Today was HARD!!! I had a shortlist of 10 songs that I needed to narrow down to my FIRST 5. I had to face the truth that my goal is to help you get started on the new music, and put my faith in the fact that you’ll keep checkin out more and more music like these, when you hit a song on this list that you love. Plus, you can dive even deeper at the playlist link below.

I attempted to create a FIRST 5 that covers as many bases as possible, depending on your style, vibe, or mood. You’ll get an eclectic mix here (some might even classify a couple as “multi-genre”)

All the stuff I’m listening to this week is on my official playlist TY BENTLI’S DAILY SOUNDTRACK

Here are the FIRST 5 new releases you should hear:

“Met Him in a Hotel Room” - Rory Feek f. Trisha Yearwood

Sweet irony. I’m sitting on the couch in my house while my kid is outside driving a giant monster truck around the yard with the kids from next door. My other son is in aftercare on a Friday cuz I had to finish work stuff and my new daughter is off with my wife at Southeastern Salvage, texting me pictures of rugs and decorative tables (well, Corri’s doing that, our daughter is 7 weeks old…so she hasn’t gotten an iPhone yet).

This feeling of the last moments before the weekend is really here is a familiar one for all of us. I’ve actually had some awesome moments with my kids and Corri, this week - reading Rad my old Boxcar Children books before bed, going for a walk to the pharmacy with Bash, yesterday (he’s 2, but he held my hand and walked the whole way!), and taking Teddi to find the most unfindable product on earth: a 2021 desktop calendar (after 4 stores, its now expected to arrive via Prime shipping, tomorrow).

I remember Rory explaining that the “lady of the night” who is central to this song was really a human representative of all of the things that keep us from feeling like we get to experience those really key human aspects of our lives - bogged down in the grind. Teaming a cowriter of the song up with Trisha Yearwood, the song hits in such a dramatically different way than it did when Ms. Yearwood originally released the song “She Met Him in a Hotel Room” . I remember hearing it back then and coming from the incredible voice of Trisha Yearwood, and the perspective of a female telling the story, It was KIND OF like maybe it was being told in a more first-person way…or that you could choose to interpret it a bit more through that lens. With Rory approaching the beginning of the narrative, its definitely more of a 3rd-person overview of the story for me. Each version is super personal in its own way, as I listen. I think the true testament here is to the complete art and brilliance of this song. Listen distractedly and you’ll hear a completely different story than the one you hear when you sit and close your eyes. Ears open.

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Met Him In A Hotel Room”

“What Are We Fighting For” - Maggie Rose

This past year was draining. Mostly politics, I think. But that seemed to be the way that we had to divvy up on every issue - rather than just having an opinion, a lot of people seemed to think that they were stuck in whatever the ‘party’ line was. Weird right! Its like if you’re at a bar and you drunken-idiot friend starts talking trash to a stranger, and then gets punched in the face…now (even if you know its your friends fault) you have to defend him. Next thing you know, its Monday morning and you’re giving a work presentation in the conference room with a black eye and swollen lip.

Thats kinda what 2021 feels like. We already got punched, now we’re dealing with the uncomfortable black eye, and can’t eat toast cuz its impossible to bite through it without tearing your lip open again.

Maggie Rose wrote “What Are We Fighting For” PRE-pandemic! Its almost unconscionable how poignant it became through 2020 to today. We all have angst from the plethora of divisive issues of the past year. Exacerbated by many being extremely removed from our loved ones (I haven’t seen my parents or sisters in over a year - that’s NEVER happened before). I miss people. It weighed on me. Anything disagreeable in the world was just adding to that frustration. I want to f***ing snowboard and I want to take the kids to Dollywood and I want to hug my nieces and nephews! Instead, I stared at twitter and the news and felt increasingly uncomfortable.

That’s what this song is all about - you can clearly see, above, that I am well aware that the reasons I was feeling furious or just frustrated weren’t solely based on the issue at hand. I just needed to be furious or frustrated and found the reason. But overall, that wasn’t the attitude I allowed to rule me. I turned to the emotions reinforced in this song. I wrote down three words after hearing it the first time: “Patient. Wise(r). Certain”

SIDENOTES: I cannot cannot cannot wait for Maggie’s upcoming “Have a Seat” album! Infused with soul and funk (like “Do It”) - I’ve heard this project and if you get an e-vite to my house before August, you should definitely ask me to play it for you!! Maggie said its cool.

2 - This song is the first track on the album, and - like its corresponding bookend track “You Got Today” - references the album title in its lyrics

C - I just subscribed to Maggie’s new podcast and am catching up on “Salute The Songbird” - if you’re like me and are all about songwriters, CLICK HERE TO HEAR

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “What Are We Fighting For”

“Break It Kind of Guy” - Eric Church

End of 2019, The Ty Bentli Show was syndicated across several countries. We’d steadily watched ratings increase in our strategic demos in priority markets, and were winning - in Nashville we were beating the competition in our core audience, in the UK, we were the most-listened to national country radio show. So, at the beginning of 2021, I quit.

When I was in Chicago - home of my beloved Chicago Cubs, and Bulls - I took my show to #1, got flown to New York City as a potential new host for TRL, put in an offer on the place that would make me a homeowner for the first…and the week that offer was accepted, I decided to move back to Los Angeles.

In LA, I brought the show to #1 - beating a station that is a legend to radio nerds like me - and had a lot of cool opportunities to add some other entertainment industry hosting roles, I met Corri and was falling in love. I was in a great contract with a great company…but there was a really important concern in the background, and I decided to literally (and now with hindsight. embarrassingly) claw out of this great situation to move to New York.

**This is all true. And to be fair, its being painted with a very specific brush to make the point that I just might have an inclination toward being a “Break It Kind of Guy.” Don’t hold it against me. I could retell that story with more details and it would seem less self-destructive. I ended up in my dream job, with my dream girl, and with kids I never dreamed would fulfill the missing pieces of my life like they have.

Eric Church has an EPIC triple album on the way in just a matter of weeks. From the swampy opening, this song clearly asserts its home on “Soul”. The lyrics scream of something we all want to do from time to time. Approach parts of life without obligation, with no need for sweating the after-effects, and without caring what the reaction from others would be. This message is immediately punctuated as truth by the falsetto notes Eric throws himself into. He does. not. care. Love it!

I grew up being drawn to Jerry Reed music and there’s a muddy, JR, delivery to this that is so fun!

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Break It Kind of Guy”

“Woman You Got” - Maddie & Tae

😂 😂 😂 Could this song have arrived at a more perfect time?

This week, I joined Corri on the podcast that she and her friends Jen and Kaela produce every week. She wanted me to share the experience of having a pregnant and then postpartum woman in the house. I did admit that it was obvious that my normally-unbelievably-perfect-(for me)-person has been a bit…unpredictable, lately. We talked about how she would cry over “the story in her head” stuff, while she was fully aware that it didn’t represent the reality. Corri basically never cries, and is the most positive and energetic human I know…except the last few weeks. She also is kinda tired and has been using words that may not actually be real words, and is generally hilarious. We’re mostly past the unpredictable parts of post-pregnancy, so its increasingly more fun to share the story of it. Hear the podcast for yourself: “Hi My Name Is Mom”

Maddie & Tae hold a special place in my heart, mostly by accident. Literal accident. When I was in a rollover car accident with Chuck, Kelly, and Glenn a few years ago, Maddie & Tae were amongst the very first people to offer to help us as I we recovered. They stepped in to handle the radio show duties, and gave an immense amount of relief to me as I was mainly worried about the injuries of my friends and just hugging my family.

They’re two of the best people in Nashville, and to hear them singing these lyrics cracks me up. Their families and husbands must have the exact same reaction - lyrics professing their own faults to the people who have nothing but love for the people they are. We all known the faults of the people we love and love them BECAUSE of those faults. Our ability to see that as part of who the person is, is what makes them unique and our bond special. This song is a blast. I woke up singing it in my head today and suspected it might be even more catchy than I’d immediately recognized. Get ready for it to stick in your brain, too!

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “Woman You Got”

“Never Giving Up On You” - Meghan Patrick

I don’t generally share relationship advice. I never set people up - playing matchmaker doesn’t seem worth it or likely to succeed if I’m in charge.

But there is ONE piece of advice I’d offer to anyone looking for a life partner: Its not about YOU.

Maddie & Tae’s words above are so true - you’ve got to accept your strengths and faults, and let them shine. Let a person know who you really are, and then let them decide if you’re right for them. I’ve seen too many people amend their character or behavior. Try to change or fight for a significant other… all that matters is this: They must refuse to let you go.

Corri saw me get uncertain about our future, and rather than flippantly tossing me aside or letting her ego push me away, she simply stated that she wasn’t going anywhere. She didn’t change her behavior, just told me that she was in it. Was I? Well…yeah. When someone creates that level of trust and support it makes it easy to assess your real feelings. Its not about you quitting…its about letting each other quit. I never will quit this woman, and she won't stop being in it with her whole heart either. That’s our secret. We will be strong when the other isn’t.

Meghan Patrick always brings cool sensibilities to her music, and I love the lyric behind this. We can all find a commonality to the message! Enjoy!

LISTEN ON APPLE MUSIC: “If You Change Your Mind”

Its Not Over

I’ve got WAY more new music to share, along with my general favorites to play on The Ty Bentli Show, right now. There are bops and heartbreakers, and you’ll love it start to finish:

TY BENTLI’S DAILY SOUNDTRACK is on my homepage on Apple Music.

FIRST 5 - Start With These New Releases 3/26