*check out my last music round-up here!*
It's been a busy month - I've moved to a new country, started a new job, and honestly, stressed out a little, so some good tunes were a must to get me through October. Thankfully, there were loads of new releases, and a potential new favourite song of the year to keep me going! Check out my full 40+ song playlist from this month, and read on for the songs I’ve loved to the moon and back. In no particular order…
Starting off strong with this absolute banger that honestly would work better than any pick-up line. The song starts with Raelynn listing some of the cheesy clichés we know and love: "You must be Tennessee, cause you’re the only 10 I see, did the sun come out or did you just smile at me?" before we hit the chorus: "I bet you get that all the time, you’re probably getting pretty used to it, I bet you memorized the lines, I know that this ain’t nothing new to ya... I know that you could have anyone in here tonight, but you’d be better off mine." This song is so insanely fun, cute, and with two of the best (and underrated) artists in the business by now. We've had some great duets this year, and this one is right up there - hell, it might even be a contender for my favourite song of the year!
https://us.napster.com/artist/raelynn/album/get-that-all-the-time
Seeing Things - Kevin McGuire
Hold onto your hats, we've got a UK Country artist making the list! Glaswegian singer-songwriter Kevin was the very first artist I saw perform at The Long Road three years ago, and I liked his sound then - little did I know the best was yet to come. Here we have a song that's perfect for when you're a little frustrated and need a song to get all those emotions out, as Kevin sings about still seeing his ex wherever he goes: "I still see you driving around, top down, like we used to. Bar that we met, I saw you walking in with someone new. I see you on your phone, guess it's good to know that it still rings, man I hate that I'm seeing things." This song highlights a voice that rivals the finest up-and-coming artists in Nashville nowadays, and if he keeps making songs like this, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kevin make the jump there soon.
https://www.shazam.com/track/556204354/seeing-things
Girlfriend - Alana Springsteen
Sorry, not sorry for including two Alana Springsteen tracks in as many months, but if she insists on releasing her debut EP at this time, then there's bound to be a fair few songs I like on it. History of Breaking Up (Part 1) has former favourites California and Trying Not To (I'm hoping Different When You're 17 will make its way onto Part 2!), and she's knocked it out of the park again with Girlfriend. The song tells the story of being with someone who's probably going to end up with their best friend, even if they don't know it yet: "She's still the one in your head, I'm just the girl in your bed. She's got a hold of your heart, I'm just the one in your arms. When you're with me, you ain't with me, I feel her name on your lips when you kiss me, it kills me. You're gonna end up with her in the end cause she's your girl, I'm just your girlfriend." I'm all for male-female friendships, but can understand the pain of knowing that there's someone else your SO is bound to end up with. Well crafted, well sung, well done.
https://open.spotify.com/track/4D4WIamoXGQE0cpJuTeIcu
Damn Strait - Scotty McCreery
It goes without saying that the main things I love about country music is the lyrical magic that songwriters can weave with their words - those well thought out, playful, heartfelt ways to say something in a different way than its been done before. This song does just that, and in my favourite way no less - with a play on words. Indeed, the song title itself Damn Strait (damn straight), gives us an indication of what we're in for - a song paying tribute to one of the country greats using as many of his song titles as Scotty can cram into three and a half minutes. Better than that - there's a story to tell too - about breaking up with someone and no longer being able to listen to their favourite artist without thinking of them (relatable): "Damn Strait, you're killing me man, you know I've always been your biggest fan. Now I can't even listen, cause I'll get to missing her, then the hurt gets worse. Damn Strait, I used to love your songs, but now every time that one comes on, my heart gets broke in half. But do I wish I could get her back? Damn straight." Already looking forward to hearing this live at C2C next March!
https://tasteofcountry.com/scotty-mccreery-damn-strait/
You can thank TikTok for this one - Lily Kincade aka @listentothisinyourcar does exactly that - drives around blasting her tunes in the hope that you'll do the same. To be fair, her tactic worked on me. This is a song I'd put under the 'dream country' category - windchime like vocals, rises and falls - a bit of a crossover between the usual pop country I love and this new indie pop style I've gotten into. This is also the perfect song to send if you ever find yourself in a situation where someone you were dating claims what you had wasn't that big a deal: "I remember calling my friends and telling them all about you, thinking you could be the one thank god i found you but maybe you're right we weren't enough. And you can tell everyone you know you're so glad it's over, that you were never in deep enough to need closure, but don't pretend you hated us. You can say that you don't feel the way you used to feel but don't say it wasn't real." I'll be listening in my car.
https://lilykincade.lnk.to/Real
Unlonely Me - MacKenzie Porter
As someone who's a) spent the last year and a half in social isolation thanks to the pandemic and b) just moved somewhere new where I know no one, the idea of having people to 'unlonely me' is definitely something I can relate to. MacKenzie Porter puts into words what many of us have probably been thinking over the past few years: "Unlonely me, unmess my mess. Unlock that door, unwreck my head. Unbreak my heart, unmake my bed. Just stay, don't leave, unlonely me," placing the sentiment in a catchy pop song which will have you dancing around the house as you do yet another covid clean. MacKenzie is an artist who's been on my radar for some time, but is definitely worth getting to know more. Watch this space.
https://genius.com/Mackenzie-porter-unlonely-me-lyrics
I'm sensing a theme here - Ciara finds an artist she likes, Ciara listens to that artist a lot, Ciara includes them on her end of the month list. I swear, I listen to hundreds of new songs every month, but I can't be blamed if certain artists are just proving themselves to be the cream of the crop. Contrary to the title, there's a lot of things in this song I think are good for me: Roman's TJ Osborne-like vocal style, those ever satisfying chorus 'oohs', lyrics about that person being a bigger hit than any drug could be: "I know I should quit, but all I want, all I need, I don't wanna get clean, cause you're so good...you're bad for me." This, and all of the other Roman tracks I've heard, already tell me he's going to put on one hell of a show once we can go to live shows again!
https://soundcloud.com/romanalexandermusic/bad-for-me
Bad Spot - Jaden Hamilton
Alright, laying my cards on the table. The best new artist I've discovered this year: Jaden Hamilton. I really cannot get enough of this guy - his voice is so classic and quite unusual in modern country, and all of his songs are quite frankly phenomenal. What's more is that they all deal with something a little different: Long Night Letting Go telling the story of making that last night together count, Heaven's Jukebox expressing how my kind of heaven would be one that plays country songs all day long, and now Bad Spot, about dealing with a rough patch, learning from it, and trying to prove to everyone that you're a different and better person now. There's so much emotion that goes into the lyrics: "I hit a little rough patch, some rocky road, a stretch of life that took its toll, and the next thing I know, you're breakin' up on me... I know I don't deserve another shot but I'm in a better place, kinda like a call drop, I lost you in a bad spot." We like a man who can admit when he's made mistakes, and particularly when he writes them in a country song. More Jaden Hamilton, please!
https://music.amazon.it/albums/B08WH3NRKH
Another month down! I hope you enjoyed reading my October favourites – you can check out all of my favourite songs throughout the year right here: Ciara's Country Spotify, and I’d love to know what songs you’ve been loving recently! Drop me a message on Twitter @CiarasCountry, and make sure to join me every Friday GMT 5-8pm on www.ukcountryradio.com for three hours of great country music just like this. Thanks so much for reading!