In this week’s column, Lauren Alaina gears up for the release of her Big Loud Records EP Unlocked, while Vince Gill and Paul Franklin reunite for a tribute to Ray Price and the Cherokee Cowboys. This week also sees new music from Colter Wall, Sam Barber and Kelsey Hart.
Lauren Alaina, “A Walk in the Bar”
Alaina unleashed a double shot of sneak peeks into her upcoming June 9 project Unlocked, out on Big Loud Records, with “A Walk in the Bar” and “Hangovers.” “A Walk in the Bar” hinges on moving on from heartbreak swiftly and with swagger. The tracks also mark her first releases since her 2022 collaboration of “Dancin’ in the Moonlight” with Chris Lane. Here, Alaina shows off another side to her supple vocals, highlighting her purring lows and infusing her upper register with an extra shot of edge and grit. Alaina wrote the track with Casey Brown, Lydia Vaughan and Parker Welling.
Vince Gill and Paul Franklin, “Kissing Your Picture (Is So Cold)”
One of music’s premier vocalists and guitar players, Vince Gill, once again teams with legendary steel guitar player Paul Franklin (who has earned 30 CMA musician of the year nominations). This illustrious duo previously partnered in 2013 for the album Bakersfield, a collection of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard songs which earned the duo a CMA Awards nomination for musical event of the year. Here, they reunite to pay homage to the music of Ray Price and The Cherokee Cowboys, for the upcoming, 11-song album Sweet Memories: The Music of Ray Price and the Cherokee Cowboys, out Aug. 4. The top-shelf musicianship of Gill and Franklin offer an adept nod to the talents of not only Price, but his Cherokee Cowboys — previously known as the “Drifting Cowboys,” which Price inherited and then renamed following the death of Hank Williams, Sr., and a band which at varying times included members such as Willie Nelson, Roger Miller and Johnny Paycheck. Gill and Franklin offer an early look at the project through a rendition of “Kissing Your Picture (Is So Cold),” which was written by Mel Tillis, Price and Wayne Walker. Gill’s incandescent tenor easily encapsulates the song’s loneliness, matched by the acuity of Franklin’s spright instrumentation.
Sam Barber, “Dancing in the Sky”
Missouri native Sam Barber previously issued a slate of solid tracks including “Drowning” and “Straight and Narrow.” Now, he offers one of his best vocal renderings to date on this cover of duo Dani and Lizzy’s 2013 viral hit. Both blistering angst and hopeful wondering seep from Missouri native Barber’s grainy, soulful voice as he ponders the concept of heaven and an afterlife in light of the passing of a loved one. In the process, Barber proves he’s as adept spinning a cover song into his own signature operation as he is in crafting his own originals.
Kelsey Hart, “4×4”
Kentucky native Hart finds solace from heartbreak on dusty backroads on his beloved 4×4, but even his trusty ride lacks the strength to pull him out of his misery. Hart sings with a muscular, heart-in-his-throat delivery, backed by instrumentation loaded with plenty of vibey electric guitars and full-throttle percussion. Hart wrote this promising track with Blake Bollinger and Mason Thornley, with production from Bollinger.
Colter Wall, “Corralling the Blues”
Since issuing his debut studio project in 2015, Canadian-born Colter Wall has made old-school ranch songs sound fresh and enthralling, thanks to his timeless, magnetic voice. On his latest, he takes on the topic of depression and the myriad diversions that he uses to occupy his time. “If I keep my hands workin’/ It holds off the hurtin’,” he sings, dealing in a style of blue-collar musical poetry as succinct as it is direct and elegant. “Corralling the Blues” is the latest release from Wall’s upcoming album, Little Songs, out July 14.
