Ty’s FIRST 5 - Albums 11/20/20

Albums take a serious investment of time. Usually someone will sneak me a copy ahead of time, but Friday mornings I always hit the gym with a MASSIVE playlist to tear through. An album experience is so different from just throwing a bunch of your favorite songs onto Shuffle Mode. I’m a fan of that journey - the song that an artist chose to start the album, and the song that defines what affect that album leaves us with. I know so many of you love albums for the same reason. To save YOU time, here are my recommendations for the FIRST 5 new albums you should listen to, this week!

Lee Brice - Hey World

This album is top of my list, today. Lee’s voice is freaking phenomenal. We’re talking about the guy who is renowned as one of the top vocalists in country music and Hey World takes things to the next level.

DON’T MISS: “Soul” - are you kidding me!?? This song is funk and country and pure soul! Lee layers vocals and attacks vastly distanced octaves in a way that its reminiscent of his buddy Jerrod Niemann’s legendary “Lover Lover”

YOU WILL LOVE: “More Beer” is one of the boldest choices I’ve seen in a minute. Its a song that is ALL commitment, and the fact that this song is a massive success as a piece of music AND lives on the same album that contains the vocal acrobatics of “Soul” is a testament to the depth of this album experience

ALSO: You’ve gotta dive into the positive “Atta Boy” (amazing for 2020). “If You” (sometimes you want people to STFU - but he’s saying ‘buck’). “Hey World” (he may be rightfully short-sighted in “Do Not Disturb” but this song shows a beautiful awareness of us, this year)

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM ON APPLE MUSIC: Hey World

Ida Mae - Raining For You (EP)

You know how when you find the one “you just know.” How wild is it that Chris and Stephanie found out that not only do their hearts complete each other but the same is true of their (oh, I didn’t think this sentence through, medically, before I started typing…umm..) their vocal-boxes voices also complete each other! This is another great piece of evidence that these soulmates are heavy on the soul. Southern-blues Americana from the United Kingdom.

DON’T MISS: “Deep River” Start with Track 1 (always do that). Featuring Marcus King, its my favorite song on the EP. And this EP is a compilation that should be heard in-order. I always believe in the bookends (1st track/last track) experience, but if we’re being real here, I could shuffle around on Lee Brice’s new album and be almost as happy as chronologically. WIth Raining For You, the journey is real.

YOU WILL LOVE: The titular track, “Raining For You” is haunting. “Stars & The Deep Blue Sea” starts sonically with what feels like a broken down chime and then morphs - almost imperceptibly - and returns to earth again as the vocals begin…then you’re suddenly off-balance between the ethereal cosmos and a forcibly earth-bound lyric.

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM ON APPLE MUSIC: Raining For You

Lady A - Ocean (Deluxe Edition)

This is more of a reminder and “Hey did you hear…” of a great album that just added some kickass bonus tracks.

DON’T MISS: “Heroes” with Thomas Rhett. A song that’s created in homage. But it’s somehow able to capture the silver-lining vibe - the gifts of those heroes will live on in so many ways!

PLUS: Lady A just followed their Christmas music release with, now, a beachy twist on my summer BOP “Champagne Night (Tiki Bar version).” A reality check of 2020 with “Let It Be Love (At Home version)” and a return to that thing I’m missing so much this year - LIVE MUSIC - with “What If I Never Get Over You” as they performed it at a venue where I hosted concerts with Morgan Wallen, Caylee Hammock, Blanco Brown and so so many others so many concerts at last year (3rd and Lindsley here in Nashville)

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM ON APPLE MUSIC: Ocean (Deluxe Edition)

Paul Bogart - Won’t Have Far To Go

This dude is just worth listening to. It starts with the line “She shoots that pretty smile your way and it feels like a bullethole. And all the other girls around you disappear like gun smoke” - its lyrics like that that have a way of making me feel like I can let go: cuz I’m listening to a country album. Like when a George Strait song comes on.

DON’T MISS: I swear the first four songs I’d tell you to listen to are the first four on the album…and the first ten are the first ten…

YOU WILL LOVE: You’re already familiar with a couple songs on this album (“Aint No Sunshine” - you must must hear this version). You’ll feel like Jerry Reed made a cameo (“The Ballad of Exit 199”) and you’ll probably call your mom (“Mothers and Sons”).

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM ON APPLE MUSIC: Won’t Have Far To Go

Swon Brothers - Nashlahoma

My auto-correct is on. Try typing “Swon” and “Nashlahoma” and you’ll understand how committed I was to get this album on my list. Its country! Like 90s country that Zach and Colton (and I) grew up on. This album feels like its Oklahoma roots. I’ll never forget the first time I heard these sibling harmonies on The Voice. Unbelievably tight and just so great! Imagine Zac Brown with a younger brother right there next to him.

DON’T MISS: “Southern Draw” with Lewis Brice! I love the writers on this album, but it comes down to execution and this is an album you want playing while you’re kicking it out back, or relaxing on the porch; just watching the world happen. *With exceptions like “Get It On” (which is fairly-definitely not-subtly about something else).

ALSO: After I’ve already bragged about the production and vocals, they add icing on the cake with “Travelin On” features Vince Gill!

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM ON APPLE MUSIC: Nashlahoma