FIRST 5 - Start With These New Releases (June 18th)
It will take you less than 15 minutes to check out the best new music that dropped this week. These are the FIRST 5 new releases I think you should hear. This weekend showcases what incredible new perspectives are being introduced into country music mainstream. I took the last couple of days to re-educate and further educate myself on the significance of the now National Federal Holiday (!) Juneteenth. And when I looked at the list of songs that had I’d been creating for my FIRST 5, this week, I realized how cool it was that this list was as representative as it is of the artists of color who are helping define the sound of country music. This was not an intentional decision to include as many diverse voices as possible this week, it was an organic list of the songs that had stood out to me as I explored upcoming music.
Corri snuck me off for Father’s Day this weekend. The kids and I get to dig into our nerdy love of rockets and space! Time with the kids really reminds me of the lessons and power in music. These songs set a great summer mood, touch on emotional truths, and bring us all together! It really does feel important to me to just SHARE the music that I would tell my family and friends to check out & I believe these FIRST 5 songs will be the ones you get excited to share with your friends, too!
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:
“Beer With My Friends” - Shy Carter, Cole Swindell & David Lee Murphy
Did you know I don’t drink? Like basically never. I would take a shot if a bar owner insisted on a night where they’d hired me to host a party at their spot. And even then, if I’d already taken one, I was prepped to slide it off to a friend. I just don’t care about a drink. And even then, with music thumping, crazy lights and people in my face and packed in, I wouldn’t know if I’d been tipsy, so I only remember feeling it ONCE (at home, playing Settlers of Catan with our neighbors Ariel and Jamie in the living room overlooking 42nd street in NYC - I took a tumbler of Knob Creek with nothing in my belly and remember telling them “hmm.. the room is spinning”).
So I legitimately have zero clue what its like to grab a beer with my friends. However I decided earlier this year that I may not drink, but it can’t hurt to have a beer once in a while. I’d thought it tasted like eating dog barf, and didn’t need the calories and hate feeling out of control. So I knew I’d be limiting myself to about 1 beer in a night and would probably do some fancy lager or whatever…cut to Barcelona restaurant two weeks ago:
I looked at the menu at this tapas place (I also hate sharing food - never did it until I met Corri) and new I was out of my element. I took a sneaky photo of the menu and texted Kurtis, my buddy who knows his brews & knows that when I say “I don’t ever really drink” I mean “the last time I had a drink was 2012,” and asked what I should order…then my phone died. I decided to ask the waitress what she’d recommend for me - a guy who doesn’t drink much, knows nothing about booze. I pointed to the section that said “Beer: Bottles and Cans” -assuming that meant Beer. You’ll need a couple to feel it. I liked the sound of something that said “spiced” and ordered.
An hour later, I had finished my food and was getting ready to head to my friend Bryan’s live music event at Whiskey Row. I finished up what was left in the glass and watched as the table of people around me started to seem a little foggy. It felt like when I was really tired and trying to finish the page of a book but couldn’t quite focus. And I sat thinking about it for a few minutes then said “I’m a little surprised to say it, but that one beer seems to had more of an effect than I thought.” So we just kicked it at the restaurant and hung out for another hour as I ordered chocolate cake and waited for whatever was going on to dissipate.
The next morning, Kurtis hit me back and mentioned that the decision to order “Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale” mighta been a big swing he’d have steered me away from. Looking at the menu now I do notice it was under “Dark | Spiced | Strong”
Long walk to this great vibe song that Shy Carter pulled some friends in for! I may not love being out of control of my faculties, but when I’m with my wife and friends I have a great time with no-matter-what it was only slightly annoying and I get why all my friends love to put a beer in hand and their smile usually gets bigger and goofier as the night wears on. That’s how this song feels - unruly and unified! Starting with the chorus out of the gate, and then breaking down the kind of quality people who need a break now and then! This is every bit of the attitude you get from a good DLM or CSwindell party song. Shy exemplifies what’s goin on by stepping back from his precise and uncanny vocals on songs like “Good Love” and instead he just brings in a rowdy chorus of pals to run wild.
LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Beer With My Friends”
“The Worst Country Song of All Time” - Brantley Gilbert, Toby Keith & HARDY
One of the biggest regrets I have in life is trading in my first truck.
To be fair, I traded it for my second truck. But it the original was a black Chevy Silverado 1500 Z71. Total truck truck - looked amazing but had cloth seat interior and a few bumps inside the bed so I didn’t get nervous when I threw the keys to a friend. The dealer gave me jack for it, but I didn’t have a parking spot for it at my apartment in North Hollywood, CA…so I made the trade. Within 24 hours I realized I could have driven it to South Dakota and kept it in the family. Now, ten years later, I wish I had that truck sitting in the driveway!
I live in Nashville and talk about country music every day on the radio & yet I don’t have a truck in the family right now! (There’s one on pre-order but we don’t know when its coming). It feels like I’m missing a crucial element. Then a song like this comes and laughs in my face.
To be honest, I listened so closely to these lyrics, cuz I thought that it could easily be full of subliminal messages that didn’t quite align with my personal values and beliefs around who loves country music…but it is really just a song that highlights the stereotype while the artists involved basically laugh at themselves. Its a tongue-in-cheek reminder that anyone can love country these days - the interpretation is up to the listener. You’ll fully align with some of the lyrics and fist pump to those truths while giggling at the lyrics that you could care less about but we all know are bullet points of what makes you ‘country.’
As a guy who doesn’t have a truck in the drive, I still came from the Heartland and I listen to is country music like I breath air, I still cranked it up over and over. I love the icons, the newbies and the classics. I don’t care that I don’t drink sweet tea (and that I admitted above I don’t put much use into a Red Solo Cup - but I sang that song at the top of my lungs). Brantley Gilbert has always shown me that he is a fan of people of all walks and he leaps fences to hang with all of his fans. Put each lyric in its own category in your mind and remember that the brand is changing right before our eyes. My listeners in NYC were some of the strongest ambassadors for country music I’ve ever seen…we saw each other by taking the subway or an Uber to the party…but we still wish we had a truck.
LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Worst Country Song of All Time”
“Something Sexy” - Smithfield
What’s the sexiest song of all time?
when I was a kid it was stuff like “Hero” from Enrique Iglesias, “Twisted” by Keith Sweat.. I can’t remember if anyone actually thought Kenny G was sexy but he certainly came up in conversations, I think (I was too young). Marvin Gaye & Barry White are the always mentioned…. But the sexiest song was “Breathe” by Faith Hill! Hands down.
Smithfield dive right in with a very similar reverence to country music that we heard from Brantley & friends in BG Nation’s new track, this week. Country radio isn’t the first destination for setting the mood - but if you’re in control (namedrop: Apple Music!) you can find some of the most romantic songs out there. Smithfield literally sets the vibe by talking about the songs that do the same. Singing an appreciation of the sexy songs that are mixed between the heartache and boot-stomping of most country playlists. For every “Next Girl” and “I Hope” there’s a “Gettin You Home” - for each “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” there’s an “Amazed.”
LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Something Sexy”
“Sunsets” - Angie K
When I get to share music, my whole goal (and you see this in every place I reference ‘why’) is to bring people together. For those who feel out of place or less than equal, for those that feel like the challenges in front of them are insurmountable, for the people who just need to know that someone cares right now. I’m sure its based on those moments in my life where I didn’t feel like I measured up to someone else.
My biggest sense of insecurity came in 7th grade when my family moved & right in the middle of Middle School I had to adjust to new friends. It was the right call - just a few weeks before that, a classmate of mine had been expelled for bringing a gun to school. I can’t remember if he’d shown me or if I was only aware after the fact, but I know it would scare me as a parent now, and I wonder if that played into my parents’ decision to move (it also might’ve just been lucky timing as someone had apparently offered to buy our not-even-listed-for-sale house.
Regardless, I ended up in a new neighborhood, new school, and with new kids all around - most of whom had known each other since Kindergarten. There was a kid in the school that was a lot like me (I was funny, I was ahead in class, I loved soccer)…he was a little funnier to his friends cuz they’d known him longer, he was in all the same AP classes, he was way better at soccer than I was.. I felt really uncomfortable and at 13 years old had lost my identity!
I am fortunate to have had to face that feeling early in my life and I had the gift of finding people that made me feel worthwhile and supported (my family and those at Asbury United Methodist Church led me to a place of confidence that allowed me to add more friendships and confidence). Not everyone has that same lucky timing, but music often shows us that those same insecurities and egos orbit around everyone’s lives. We have our own vulnerabilities and we deal with others who are projecting their personal fears onto others.
From the outside, we can assume someone else has very little to complain about. We can see how their circumstances would make us feel an enormous comfort or joy. But its important to remember that feelings are our own. No matter who you are, and what you’ve got in life, stress and success have the same effect. Everyone has troubles that cause their body to fire off adrenaline and cortisol. And everyone requires a certain validation for their body to send them dopamine. This is why its important to have empathy and try to experience things that bring perspective of how the world looks through another’s eyes.
For me, the most poignant line in “Sunsets” is ‘everybody’s ego is their biggest weakness.’ It identifies the message that every parent tries to teach their kid - when someone is hurting you, in almost every single instance it comes back to THEM. Its their own issues. Don’t let them make you feel like its on you.
Angie K sent me this song a few days before release with excitement about addressing this exact issue. She also threw in one o the coolest teases I’ve ever read from a friend in this industry: “This one was produced through three different producers, Jaren Johnston, Ron Fair, and Kyle Manner. Two years in the making! Written by Emily Weisband, Ben Burgess, and Jessse Frasure”…well, shit. How would I not drop everything and listen! So I did, and so should you.
LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Sunsets”
“Sober & Skinny” - Brittney Spencer
This is a great continuation of the message of perspective. Everyone has their own problems and its a lot easier to focus on the issues in someone else, than it is to address our own issues. Taking a moment to access empathy can literally change the world.
Since I dug deep into that a second ago, let me set up something more lighthearted and fun! Like…if you looked at your own relationship, what would the song be called?
This new release from Brittney Spencer will make you want to look at your life and rewrite the lyrics. The song is a based around the things that could change for two people in a relationship. One getting sober, the other getting skinny... In my house it'd be called “Finish Your DIY Barnwood Paneling Project & Put Away Your Water Glasses" - but Brittney chose the more poetic "Sober & Skinny"
Brittney has a magical ability - like that of John Prine - to capture truth in a message that is digestible to the simplest or most-distracted among us. This song is straight-forward in the story, and also (like Prine) offers layers upon layers of depth. The melody and production offer that same gift - it seems more stripped back than will become evident with further exploration.
I also love that Brittney - whose voice is so easily haunting and full - delivers with vulnerability that will resonate with all of us who are endeared to Kacey Musgraves. Once again, showcasing the layers of which Brittney Spencer is capable!
LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Sober & Skinny”
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
”Dig Yourself” - Tigirlily
”Bar Friends” - Restless Road
”Somethin’ in the Sunshine” - Julia Cole w. Renee Blair
”Mad I Need You” - Kylie Morgan
”Rescue Me” - Chris Young
”Things He Handed Down” - Lady A
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.