NEWS
Adele and Chris Stapleton
Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images, Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesAdele and Chris Stapleton, “Easy on Me”
This much-anticipated rendition of Adele’s “Easy on Me,” not yet available on streaming but included on the deluxe version of her new album 30, is a pairing of two superb vocalists. Their harmonies are piercing and affecting on this musical plea for acceptance of one’s choices. At times they’re dueling, at times soothing, and always fusing together each time they reach the top of the chorus, before blasting apart — highlighting both the airy-to-shattering range of Adele’s higher register, and Stapleton’s own raw, gritty phrasing. Stapleton has become the go-to artist for duets, with a lengthy list of collaborators in various genres to his credit, and here he again shows why, effortlessly matching Adele’s endlessly soulful voice note for note.
Instead of piling on production to boost this power ballad, this piano-based track leaves room for these two gifted vocalists to give the song all the power it needs. The track premiered on country radio on Friday (Nov. 19), with a boost from iHeart.
Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson, “Never Say Never”
Vocal collaborations have been all over the Billboard country charts of late, and this power ballad is a worthy addition. Here, Swindell and Wilson portray a couple in an on-again, off-again relationship, who can never quite let each other go. Their harmonies blend easily, and their respective solo lines have a sultry urgency to them, propelled by churning percussion.
Gabby Barrett, “Never Get It Back”
This sweet melody makes the most of Barrett’s soulful melisma, while the lyrics set scenes of a young girl leaving home for the first time and missing her loved ones. Combined, this ups the nostalgia factor on this inspirational reminder to make the most of every second. Barrett wrote this sleek, soulful pop-country track alongside Ross Copperman and Jon Nite, and it’s included on the deluxe version of Barrett’s debut project Goldmine. Like Barrett’s two Billboard Country Airplay chart-topping hits, “I Hope” and “The Good Ones,” this track showcases her growing songwriting prowess.
MacKenzie Porter, “Pickup”
She sees her ex-flame’s old F-150 and notices it’s missing a few things she gave it — namely, the Sunshine State sticker and dent in the door. This sends her spiraling into a barrage of thoughts about who her ex might be with now. This song swirls with sunny production, as sweet mandolin riffs and moody guitar weave around Porter’s winsome vocals. Porter penned this track with Will Bundy and Lydia Vaughan, with production from Joey Moi.
Camille Parker, “The Flame” (Video)
Parker offers elegant, stately vocal runs on this voluminous track, as she laments making the wrong choices in love and instead begins looking inward. Parker penned the track alongside Emma-Lee, known for co-writing Mickey Guyton’s “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” Parker is also a member of Rissi Palmer’s inaugural “Color Me Country” Class of 2021, and next year, will join Brittney Spencer’s In A Perfect World Tour, opening shows alongside Sam Williams and Abbey Cone.
Walker Hayes, “AA”
Hayes’ hit “Fancy Like” was a multi-genre smash hit, reaching No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart and the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. But while “Fancy Like” focused on cheap date nights and bourbon street steaks, his follow up, “AA,” delves deeper into familial anxieties and a battle with the bottle. “Man, I’m just tryna’ keep my daughters off the pole/ and my sons out of jail,” the father of six sings on this still-infectious track, which Hayes wrote with Shane McAnally and Luke Laird. The track also includes shoutouts to Alabama, Nick Saban and country radio.
Nate Smith, “I Don’t Wanna Go to Heaven”
Smith’s raggedly aching vocal contrasts nicely with smooth piano on this earnest ballad, as he sings of someone who’s so content with a relationship that there’s no way even heaven could best it.
Parker McCollum, “Falling Apart” (Video)
McCollum issues a video clip for the latest release from his debut album Gold Chain Cowboy, offering viewers a look at life on the road, both onstage and off. The clip was filmed during McCollum’s July 31 show at Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas, where he performed before 20,000 attendees.
“It’s no secret, honey, I’m a wreck/ everything I touch becomes a mess,” he sings in this polished country-rock anthem, though it’s clear he’s not willing to change to save the relationship. His voice surges with power here, riding atop crackling guitar lines and driving percussion.
Russell Dickerson feat. Lady A, “Home Sweet”
Dickerson welcomes trio Lady A, mingling harmonies and offering a top-shelf vocal synergy on this sleek pop-country track. Dickerson, Casey Brown and Lady A’s Charles Kelley penned the song, which reminisces about the mountaintop moments and stresses that come with a relationship. This track is featured on Dickerson’s 2020 project Southern Symphony, and follows his No. 1 Country Airplay hit from 2020, “Love You Like I Used To.”
Eli Young Band, “Lucky For Me”
NEWS
Placebo have kicked off their 30th anniversary tour by dusting off some tracks for the first time in over 20 years, and also playing new single ‘Helen Keller’ live for the first time.
The new dates come as the band are celebrating the 30 years since they dropped their 1996 debut album. To mark the occasion, they have announced a huge UK and European arena tour, where they have vowed to predominantly play material from their first album and their sophomore record ‘Without You I’m Nothing’.
At the opening night at Krakatoa in Mérignac, France, Brian Molko and co. delivered a stacked 19-song set, which began with ‘Pure Morning’, and immediately went into the first rendition of ‘Come Home’ in 20 years.
Another rarity came straight after, with the first live performance of ‘You Don’t Care About Us’ since 2001, as well as ‘Without You I’m Nothing’ and ‘Allergic (To Thoughts Of Mother Earth)’ which were played for the first time since 2018 and 2014 respectively.
‘Drowning by Numbers’, ‘Bruise Pristine’ and ‘My Sweet Prince’ were all introduced into the setlist for the first time since 2001, ‘Brick Shithouse’ was aired out for the first time since 2003, ‘Scared Of Girls’ was played for the first time since 2010, and both ‘Lady Of The Flowers’ and ‘36 Degrees’ were broken out for the first time in nine years.
The rest of the set was made up of ‘Teenage Angst’, ‘Bionic’, ‘I Know’ and ‘Every You Every Me’, and the band wrapped up the performance with two covers: Depeche Mode’s ‘I Feel You’, and Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’.
It wasn’t until a later show at the Super Bock Arena in Porto, Portugal, that Placebo broke out their new song ‘Helen Keller’ for the first time – playing it 13 songs into the setlist.
Check out more footage from the tour so far below, as well as the setlist from night one.
‘Pure Morning’
‘Come Home’ (First time since 2006)
‘You Don’t Care About Us'(First Time Since 2001)
‘Teenage Angst’
‘Bionic’
‘Without You I’m Nothing” (First Time Since 2018)
‘Allergic (to Thoughts of Mother Earth)” (First Time Since 2014)
‘Drowning by Numbers” (First Time Since 2001)
’36 Degrees” (Alternate Version – First Time Since 2017)
‘I Know’
‘Brick Shithouse’ (First Time Since 2003)
‘Scared of Girls’ (First Time Since 2010)
‘Bruise Pristine” (First Time Since 2001)
‘My Sweet Prince’ (First Time Since 2001)
‘Lady of the Flowers’ (First time since 2017)
‘Nancy Boy’
‘Every You Every Me’
‘I Feel You’ (Depeche Mode cover, live debut)
‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ (Kate Bush cover)
Placebo dropped the single ‘Helen Keller’ on September 28, and it sees them reach back to ‘H.K. Farewell’, a hidden instrumental from the era of their self-titled 1996 debut. In the track, they retain the eerie keyboard melody from the original, and push it to new dimensions with a heavier, more anguished feeling.
The title refers to the American author, who was also a disability rights advocate and political activist, who became deafblind as a young child and went on to become an internationally renowned writer and campaigner.
As well as the tour, Placebo also celebrated the 30th anniversary of their debut by releasing a reimagined version of the record. For the LP, Molko and Stefan Olsdal returned to the original master tapes and reworked all 10 songs from the 1996 record – describing it as a “director’s cut” that helped them inject the original songs with three decades more experience.
The ongoing tour will reach the UK and Ireland in late November and early December, where they will play Nottingham, Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester, London and Cardiff. See all the dates here and find any remaining tickets here.
Dates will head to Latin America in 2027, beginning in São Paulo on February 20 and running through Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Colombia before wrapping up with shows in Guadalajara and Monterrey in March.
Placebo dropped their last album of new material in 2022, with ‘Never Let Me Go’. That record was given a four-star review by NME, which described it as “a renaissance rock record with an experimental edge”, adding that it found Placebo “inspired and ready for a new era”.
