Music

The year 2020 has been far from typical, in country music and beyond. The COVID-19 pandemic began affecting Nashville in mid-March, causing virtually the entire touring and live music industry to grind to a halt. With appearances and performances canceled or postponed, the genre’s typical summer schedule has been upended. Still, that doesn’t mean country

Riley Green‘s “If It Wasn’t for Trucks” is like a dirt road with a familiar tire tread well-worn into it. The song covers beloved, classic country subject matter: It’s a love song to a truck and the memories made in its driver’s seat. In his lyrics, Green name-checks the pivotal moments in life that took

Though Garth Brooks has already revealed two superstar guests on his upcoming album, wife Trisha Yearwood and Blake Shelton, the icon says there’s another surprise guest on the record, too. Sitting down with Radio.com, Brooks revealed that there is a third duet on his upcoming album, Fun, beyond “Dive Bar” with Shelton and “Shallow” with Yearwood. Without giving away too many

Barry Gibb will kick off 2021 with a new album, Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook, Vol. 1, out January 8th via Capitol. To accompany the announcement, the Bee Gee dropped “Words of a Fool,” a soulful duet with Jason Isbell. The track was included on a 1986 self-titled solo album that Gibb never released. Isbell

Former Vice President Joe Biden has been elected the 46th President of the United States, according to projections from multiple media outlets, and country stars are among the many who turned to social media on Saturday (Nov. 7) to react to the news after days of nationwide tension as votes continued to be counted in

Hudson Moore found himself in one of the darkest seasons of his life: His grandfather had passed away. He lost two of his high school friends suddenly. And during all of this, Moore’s career was hitting its share of bumps in the road. So, the Texas native with the distinctive voice and the movie star looks sat

Morgan Wallen says he’s in a really good headspace now, after taking a nearly month-long break from the spotlight in the wake of getting pulled from Saturday Night Live‘s lineup for breaking COVID-19 protocol. While the “More Than My Hometown” singer doesn’t love the circumstances that led to this self-imposed break, he’s grateful. Talking to

Thursday night, as Georgia trended toward a historic victory for the Democratic party in the 2020 presidential election, Jason Isbell mulled the idea of sweetening the event with a new recorded project. Rather than a batch of original songs to follow 2020’s Reunions, though, Isbell says that if Joe Biden takes the state, he’ll be

Rascal Flatts had big plans for 2020: a major summertime tour to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band and say farewell to fans before they retire as a trio at the end of the year. The novel coronavirus pandemic, however, had other plans, leaving the band at home, still able to release music but

Jake Hoot says he hopes his music video for “La Bamba” brings a smile during a difficult year, and frankly, if you’re frowning after watching this clip, you’re probably just upside-down. The Season 17 winner of The Voice chose Alejandro Medina to direct his new music video, and he asked several of his co-stars from

Thirteen years ago today, on Nov. 6, 2007, Hank Thompson died after a short battle with lung cancer. The singer was 82 years old. Thompson was born in Waco, Texas, on Sept. 3, 1925, and showed an early propensity for music. After serving in the Navy in World War II, Thompson began launching his music career. He

Billy Ray Cyrus puts his own Kentucky spin on LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” on the second installment of his Singin’ Hills Sessions EPs. Subtitled Mojave — Cyrus cut most of the project in the Mojave Desert — the November 6th release assembles five new songs and covers, including LL Cool J’s

Dierks Bentley recently released a new single, “Gone,” but he’s going to keep fans waiting for a full album. Despite spending his unexpected downtime with his family — his wife Cassidy and their three children, Evelyn, Jordan and Knox — in Colorado, the singer admits that he’s feeling quite a bit of pandemic-induced anxiety, which makes inspiration hard

One of Canadian-born country artist Meghan Patrick‘s favorite Christmas songs is particularly apt this year. The singer is releasing her version of the classic “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” — premiering exclusively on The Boot — ahead of a holiday season she likely won’t be spending her family. Bing Crosby made “I’ll Be Home for

Jade Bird is smitten, but trying to play it cool, in her new song “Headstart.” The singer-songwriter dropped the new track on Wednesday (Nov. 4); readers can press play below to hear it. Bird wrote “Headstart” early in 2020 and recorded it at RCA in Nashville with Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb. Her verses, which lament that

Jade Bird has returned with her new song “Headstart,” the British singer-songwriter’s first new music in more than a year. Following a yearlong tour in support of her self-titled debut album and finding kindred spirits in American singer-songwriters like Jason Isbell, Sheryl Crow and Brandi Carlile, Bird entered Nashville’s RCA Studios to record “Headstart” with

Anyone who’s seen Ashley McBryde perform live can attest to the fact that her relationship with her band, the quirky group known as Deadhorse, is special. In 2018, McBryde introduced the colorful cast of characters behind her onstage to The Boot, and between their misfit charm, diverse musical influences and unbeatable live energy, this backing band has

Country artists from Carrie Underwood to Runaway June to Dolly Parton have already put out festive Christmas albums this year, but before we get to December, singer-songwriter Ben Rector is making sure to give Thanksgiving its due. The Oklahoma native — who has been making waves on Americana and folk charts over the past several years

Bobbie Gentry and Steve Earle are two of five 2020 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees, the organization announced on Monday (Nov. 2). The two artists will join the hall in the Veteran Songwriter/Artist and Songwriter/Artist categories, respectively. Gentry rose to widespread acclaim in the late 1960s and throughout the ’70s, making waves in the country mainstream

“You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone,” Billy Joe Shaver sang in his signature anthem “Live Forever.” The Texas songwriter died October 28th at 81 after suffering a stroke, immediately casting that lyric into stark reality. Just a few days prior, Jerry Jeff Walker died at 78 after a long bout with cancer. Both men

Cam considers songwriting an integral part of her album creation process, so she isn’t usually one to take outside songs. However, her sophomore album, The Otherside, includes two cuts she didn’t have a hand in writing — but two pop names did. One of those songs is “Happier for You,” written by Sam Smith, Mitchell Rowland and Tyler

The Avett Brothers‘ new “This Land Is Your Land” cover aims to prove that America is for everyone. Despite the division within the country, the song and its accompanying music video offer comfort and show off the diversity that makes United States great. Directed by Emmy-winning Samuel Bayer (the director behind, among others, Nirvana’s “Smells

Kelsey Waldon is advocating for equality with her forthcoming new EP, They’ll Never Keep Us Down. Each of the project’s seven tracks is a cover of a song that pushes for change. Waldon’s EP opens with Kris Kristofferson’s “The Law Is for Protection of the People.” Neil Young’s “Ohio,” John Prine’s “Sam Stone” and Bob Dylan’s

Each week this list assembles songs from the country music and Americana spheres that we think deserve your attention. This edition does that too, but also serves a purpose unique to this 2020 Election Day by compiling exemplary songs of change, protest, compassion, and comfort. Here’s the tracks to get you through the week. The

Don’t call it a quarantine — at least, not in front of Wynonna Judd. “I tried to come up with some words that were sort of alternatives for ‘quarantine,’ because that, to me … felt like a prison sentence,” Judd shares in a phone call from her Tennessee farm. “It just felt like, ‘Oh my God,

Lady A rediscover the magic of the holiday season in “Christmas Through Your Eyes,” a newly-released, festive original song that all three of the bandmates co-wrote as a tribute to their kids. “I’m seeing Christmas through your eyes, yeah, it’s been a while / The joy and wonder of your smile, Such a precious child,” the

Luke Bryan and his wife, Caroline, are known for going all out when it comes to costumes for their infamous prank war, but they like Halloween, too. In 2020, the country power couple used their well-honed skills for shenanigans to come up with a truly “cheesy” couples costume. The pair showed off their finished product on video via Instagram

After his last album Concrete & Mud was released in 2018, Sam Morrow found that he was often getting tagged with the “outlaw country” label. That album’s brawny mix of country-funk and retro boogie nodded to the influence of Waylon Jennings and Jerry Reed, undoubtedly, but the Houston native wasn’t entirely comfortable with the categorization.

“Barrel-chested range” becomes “quiet resignation” in this Guest Room Sessions performance from the Reverend Shawn Amos. His longtime collaborator Doctor Roberts joins him on a performance of “Troubled Man” from a very special spot in Amos’ home. Amos and Roberts are seated around Amos’ kitchen table for this rendition of “Troubled Man,” from his newest

The first look at Olivia Lunny’s new video for ‘Bedsheets’ [embedded content] “Bad Witch” is about money-hungry gurus, and the poor, unfortunate fools that fall for their schemes. When people are vulnerable they are most susceptible to following the advice of self-proclaimed healers and spiritual leaders, what I dub “bad witches”. This song is about