. I got to hear the incredible diversity in her music: upbeat, dynamic, containing misdirection, and vulnerability.
The first time I heard “Small Town Hypocrite” was when we invited Caylee to play a show I was hosting at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville. She had just written the song, and was still working on telling the story of the guy who’d convinced her to give up a music scholarship and stay in their small town, and then that same dude quickly cheated on her, claimed he had needed more ‘space’ and then moved into a double-wide trailer with an older woman and her 3 kids. So much for ‘space’…the song left the crowd awestruck, and there are very few ways you could improve on something like that…but Caylee added Chris Stapleton. So that version is out now and its mind-bending!
LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Small Town Hypocrite (featuring Chris Stapleton)”
“Younger Me” - Brothers Osborne
One time I took an evening and wrote down all the “Perfect Moments” in my life. Riding in the middle of the front seat on the way to the lake with my Grandpa Jim and Grandma O. A kiss under a willow tree on the side of another lake. The time I recorded a phone call with a listener, but didn’t have time to fully edit the audio before I had to play it back on the air, so I just deleted the left channel (which had all the things I’d said) and instead played my part LIVE on-air, watching for the gaps between the caller’s words. Basically, I made it sound like a perfect conversation and nailed the post on the song (just in time for artist to start singing). And I did all of that WITH witnesses in studio! Which reminds me, it wasn’t a not-perfect moment when I met Rihanna. Of course, along the way were also things that I wish I could go back and talk to myself about before they happened - sharing some experience and perspective with a kid who hadn’t learned certain lessons yet. Its embarrassing to think about the dumb things and immature decisions. Its also probably all important to get me to where I am, and if it led me to Corri and gave us this family, then so what if I lied and said I didn’t have a crush on Deanne in 7th grade (I had just transferred to the school and was afraid she wasn’t popular and that it might hurt my chances at being cool…it was the opposite). All of that is what it took to get me here.
With that in mind, I’m almost desperate to share wisdom with my kids. Ever since Radley’s first birthday, we’ve made videos each year for the kids with a message. For Corri, she talks about how much she loves them. For me, I’ve always though that if something happened to me then they should have lessons that I had wanted to impart (hopefully making life easier for them). My lessons are often ones I learned through my own mistakes (like having patience, like having vision, and like trusting that your passions - popular or not - are what will ultimately lead you to happiness).
This song from the Bros is just incredible. So unassuming upon first listen, and then you pay attention and your mind is blown. If you’ve watched the daring honesty that these two have exhibited their entire career, you know that they certainly have plenty of places where they had to be decisive about picking a side. No grey area. And that leads to finding out that there are people who don’t have the same opinion as you, or don’t show common decency and respect to their fellow humans. Hell, their whole tour is now named after the fact that perhaps they’re “Not For Everyone” - but if you can’t be moved by a song like this, I wish you well, Tin Man.
Adding to the beauty of the unfolding lyrics, is the sonic arrangement of this song! Reminiscent of “Africa” by Toto with hints of U2 and A-ha. Its a literal Delorean at 88mph. I’m transported to when I was younger. Memory upon memory cropped up as this nostalgic piece of art played on. And John’s blazing guitar solo being layered with guttural calls from TJ… I loved the face-punch of Skeletons Bros. Osborne - one of my favorite albums ever - but this is just a deeper layer of undeniable brilliance.
LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Younger Me”
“Got It From My Mama” - Honey County
In videos from the day I first met Corri, I remember noting with some humor that I look a LOT like my mom. Seriously - same face, same hair color, dimples, teeth. And my mom is beautiful, so I’m fully aware that I’m not saying she looks like a rugged lumberjack or something…I’m fully able to admit that I happen to have very pretty features 🤪
This weekend is the first time in over a YEAR that I will be able to hug my parents in person. They’re vaccinated and made the drive down from South Dakota to meet their grand-daughter, Teddi, and spend a few days here in Nashville! My sister is going through a lot back in SD, and I know they want to be around in case she needs help with anything, but having them here is always a reminder of how much I am a mashup of my parents. I got my dad’s relentless workhorse DNA, but its tempered with my mom’s Family-First attitude. I can be stubborn and I am also pretty good at seeing other perspectives. Mainly, there are some intangible values, and a genetic sense of humor that are so reflected by the two people who taught me my approach on life. I often think of my parents, and suddenly empathize, as I watch my kids.
With them around, it was such a perfect time to hear this song, and I’m sharing it because the message is just fun and cool. Most of the details aren’t exactly mine, but the appreciation and excitement ring so true!
Honey County start this song with a few notes that rip us into the past, before the production infiltrates and makes it a 360 degree memory. The lyrical details are so minute that - while they might not be the exact lyrics in YOUR version of the song - they are immediately certified as truth.
The chorus shows the reverence of a child for their parent. Its even bigger than the ability that a teenager has to appreciate their parents…even early 20s, it’d be hard to take a deep introspective look and dissect exactly how much we are the parents who got us here. This is a song that celebrates the hell out of a great parental figure. I promise you that every mom wants their kid to send them this song, and every dad is hoping that someone is working on a similar premise as we get closer to Father’s Day (which is when Corri and 2-year-old Radley gifted me with this song a few years back: “Click to see RAD DAD”)
LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Got It From My Mama”
“Beach Cowboy” - Brian Kelley
What are you afraid of? Like most-afraid of? I have had three fears my whole life and one will come into play because of this song.
Actually, this song represents two surprises for me. First, the surprise of the blatant announcement of BK’s solo recording contract was a HUGE ‘TF?’ moment. I wonder how long I’ll remember that moment that I read the email of what was about to be announced - I was sitting on the production side of our studio at the house, had just finished the show for Apple Music Radio and was about to go grab something to eat…but I turned in my seat. I’d been facing the door, and had my feet up on the doorjamb. I needed to be fully facing my screen, and make sure I was reading this right! I was kind of excited, because I’m a fan of a LOT of different music and I really dig FGL (and especially love their music on House Party Radio) and this could only mean there was gonna be some music I couldn’t wait to hear. I was also kinda bummed out cuz I was trying to figure out if these two guys - who I’ve always known as really good and real friends - were going to be breaking up the band. I like Tyler and BK a lot and, especially this year, don’t want to see anybody less happy than they deserve. (That’s real - it sounds dumb, but I seriously get bummed out for people when I believe they deserve good things - even total strangers).
The other surprise came this week when I invited BK onto my show to debut his new music & he joined me for the release of his first solo EP “The Wave Pack.” I told him that if he’s the Beach Cowboy, I’m the opposite - standing there in my Burton t-shirt, it was almost too obvious that I’m the happiest when I’m on a mountain). He told me “The Beach Cowboy can travel” and then I noted that he was welcome on the mountain but that he wouldn’t see me getting in the water cuz I’m way more afraid of sharks than he is…and he said “Oh no! I’m seriously scared of sharks” **not a quote, but basically that** And then we talked about how the longer I’m in the water the more it feels like being in Vegas and having a good run at blackjack. Every time I throw my money back onto the table, I’m just waiting to go bust - same in the water…the longer I’m in there, the more certain I am that the shark is getting closer and has smelled my fear. It totally surprised me that Brian Kelley, The Beach Cowboy, feels that same fear. Although he’s apparently way less of a wuss cuz he still lays out and surfs and stuff.
This foray into BK’s music is really interesting. I could’ve picked any of the four songs on the EP to get you started, but I decided on “Beach Cowboy” because it offers some familiarity for FGL fans (lines like “yippee oh ki yay, its your boy BK”) and a slinky groove that makes the transition feel less enigmatic. But its totally worth diving further into ‘The Wave Pack EP’ because in asking different people what their favorite track was, I’ve heard each of the songs as replies. “Party On The Beach” has a cool Kenny or Buffett vibe, “Made By The Water” is something you’ll add to your playlist if you’re a fan of guys like Dierks or King George. “Sunday Service In The Sand” is meditative and a real introspective on who BK is and what he’s about.
Start with “Beach Cowboy,” though - its the song BK chose as the intro to his EP and I think its because its the song-equivalent of him greeting you at the front door, if you dropped by his house. This is who he is, this is the speed we’re gonna operate at, the beer’s on the left, bathroom down the hall 3rd door, come on in.
LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Beach Cowboy”
Its Not Over
There is more 🔥 new music to share, along with my favorite tunes to play on The Ty Bentli Show, lately. New Church to stuff that’ll make you feel like going to one, a playlist built to showcase every avenue and you’ll love it start to finish:
TY BENTLI’S DAILY SOUNDTRACK is on my homepage on Apple Music.