Week 2 Hillbilly Releases:

Dawns feat. Maggie Rodgers – Zach Bryan (SINGLE)

When Zach Bryan announced that his new track, Dawns, would be released if the Eagles beat the Giants in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs, it seemed like all of America was Philadelphia fans for a night.

The Eagles came up victorious, winning 38-7, and since then, Bryan’s larger-than-life song has flown to the top of Apple music’s most popular songs list.

He and Maggie Rogers perform a duet from two perspectives who’ve fallen out of love, reflecting on how they lost their once carefree relationship in the blink of an eye. The separation leaves both in search of their own dignity.

Jack Lucania’s rap perspective: 

Dawns is a beautifully written song. It’s effortless, and for some, I could see how it would be hard to appreciate. Nonetheless, the slow guitar strums paired with passionate vocal performances by both Zach Bryan and Maggie Rogers make for a powerful song about love.

Artist Performance: 9.8/10

With full comprehensive details about the passing of his mother and how the loss of the two most influential women in Bryan’s life took a toll on him, this was exponentially more enriching than your typical country heartbreak song.

Production: 9.9/10

With this song’s outstanding stringed instrument usage, listeners feel like they are part of the story Maggie and Zach tell, surrounded by a world of melancholy.

Replay Value: 9.3/10

This single was an instant classic that won’t disappear from relevancy anytime soon.

Overall: 9.7/10

Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old – Luke Combs (SINGLE)

In Luke Combs’s lead single, he narrates how life in his early thirties is treating him. He emphasizes that he can still participate in the thrilling activities his life used to revolve around, but now he feels out of place whenever acting like a young adult.

He’s shifted to a more peaceful lifestyle, which he’s not entirely comfortable with. This song hits home for millennials, bringing light to their awkward stage of life where it’s hard for many to accept that they’ve grown out of their younger, uncontrolled self. March 24th, the day of his album release, can’t get here soon enough.

Jack Lucania’s rap perspective:

Many country artists seem to tackle this topic at least once in their catalog. It’s a nice song for this period in his life, but very basic and presents nothing memorable.

Artist Performance: 7.4/10

Some lines were slightly too generic, but overall, Combs gracefully touches on the discomforting experience that every adult eventually undergoes.

Production: 8.3/10

The gentle guitar pick slides and shooting stars included in the cover art show that Combs aims to steadily establish the album’s degree of sentimentalism with his lead single.

Replay Value: 7.2/10

Although fans will start to get impatient for the album release over the next six weeks, this melody is undoubtedly worthy of your playlist.

Overall: 7.6/10

My Boots Miss Yours – Jake Owen (SINGLE)

Jake Owen continues to leave his unhurried yet upbeat footprint in country music with his new single, “My Boots Miss Yours.” The amusing ballad tells a tale of a man who enjoyed his encounter with a woman and would like to see her again.

He proclaims that his “boots miss hers” and that because his boots are begging to be with hers again, the best thing the man and woman could do is happily oblige to the pair of Luccheses’ request.

Jack Lucania’s rap perspective:

This track has a very country-pop feel, but not in a good way. It seems like Jake Owen’s attempt at making music similar to early 2000’s country-pop. It’s alright but slightly annoying.

Artist Performance: 4.3/10

It was a clever concept by Owen, but unfortunately, this was a classic case of a jest being overused in a country song. After the first eight lines of the tune, the artist virtually repeated the same lyrics for over two minutes.

Production: 2.9/10

Nothing stood out to me about the background music. It wasn’t bland, but like the lyrics, it was a constant loop. It felt like I was in the same room as someone watching a TikTok video endlessly, on full volume.

Replay Value: 6.2/10

Jake Owen’s single wasn’t the most impressive creation of a track, but you have to remember, he’s Jake Owen. His specialty is composing songs perfect for an easygoing environment where everyone listening is there to enjoy each other’s company and not unpack what’s playing on the speaker.

Overall: 4.5/10

Week 2 Hip-Hop Release

Let’s Start Here – Lil Yachty (ALBUM)

Just a few months back, Lil Yachty broke the internet by accident when his track “Poland,” featuring new vocal wobble effects and a catchy, lighthearted chorus, was leaked to the streaming service Soundcloud. 

Shortly after this leak, the song was officially released to the public in October 2022, peaking at #18 on US billboard hot Hip-Hop songs. Last Week, Yachty broke the internet again, but unlike his track Poland, Lil Boat’s fifth studio album, “Let’s Start Here, was no accident.

Yachty is truly one of a kind. Anyone familiar with his music would likely describe it as goofy, playful, or fun. After all, it’s not the first time Yachty’s name has made an appearance on the charts.

2016 saw Yachty’s track with D.R.A.M, “Broccoli,” jump to #1 on the hot rap songs chart, and a year later, in 2017, his famous and extremely catchy track with KYLE, “iSpy,” peaked at the top 5 on Hot 100.

What was Lil Yachty thinking? Nobody knows. What almost everyone can agree on, though, is that this album is amazing. Taking rock and alternative inspiration from the likes of Pink Floyd and Tame Impala, the album is far from perfect, but it’s clear that Yachty is putting passion into his work as well as pursuing the music he truly wants to create.

Sam Westerman’s country perspective: 

I’m happy to see any Atlanta-born musician succeed, regardless of the genre. With blossoming support from fellow Hip-Hop superstars, this album will likely find its way into next week’s Billboard Top-10. This record isn’t one I’d have on repeat, as any form of psychedelic music isn’t my cup of tea. Nevertheless, “Let’s Start Here” is my favorite rap album this year: leaps and bounds superior to “MANSION MUSIK.”

Highlights of the album

1. The BLACK seminole.

Yachty knew he needed to start with something special to open this album. As the first song of this project, this track does not disappoint. This seven-minute rollercoaster is hands down the best song. Reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s 1973 “The Dark Side of the Moon,” the mix of the heavy electric guitar and the rock drum set makes for a slow but powerful chord progression which Yachty has no problem with letting speak for itself. The second half features singer Diana Gordon who was exactly what this song needed to reach that next level. 

1. sHouLd i B?

My favorite part of this song is the aggressive drum kit combined with Yachty’s subdued vocals to make very full-sounding verses. The chorus then opens up to a higher-pitched delivery, bringing a nice contrast to the track. This is one of the few songs on the album without any vocal features, but Yachty’s amazing performance proved he didn’t need one.

1. the ride-

The spacy electric guitar that carries the melody of this song takes inspiration from artists such as Tame Impala. The concept of this song is to “Don’t ask questions on the ride,” which works as a metaphor for the album itself and acknowledges the surprise that it is. 

Artist Performance: 6.7/10

This takes the biggest hit only because it’s Yachty’s first attempt at this genre of music, and it’s obviously not perfect. Yachty still maintains his older style of writing, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but he definitely has room for improvement if he decides to continue in this lane of music.

Production: 10/10

This instrumental is a beautiful listen from start to finish, with credits to Mac DeMarco, Patrick Wimberly, Ant Clemons, and Teo Halm. The consistency of producers allowed the entire album to flow so seamlessly that it sometimes sounded like one song. There is truly no way to go wrong with the instrumentation here, and Yachty did a great job curating it.

Replay Value: 8.2/10

On first listen, there is a clear difference between Yachty’s vocal ability and the features sprinkled throughout this album, but after a few tracks, you get more used to it. Unlike many of Yachty’s previous projects, there is much to appreciate here, especially when revisiting this album.

Overall: 8.3/10