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2 days ago | 
countryuniverse.net | Jonathan Keefe
Two fantastic singles immediately enter the Best of 2025 chat. “My Old Habits”Fancy HagoodWritten by Fancy Hagood and Daniel TashianJK: Hagood’s at his best when he’s at his most vulnerable, and that’s exactly what makes “My Old Habits” shine. In the aftermath of a breakup, he admits that he can keep his shit together well enough during the week but that, because he and his partner separated on a weekend, he lapses back into established behavior patterns each Saturday and Sunday.
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2 days ago | 
countryuniverse.net | Jonathan Keefe
Terry Blade has this week’s strongest entry. Adam MelchorThe Diary of LivingA modern singer-songwriter who can actually sing? The quality of his vocal skill increasingly distinguishes Melchor from his peers, and this travelogue of past relationships gives him ample opportunity for his best singing to date. Kinky FriedmanPoet of Motel 6 A lovely, pensive send-off for an inimitable talent.
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1 week ago | 
countryuniverse.net | Jonathan Keefe
A promising preview of the upcoming Trisha Yearwood album.
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1 week ago | 
countryuniverse.net | Jonathan Keefe
Olive Klug has the best album of the week, and Willie’s on a hell of a run. Eric ChurchEvangeline vs. The MachineOthers hear ambition, risk in this. Sharing many traits with Chief here, I hear the very precise panic of someone who was never cool but cosplayed it okay for a while, recognizing that, as his temples gray, he no longer knows the right next move to keep up that facade. Is it a slinky blues riff? Yeah, that works all right. Is it Joanna Cotten cutting loose? Always, yes. Is it a French Horn?
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2 weeks ago | 
countryuniverse.net | Jonathan Keefe
Tony Kamel leads the way with an AOTY contender. Tucker WetmoreWhat Not ToMuch of last year’s dreadful Waves set reappears on this proper debut album; at least that release was short. I dubbed him “Temu Morgan Wallen” then and stand by that more firmly now: A piss-poor purveyor of 18374 iterations of the same 3 or 4 shallow stories.
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3 weeks ago | 
countryuniverse.net | Jonathan Keefe
A strong vocal performance from Tae Lewis is today’s highlight. “Best Thing”Tae LewisWritten by Jonathan Gamble, Tae Lewis, and Matthew MorriseyJonathan Keefe: I’ve been rooting for Lewis since I saw him perform with The Black Opry Revue a few years ago, and “Best Thing” sounds like his surest bet to date for an actual radio or streaming hit. He’s a spectacular singer: His tone recalls a young Keith Urban, but he has a greater range and far more power.
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3 weeks ago | 
countryuniverse.net | Jonathan Keefe
Turnpike Troubadours and Marlon Williams are this week’s standout releases. Jesse WellesMiddleThe political songs have the exact same smug veneer of “principled centrist” condescension as South Park, toxic in ways that undercut whatever points he might have. Outside of that mode, he can certainly write a memorable and clever tune, though the vocals are quite rough.
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3 weeks ago | 
countryuniverse.net | Jonathan Keefe
An Opry grand dame and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer are among today’s collaborative artists. “Superlover”Allison Russell featuring Annie LennoxWritten by JT Nero and Allison RussellKevin John Coyne: What a beautiful pair of vocal performances and what a gorgeous arrangement. Wow, do I wish they were in service of a better song. I understand the challenges right now to trying to capture the moment and make any kind of appeal for hope and love.
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4 weeks ago | 
countryuniverse.net | Jonathan Keefe
Two solid efforts, courtesy of Brothers Osborne and S.G. Goodman. “Fire Sign”S.G. GoodmanWritten by S.G. GoodmanJonathan Keefe: I can’t remember the last time a lyric took me out the way, “I’ve been livin’ like the sun don’t shine / On the same dog’s ass every day,” and it’s to Goodman’s unending credit that her use of humor in no way undercuts the frustration that drives this record.
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4 weeks ago | 
countryuniverse.net | Jonathan Keefe
Our perspectives on the new singles from Tanner Adell and Jordan Davis. “Going Blonde”Tanner AdellWritten by Tanner AdellJK: There is not one thing about the title “Going Blonde” or the hilarious cover art for this single that prepared me for what Adell’s narrative is actually about here. Part of me was expecting a pointed jab at the genre’s current A-list, courtesy of one of the many talented WOC who’ve been marginalized.
