This week’s crop of new music features a disco-dipped, R&B-leaning collab from Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton, a freewheeling collab from Marcus King Band with Jamey Johnson and Kaitlin Butts, and a slate of musical anthems from Greylan James, Sunny Sweeney, Ashby Frank and 2 Lane Summer.
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Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of some of the best country, bluegrass and/or Americana songs of the week below.
Chris Stapleton & Miranda Lambert, “A Song to Sing”
Two of country music’s most distinct voices entwine for the first time on record, trading verses in a disco-inflected reverie, as they each sing of lasting love and commitment with their respective partners, even through life’s vicissitudes. Though they’ve collaborated before (Lambert co-wrote the aching “What Am I Gonna Do” from Stapleton’s Higher), this marks their first true duet. Swelling Wurlitzer, honeyed strings, and laid-back percussion weave together with their emotive harmonies, detailing an enthralling love that runs as deep in the heart as any heart-wrenching song.
Greylan James, “Water at a Wedding”
James, whose pen helped shape hits like Jordan Davis’ “Next Thing You Know,” continues affirming his place not just as a songwriter, but as a worthy vocalist and storyteller in his own right. His latest unspools a bittersweet scene of watching an old flame marry someone else. In the midst of the celebratory scene, he notices a detail most attendees overlook, one that hints that not everything is as joyous as it seems. The polished, pop-country track builds to a bridge that James delivers with quiet force and precision, again cementing his gift for crafting songs that are both relatable and head-turning.
Sunny Sweeney, “Traveling On”
Texas native and singer-songwriter Sunny Sweeney returns with a striking new track from her upcoming August release, Rhinestone Requiem. Co-written with Brennen Leigh, the song captures the emotional tug-of-war of freeing oneself from a toxic romance. A rustic blend of fiddle, pedal steel and acoustic guitar swirls around Sweeney’s nimble, twang-laced vocals, which brim with hard-earned sense of resolve. “Those blue eyes will no longer have control over me,” she declares, fashioning a slice of musical evidence that strength can — and does — triumph over heartache.
Marcus King with Jamey Johnson and Kaitlin Butts, “Here Today”
Ahead of new album Darling Blue, the Marcus King Band’s first recorded project since 2018, King leads with this loose, road-worn Southern rock groove that teams him with Jamey Johnson and Kaitlin Butts. The song is a tribute to musical nomads who chase the impulses of a song around the globe. Each artist brings their own distinct sound to the verses, between King’s soulful grit, Butts’ smoky twang and Johnson’s powerful vocal growl — but when their voices merge, it evokes a freewheeling, jam-band feel that dares fans not to sing along.
Ashby Frank, “Everybody’s Got Their Nine Pound Hammer”
North Carolina native Frank, who last year won the IBMA Awards’ accolade for instrumental recording of the year and is known for his virtuosity as both an in-demand collaborator and solo artist, issues his latest song, a reminder of grace when pain and struggles are universal. “You ain’t no stranger to trouble/ Everybody’s got their share,” he relays over a breakneck banjo and whirring fiddle. Frank leads on vocals and razor-sharp mandolin, joined by Tim Stafford and Kelsey Crews on harmonies, Seth Taylor on guitar, Travis Anderson on upright bass, Jim VanCleve on fiddle and Matt Menefee on banjo.
2 Lane Summer, “One More Minute”
The latest from duo 2 Lane Summer’s Joe Hanson and Chris Ray finds them singing about pining over a long-lost love, but unselfishly hoping the ex-lover is happy in their current circumstances. Polished pop melodies and tidy guitarwork accent the duo’s signature tightly woven harmonies. Taken together, it makes for a breezy summer anthem. Clint and Bob Moffatt (of The Moffatts) wrote the song with Atlanta writer Reed Waddle.
