This week, Morgan Wallen and Post Malone pair up again for a new collaboration, while Sam Barber offers up a song of blistering song of desolation. Elsewhere, Ian Munsick teams up with Lainey Wilson, while Ashland Craft, Don Louis and Tayler Holder also release stellar new tracks.
Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of the best country, bluegrass and/or Americana songs of the week below.
Morgan Wallen (feat. Post Malone), “I Ain’t Comin’ Back”
Wallen and Post Malone seem poised to score a second hit — following their previous collab, the six-week Billboard Hot 100-topping “I Had Some Help” — with this musical sequel, which will be featured on Wallen’s upcoming I’m The Problem album. Released on Good Friday, “Back” employs a few religious references, as the duo sing about breaking up with a lover and making an abrupt escape from a stifling place where “half of this town has got a name for me.” This churning track bristles with defiance and self-righteousness on pointed lines such as “I might be a lot of things/ But I ain’t your savin’ grace.”
Sam Barber, “Man of the Year”
Since his musical breakthrough in 2022 with “Straight and Narrow,” the Missouri native has gone from strength to strength, showcasing an ever-maturing, top-tier talent as a singer-songwriter on compositions such as his latest, “Man of the Year.” This gritty track, written solely by Barber, finds him pondering the existential anguish he sees threaded throughout world events, and emotionally embedded in people around him. “Is it in my mind or are we all just sinking?” he muses, his quietly commanding voice ringing out over sparse but captivating production, and shedding light on a generation’s anxieties and fears.
Ashland Craft, “Momma Don’t Pray Like She Used To”
Since the release of her debut project in 2021, Craft has forged her reputation as an in-demand vocalist and songwriter, appearing on albums by HARDY and Lainey Wilson, in addition to releasing her own music. “Momma Don’t Pray Like She Used To,” from Craft’s upcoming album Dive Bar Beauty Queen, chronicles a progression of a mother’s prayers for her daughter over the years, as petitions of support and guidance give way to gratitude. Bolstered by a latticework of instrumentation that includes B-3 organ and mandolin, the track showcases not only a softer side to Craft’s fearless voice, but also how she uses her songwriting to capture ever-deepening emotional nuances. Craft wrote the song with Jess Grommet, Willie Morrison and Corey Elizabeth Grogan.
Ian Munsick feat. Lainey Wilson, “Feather in My Hat”
“Long Live Cowgirls” hitmaker Ian Munsick partners with former tourmate Lainey Wilson on his new song ‘Feather in My Hat,” from his third studio album, Eagle Feather. Written by Munsick with Caitlyn Smith, and Marc Scilbila, this love song depicts someone making it clear their lover surpasses any notion of a prize or milestone–they are a bedrock of support, desire and comfort. Both Munsick and Wilson have distinct voices and together, their sonorous renderings infuse the song with a soulful charisma.
Don Louis, “She Ain’t Crazy Yet”
With a sultry groove that all but commands listeners to take to the dancefloor, this new song from Don Louis seems like a party anthem, but it’s also a relational warning shot. Lyrically, he sings about being in a new relationship that seems rosy at present, but past disappointments in the romance department have taught him those idyllic moments could shift in an instant. “So far she ain’t jealous, so far she ain’t mean/ But I’m gon’ hold my breath,” he sings, with voice all burly, gritty and captivating, as he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. From the deluxe version of his album Liquor Talkin’, “She Ain’t Crazy Yet” was written by Louis with Autumn Buysse and Danielle Blakey.
Tayler Holder, “Cry at Our Last Dance” (Wedding Version)
Holder releases what is sure to become an enduring wedding dance favorite with this tender ode of a father soaking in the moments with his daughter prior to her wedding. “I could spin you round forever/ But now that’s for him to do,” Holder sings, on what is one of his best outings to date. Holder wrote the song with Justin Ebach, Andrew Sevner, Dalton Dover, and Thomas Archer.
