Ian Munsick x Cody Johnson 'Long Live Cowgirls'
Courtesy PhotoFirst Country is a compilation of the best new country songs, videos and albums that dropped this week.
Ian Munsick & Cody Johnson, “Long Live Cowgirls”
Munsick has Wyoming roots, while Johnson is a native of the Lone Star State. On this fiddle-drenched track, they team up to pay tribute to cowgirls who are “tough as December and salt of the Earth.” Boots, pearls and Chris LeDoux songs are just a few of the things cowgirls love that draw the admiration of these singers. Their rough-hewn voices blend splendidly on this track, which Munsick wrote with Aby Gutierrez and Phil O’Donnell.
Music fans can undoubtedly hear a live rendition of this track at a concert soon, as Munsick and Johnson hit the road last fall on Johnson’s headlining tour, which continues this year.
Maddie & Tae and Morgane Stapleton, “Don’t Make Her Look Dumb”
Duo Maddie & Tae join forces with singer-songwriter Morgane Stapleton as they stand up to a bad-boy lover who seems intent on breaking their friend’s heart. The song’s frank warning is in contrast to the smooth production and elegant harmonies that stand front-and-center on this track. Maddie Font and Taylor Kerr wrote the song with Barry Dean and Luke Laird, and it’s featured on Maddie & Tae’s eight-song collection Through the Madness, Vol. 1.
Tracy Lawrence, “Don’t Drink Whiskey” (Video)
In this clip, directed by Tristan Cusick, two lovers ultimately face the reality that their relationship can’t keep pace with the vastly different ambitions they have for their own lives. He’s a cowboy with his heart tethered to the land, and she’s a ballerina with dreams of performing on a larger stage. Lawrence is seen in performance shots interspersed throughout, as the cowboy drowns his sorrows at a bar.
Hannah Bethel, “Bad News Baby”
Just like cigarettes and other sorts of vices, singer-songwriter Hannah Bethel finds herself at first captivated by a new love, only to find the buzz isn’t worth the pain in the end. Bethel’s beautifully hazy voice is enhanced by a gentle melody and a smooth blend of pop-country instrumentation. “Bad News Baby” is part of Bethel’s upcoming EP Until The Sun Comes Back Around, out March 25. In addition to lead vocals, Bethel plays electric and acoustic guitar on the album.
Caitlyn Smith, “High”
In the aftermath of an ended relationship, she knows she ended things the right way, but putting emotional pull behind her isn’t easy. Smith co-wrote the track with Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Decilveo, and Cyrus previously included a rendition of the song on her album Plastic Hearts.
Here, Smith offers her own powerful, elegant take on the song, with Amanda Shires offering up a raw fiddle accompaniment.
Teddy Robb
Robb offers his own spin on the classic country truck song, as he recalls idyllic days of being a teenager riding down backroads in a Chevy 1500. Robb wrote the song with Pete Good, Brandon Ratcliff and Dave Turnbull. Robb’s laid-back vocal performance perfectly fits with song’s contemporary production. The song will be included on Robb’s How’d You Get Away With It EP, which releases in February.
Emma White, “Cowboy”
White’s brand of airy pop-country is a deft blend of her sultry, R&B-tinged vocals with sleek, sweetened production. White wrote the song with Melissa Fuller and Kate Malone, and it’s a slow-jam filled with verve and confidence
Adam Doleac, “Drinkin’ It Wrong”
Doleac has the perfect recipe for a weekend in this breezy jam, which he wrote with Cary Barlowe and Jordan Schmidt. “If that bottle ain’t cold/ You been holding it too long/ I don’t know what you been told but you’re drinkin’ it wrong,” he sings in this feel-good track. Doleac will open for Jessie James Decker’s tour, which launches in April.
Not for the first time, Moby is speaking out against Donald Trump’s administration with clear frustration.
“The U.S. is collapsing under a deeply corrupt and shockingly ineffective administration,” the longtime electronic musician shared on social media. “These are unbelievably dark times.”
Moby went deeper into his thoughts through a video message, where he explained that people outside the United States keep asking Americans what is actually happening in the country.
“So many of my friends outside the United States keep asking me, ‘what the hell is happening over there?’ And honestly, we don’t even know,” he said. “The country is being controlled by one of the most corrupt, dangerous and incompetent administrations imaginable. Nobody fully understands what’s happening right now. These are very dark times in America.”
Moby joins a growing list of artists publicly criticizing Trump and MAGA politics, including Bruce Springsteen, Jack White, Eminem and Billie Eilish.
Earlier this year, Moby uploaded another statement to social media where he addressed how people should respond following the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. “The real question isn’t whether people should feel horrified or outraged by what’s happening in the United States,” Moby explained in the Jan. 26 clip. “The question is what are we actually going to do about it?”
The musician and activist also encouraged people to protest, saying demonstrations are a constitutional right and something he believes Trump’s administration is attempting to weaken.
In the end, he urged people to vote regularly, “not only during the upcoming midterms, even though those matter, but also in every special election throughout the year.” He also encouraged supporters to “stop giving money to the scumbag corporations backing Trump and ICE. We all know who they are. Boycott them.”
His newest remarks arrive as the U.S. Justice Department unveils a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund for Trump allies who claim they were unfairly investigated. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz remains shut down following military action launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February without approval from Congress, leading to rising gas prices across the globe.
Throughout his independent music career, Moby has earned 10 entries on the Billboard 200 along with two songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and an enormous catalog of sync placements. Overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, he is viewed as one of the defining artists of his era. He scored two No. 1 albums there with Play from 1999 and 18 from 2002, alongside 18 top 40 singles and two nominations for Best International Male at the BRIT Awards.
Check out Moby’s newest social media post below.
