FIRST 5 - Start With These New Releases (July 2nd)

In 15 minutes, I want you to know exactly what songs you should be sharing to friends, this week! In the last few days, I’ve had opportunities to raise awareness of artists that are sharing stories not told nor heard on any grand level in the past of country music. Artists of color, artists from around the globe, artists that are LGBTQIA+. The List tv show chatted with me about new faces and perspectives that are giving even more people a chance to gravitate to country music as they feel they’re being represented by this genre that delivers the most-authentic connection to music fans, because country music has always had a way of reflecting the real experiences (not the smoke and mirrors and cinematic style of a lot of pop music). That’s an incredible thing to see - people from around the globe and all walks finally coming to the high top table, grabbing a drink , and hanging under the neon lights!

With our country seeing that positive change, I’m optimistic as we celebrate the 4th of July, the this Independence Day celebration will mean better things for even more people. Especially when comparing this July to last.

Like we will all come together to stare into the night sky in a few days, we can all come together behind a great song. I’ve combed through everything that’s been sent my way and tracked down even more to make sure I’m turning you on to the best, out of the gate.

As always: All the stuff I’m listening to is on my official playlist TY BENTLI’S DAILY SOUNDTRACK

First things first..
These are the FIRST 5 new releases you need to hear:

“Wild Again” - LANCO

Please tell me I’m not the only one who went to my computer mid-pandemic and booked (paid for, made plans, put it in my ical) a vacation for the distant future.

I’d made a promise to myself the winter before pandemic: In order to protect my happiness and give Corri back the husband she fell in love with (rested, fun, smiling), I’d stop working myself into the dirt with no time to enjoy life. My pal Chuck really helped me look at life and start dedicating time to the things that make it exciting and make me feel like myself. He pointed out that I always say that snowboarding is my favorite thing to get out and do…but he never sees me go shred. So, I decided we would book a trip to snowboard at least once a month throughout the entire winter. We went in December. We went in January. We went in February. Then the pandemic hit and I haven’t been in a year and a half. It was crushing me. I walked past my snowboard hanging in the garage door every day. Finally, one night, I couldn’t take it anymore.

So I marched inside and looked up flights to Colorado. This was back when airlines basically had no idea if they’d even exist in December 2021. But that’s when this trip is happening! I use a thing called “Scott’s Cheap Flights” to find awesome deals and this one was so good I might have even booked a seat for the baby that hadn’t been born yet! I was like “we have been stuck in this damn house and haven’t bought so much as a movie ticket in months…I’m splurging on this extra $134. And with that, we had plans for a year in advance. The only other time that’s happened was our wedding (and that might’ve been 11 months in advance).

My point: We all needed to believe that as amazing as the unforgettable time we had with our families was…there might be a glimpse of the past joys, again some day, too! And I am working hard to continue to appreciate what this past 15 months has taught me and allowed me to do, and to carry that into the new normal as life opens up again.

I caught up with Lanco yesterday. They were out on their bus, which became even more significant when I brought up “Wild Again.” The guys told me that it had been written as they all sat in the pandemic - almost all of them with new babies or new wives - and talked about how distant their past life on the road now felt. And they kinda worked through whether they’d matured out of that life, or if the circumstances just made it feel intangible. Ultimately, they realized they were still all the things they’d always been (just with new joys and responsibilities to mix into the balance). This song was written with the idea that the future would hold the days when they’d be back on the road, in front of crowds, and the wilder, freer version of life would return. The irony, of course, being that we all realized as they talked about the origin of this song, that they’d been writing about the moment they were sitting right in the middle of, yesterday. On the bus, back on the road, about to step on a stage, and sing “Wild Again” to a crowd who was finally experiencing it all again, too!

PS - I loved the premise of “Wild Again”, which is why included it in this FIRST5, but the point of this list is to turn you on to songs that will help you find more music you love. You’ve GOTTA let it roll into the next song on their new “Honky-Tonk Hippies EP”, which is “Moonlight Mingle” - its what would happen if you could birth a baby out of a menage a trois of “Johnny Be Good” “Footloose” and “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” had a grandkid.

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Wild Again”

“Tequila Talkin’” - Jimmie Allen, Lindsay Ell

The first time I met Jimmie Allen, we somehow stumbled into talking about One Tree Hill. Not common for me, so I have no idea how that came up - may have been somehow related to my wife playing some evil cheerleader on the show (confession: I’ve never seen it), but he got to chatting about a new song he’d written called “Best Shot” that was heavily based on his crush on Sophia Bush. This is years ago - before Jimmie had started even dating his now wife - and the next thing I know, he’s DMing Sophia Bush! Humbly, and nervously, but bravely decided that was the moment to reach out and let her know about the song. Cuz: he’s hilarious and awesome.

The last time I hung out with Lindsay Ell, she was helping out with a charity event I’d put together for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The event was called “Hot Chicken & Hits”…but apparently she hadn’t noticed it included eating increasingly hot chicken before singing, which mentioned in an initial text (or maybe I forgot to mention it…sh!*, I’m gonna check, please hold…

*elevator music*

…WHEEEEWWW! I was a little vague, but it was mentioned “its kinda a quirky twist (involving music and hot chicken” …)

Point being that Lindsay is one of the first people I thought of when I realized the only way this fundraiser would work is if we had the right kinda vibe & that starts with the people involved. Lindsay is one of the best on this planet. Especially considering the amount of talent she has - Lindsay was at the center of a quintessential moment of that evening at 12/30 Club on Lower Broadway, at the front edge of Nashville’s neon-lit strip of honky-tonks. After chowing down on some extremely hot veggie chicken, she dove into “i don’t lovE you” and by the time she arrived at the heart-wrenching bridge of the song, I looked past her and across the stage to where the club’s 20 foot wide, floor-to-ceiling windows had been pushed open to the street and easily 100+ people had stopped in their tracks on the sidewalk to crowd into the opening with their jaws agape.

She’s recognized for being a shredder and guitar-hero, but there’s a LOT more going for Lindsay Ell, and those vocals and her friendship are exactly what Jimmie Allen told me drew him to realize he wanted Lindsay on this song. He was all about her voice, first…and then asked if she’d be interested in playing on it, too? You can hear the electricity in their vocal delivery (recorded in studio together) as the all-too-relatable emotions pour into the song - displaying weakness that arguably has turned into bravery…being honest with ourselves in a down moment about what we really want to say if only we could muster up the courage. Listen for every guitar dance that exists for the hidden additions from Lindsay. Lean in for the control Jimmie exhibits through a staccatoed melody that could have been played much simpler & safer. WARNING: This song has power - if its late and there’s a liquid courage call you’re trying not to make…this will not assist your resistance!

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Tequila Talkin’”
*Since I didn’t post a FIRST5 last week, I had to circle back and include this

“New Wings” - Alyssa Bonagura

Why the hell do we think its safer to hold onto what we have than it is to go out and find better?

Is the rusty Dodge Aries coupe that your sister handed down to you (the one where you have to use a seatbelt to strap the passenger door shut in winter, cuz the door latch mechanism freezes up) better than a gently used new-model Honda Civic? No. A newer car, with latching doors and power mirrors, is obviously better than a beater that groans on every hill. All you have to worry about is adjusting those mirrors and programming the radio presets. Why would’t you do that?

So isn’t it weird that we won’t jump at new opportunities when we should? My father-in-law once said “bet on yourself.” I don’t think that’s an original quote, but it was said at a moment where I really had to decide if I still wanted to approach the world with the invincibility that I’d had before I was worried about things more important than myself (corri, kids, my family, friends, charities and the people who count on me). Back then I could leap blindly with confidence, but somewhere I had become more cautious, and a little worn down. I believed in myself but I didn’t trust the world would allow me to shine through.

That time that Jack said “bet on yourself” I decided to do it. And then a few years later, I did it again. And I don’t think we’re ever gonna find definitive proof that I made the best decision in each instance, but the evidence says yes. And it was as simple as being the kid that knows it will feel amazing to jump off the swing at the highest part of the arc…knowing that no-matter-what you’re gonna land in wood chips (I think even kids understand that even if you landed flat on your back, you’d be fine). Don’t be the kid who lets the fear of scratched up elbows keep you from experiencing what its like to FLY!

Alyssa may be singing about any number of changes. This could and likely is going to resonate as a song on our way out of a pandemic. The entire world felt locked in and locked down and the momentum that we are usually tuned into was completely stopped. The strange thing in this case was that EVERYONE felt that momentum stop. Literally as if the world had stopped turning. And now we see potential new things on our path.. But clearly this could also pertain to the end of a relationship of any kind, or letting go of our own worries. Alyssa eases us into the acceptance of what’s behind and the excitement of what’s ahead. As we get swept up in the song, the very momentum we were talking about has returned and is making it impossible to second-guess or revel in misery. This is a song for everyone who knows that they need to look to the days to come with anticipation of happiness and beautiful surprises.

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “New Wings”

“Record High” - Randall King

Dumpster Fire. I heard this past year referred to as a “Dumpster Fire” as I was finally catching up on season 2 of Mythic Quest (must-watch. especially if you’re a Always Sunny in Philadelphia fan).

I don’t think I’ve got the energy or motivation to search for the worst thing that happened in the last year. I am fortunate that negative things are fully shadowed by moments like the birth of Teddi, and the dance parties with the boys in the kitchen, and the chance to see my sister and brothers-in-law in Nashville for the first time.

That said, I’ve shared the lows in the past on this blog, and arguably the best thing about country music is the way it can swoop in during heartbreak. And rather than shoving us deeper into misery, it takes the misery and revels in itself!

Randall King comes in with this track and celebrates one option for digging into our own pain. Its not taken to an extreme and ongoing problem. Its this night only (maybe tomorrow) when we hide beneath the neon lights and own the moment. The sad, regrettable night is juxtaposed against the the fact that you’ve let go of trying to put on a false face. The steel guitar hidden in the track hints at the underlying sorrow, but the strings and big beat own this country-attitude of a near-laugh at self-loathing. The idea that a temporary solution is enough to assuage a campaign of sadness is the driving thesis of this Texas track.

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Record High”

“She’s In Love With the Boy (Acoustic / 30th Anniversary)” - Trisha Yearwood

I wanted to know exactly what I was doing back when Trisha Yearwood released her self-titled debut album. So I scrolled back in my instagram…and didn’t come close. Even MySpace wasn’t around yet…in fact, I’m pretty sure that my family didn’t even have home internet at that point. July 2nd, 1991.

I was too young to even have a girl that I was in love with, let alone one that loved me (although I may have had a little bit of a crush on Mandy, our neighbor?). I know I lived at 901 Bachelor Lane - which I drove past with the girl who’s in love with this boy (and our kids) just a couple weeks ago, on our first trip to see my family since the pandemic hit. That was the same house where I fell asleep every night in my basement room with Outlaw Country 101.9 KTWB playing on the clock radio. That was the only way I felt connected to the world since the rest of my family was 2 stories above me, and frankly it freaked me out. That connection to the world was because of the djs and the stories I heard through the songs that played until I finally drifted off to sleep.

I doubt I need to dig too far into the story of Katie & Tommie, but it was one that was being told every night. What always comes to mind, is Trisha telling me that when she stood on stage as a new member of the Grand Ole Opry, she heard Porter Wagoner say “sing that one that got you here” - and it was this debut hit from 1991. In celebration of the 30th anniversary, Trisha stripped back the production and her voice is at the forefront to spotlight the part of the song that was so important to me as a little kid just trying to keep himself distracted by listening to the stories being spun on the radio. This song is so engrained in us (me for sure) that even acoustically, I feel every musical build, and emotion that was always there.

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “She’s In Love With The Boy”

Its Not Over

There is more 🔥 new music to share. New releases alongside my favorite tunes to play on The Ty Bentli Show. 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.