Normally I’d be posting a FIRST 5 today…but I got (tricked?) into a “consult” with the urologist, and it’s less comfortable to type, sit and/or all other things.

If you’re questioning what that means, here’s how I remember the conversation with my wife going (as she was holding our third baby)

Corri: “wanna go for a ride? Huh! (Clap clap). Should we go for a ride!? Let’s go…out to the car. Go for a ride!”

Corri: “I’ll put the window down so you can stick your head out in the wind! Good boy!!”

Corri: “You want a treat? Come on, hop out.”

Corri: “Nice cone.”

FIRST 5 - the New Songs You’ve Gotta Hear (3-12-2021)

I won’t let you down, unless you wanted more stories about not vasectomies.

Here are the FIRST 5 new songs that you should hear, this week!

“Like A Lady” - Lady A

to quote my producer Marshall: “Holy crap that new Lady A…”. To be fair, he also said some erudite musical stuff like “the Jeff Porcaro shuffled drum beat with the fills in between almost all vocal lines”

But honestly, the first half of his first sentence about how the NEW Lady A sounds like 80s pop and is just FUN, is as much as you should need to want to hear another rad track from Hillary, Charles and Dave!

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Like A Lady”

“Water” - Tracy Lawrence

The Tracy Lawrence I grew up listening to is the same Tracy Lawrence, today! He’s getting ready for a full project and just threw us three instant gray tracks for pre-order!

I am keeping it short and sweet today, but the same voice is here - if you leaned toward the Hearstrings songs like “Paint Me a Birmingham,” you’ll love “Struggle, Struggle,” especially poignant after the last year.

My pick is Track 3 of the 3 IGs. Just Tracy Lawrence diving into a Tracy Lawrence song. As I’m sitting here with vastly less ability to concentrate…this song seems like one that I’ll peel back some layers or deeper meaning on, as I listen with a clearer head next week. There’s something ambiguous about the lyric and a solid “If The Good Die Young” vibe about it…

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Water”

“My Masterpiece” - Darius Rucker

The artwork for this is perfect - every star in the sky. Simple and attainable. There are four letters in the one word that allows all of us to have a masterpiece. (although I think Darius may have optional claims to a few great acheivements)

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “My Masterpiece”

“Where The Neon Lies” - Triston Marez f. Ronnie Dunn

Triston stands out because he reminds me of being a kid. I mentioned listening to Tracy Lawrence growing up - there was also Brooks and Dunn and Clint Black…. Triston is a newcomer in Music City, but has been putting in years and years. His voice is that cowboy song from the mid-90s. Right in the pocket, right in the truth without pushing for so much vocally that you lose the lyric and then mystique of the neon lights.

Say neon, and I assume Ronnie Dunn pops up wherever you are (Like those State Farm commercials where someone says “Like a good neighbor…”). But as a kid who LOVED LOVED LOVED Brooks & Dunn - they were my first chance to see live country music and it goes from there - I knew the millisecond Ronnie’s voice cut in on the chorus “and the…(jukebox…)”. There he was! I imagine having Ronnie freakin’ Dunn on your record is just as exciting for Triston as it would be if it happened to you or me! Listen. To. This!

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Where The Neon Lies”

“My Home Too (My Voice Too)” - Julia Cole

This song tripped me up the first time I heard it (remember how I mentioned I can’t concentrate on things very well this weekend?) and I had to circle back and make a decision on what I felt it was about - to me!

First of all, very stoked to see this new EP from Julia Cole. Her voice is so uniquely distinguishable from anything on the radio. Cool rasp, strong, and she’s got absolute vision on what kind of music she is putting out. That confidence comes through while not detracting from her likability. She’s your coolest friend! An “I know her!” friend.

This song for me is about that strength that I mention above. For any of us that are lucky or unlucky enough to be confident and self-sufficient (but not immune to vulnerability), this song seems to represent finding an equal. If you know your worth and are maybe built with a bit of tumbleweed inside, you don't need to settle - in fact, you need to find a challenge…someone reflecting the same fierce independence that is innate inside of you. It’s not always easy to convince them to start making compromises to bring your two worlds together…but there’s happiness in that future, if you can get there. You both have to rear up at each other’s walls, and demand they come down. Half yours. Half theirs. New wall of solidarity.

This song is so enigmatic that I’m freakin’ obsessed with it. Is it necessary to dissect like I did - is it an enigma or should I be taking more ibuprofen?

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “My Home Too (My Voice Too)”

I Got Fixed, Here’s Your Music Fix!