Back at it with the best of 2020 music (you can check out my last post here!) Honestly, there’s been little else to do this year other than listen to music 24/7, so I’ve had a pretty great soundtrack to keep my ears occupied while I’m working, painting, showering, or reading under the sun in the garden (although those days seem like a distance memory non the freezing temperature has rolled in!) Plus, now that we’ve all had the chance to check out our Spotify Wrapped for the year, I’d love to know what was on yours! Drop me a message in the comments below or on Twitter @CiarasCountry. In the meantime, on with the show…
Thinking Bout You – Dustin Lynch, Lauren Alaina
My first choice for this blog is a song that just slaps a big fat smile on your face. Honestly, if someone sent me this song, I would hands down fall in love with them right then and there because really, what’s nicer than knowing someone was thinking about you? In this weird era in which our communication with everyone is virtual, even more so than usual, all it takes is calling someone up to make their day and this song really exemplifies that. So, give it a listen, and then call that person up. I can guarantee they’ll be happy you called!
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62773204
A Little Lime – Jordan Davis
Need some easy listening? I’ve got you. Jordan Davis takes us to a world without a care where all we need is a little lime and a lot of tequila to get us through. Are we sure that actually isn’t the real vaccine for Covid-19? Worth a shot (literally). Jordan also blessed us with another great track in 2020, Almost Maybes, and check out his backlog for some more super songs like Take It From Me and Singles You Up.
https://www.jordandavisofficial.com/
Warmer – Rascal Flatts
As if 2020 didn’t already suck enough, this year also heralded the news that country powerhouse trio Rascal Flatts was breaking up after more than 20 years together. However, thank goodness they weren’t going to leave us in the lurch, and dropped latest EP How They Remember You in July. Let me tell you, this album is so good that Rascal Flatts almost became my most listened to artist of the year on these seven songs alone. The songs are so good – particularly Looking Back and Feel It In The Morning, but Warmer takes the cake simply because of how Gary sings ‘time’ in it. Listen just for that.
https://genius.com/Rascal-flatts-warmer-lyrics
On My Mind –
Rest Acres
Here’s another track that 2019 Ciara never could have predicted would have ended up on my radar, not only because it’s a genre that I really didn’t listen to before (electronic) but because Rest Acres hadn’t even released any music until 5 months ago as I write this. Rest Acres (aka Joel Cassady) is responsible for producing this mind-melting piece of music, with Kate Carswell on vocals. On My Mind is a full body experience that straight-up transports you to another dimension.
https://genius.com/Rest-acres-on-my-mind-lyrics
Lost In The Wild – Walk The Moon
We all know Walk The Moon from 2014 track Shut Up and Dance which I thought was fun and catchy to begin with, until I heard it for the 50,000th time on the radio and decided that I’d had quite enough of that, thank you very much. Such was not the case with Lost In The Wild, which was added to multiple of my playlists over the year because I simply could not get enough of it. Even without the vocals, this song is heaven-sent – the beat drops and picks up at just the right points. So fun.
https://genius.com/Walk-the-moon-lost-in-the-wild-lyrics
Chasin’ You – Morgan Wallen
This will not be the last you hear of Morgan Wallen in the songs that got me through 2020, but let me get you onto Chasin’ You to start with. Picture this: it’s late at night and you’re in a dark bar in downtown Nashville and this guy in a sleeveless shirt steps up to the mic. Great, another bro-country song about girls in cut-off jeans with their feet on the dash of his pick-up truck. Instead, he starts singing the most heartfelt song you’ve ever heard of watching someone move on while you’re still chasing them. By the end of the song, you have tears in your eyes. That’s Chasin’ You.
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64163978
Here’s a wild thought: what if Miley Cyrus is wholly responsible for my love of live music, and therefore for the creation of Ciara’s Country? It’s not that hard to imagine, since her 2009 Wonder World Tour was the first concert I ever went to, and we all know that I’ve been to a fair few concerts since then. For some reason, Miley isn’t usually mentioned up there with the likes of Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, but why not? Party In The USA was an absolute banger, as were Nothing Breaks Like A Heart and Slide Away, and Midnight Sky is no exception. In fact, it might even be her best yet. She’s found the perfect genre for her raspy voice, and that’s 80s rock. All I can say it’s I’ll take a generous portion of whatever she’s serving up next.
https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Sky-Miley-Cyrus/dp/B08FKYSCPG
Be Kind –
Marshmello, Halsey
Let’s just talk about Halsey for a minute. A high percentage of my favourite songs of recent years have something to do with Halsey – Benny Blanco’s East Side featuring Khalid and Halsey, Without Me, Finally // Beautiful Stranger (is that a country song? Either way, it’s beautiful). Anyway, whatever she’s doing, it’s clearly working. Teaming up with Marshmello was not a bad idea either, as the two of them have created another track to add to ‘songs Halsey just does right’. The message is worth paying attention to as well – I’ll leave this here: “I don't know why you hide from the one, and close your eyes to the one; mess up and lie to the one that you love, when you know you can cry to the one, always confide in the one; you can be kind to the one that you love.”
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63818852
And there you have it, another round up of some absolute beauties that helped me through this year. I’m super excited about my next addition to this series as it contains some of my most listened to songs of the whole year! I hope you’ll join me when that’s posted – be the first to know by subscribing to my email list (there’s a box at the top right of this page) or following me on Twitter @CiarasCountry. As always, thanks so much for reading!
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