I've been listening to a lot of modern country lately. Artists like Thomas Rhett, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Luke Combs, Luke Bryan all the Lukes... There is so much amazing songcraft showcased in this genre. Lots to appreciate, even if the flavor isn't 100% your thing. For instance, there's a track by Ingrid Andress called More Hearts Than Mine that is just an incredible lyric. Ultimately relatable with just a touch of a twist a great melody and the production is top notch of course. This is also a genre that hits my 90s guitar-rock nostalgia spot. Give the latest Jason Aldeen record a spin. Dial down his country accent and this is 100% a rock record.
I've got some country adjacent songs in my repertoire already. Lots of the Paging Raymond catalogue, Carousel Junkie from Peal's Beautiful Baby Elephant. What Am I Gonna Do from Indianapolangeles. But lately I've been trying my hand at straight-up modern country songs. Something that would be right at home in someone's pickup driving down I-24 towards Nashville. I've been looking into doing some co-writes and taking a serious crack at pitching one or two of these songs.
Here's an early attempt. It's a demo. A rough sketch. But give it a listen, let me know what you think. Anything relatable in here? Any lines in the lyric that you love?