This week, triple threat singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Karley Scott Collins makes a solid introduction on her debut project Flight Risk. Elsewhere, Cole Swindell calls for faith and unity on his new song “Make Heaven Crowded,” while Avery Anna reimagines a Joan Baez classic, and Shaboozey teams with Kevin Powers on a new track.
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.
Karley Scott Collins, Flight Risk
Collins just released her 16-song debut album Flight Risk and in the process has positioned herself as a top new worthy contender for fans’ attention. Throughout the album, she offers up her singular brand of country, bolstered with plenty of rock and soulful influences. The set finds her playing guitar, bass, violin and banjo, while singing songs that feel both raw with emotion yet refined in delivery. “Quit You” looks at addictions both literal and emotional, while “Heavy Metal” delves into the heartache of an enduring yet unsatisfying marriage.
“Girlfriend” is fueled by blistering angst from unrequited love and “Only Child” is a heart-tearing song about the highs and lonely lows of growing up as an only child. “I Used to Love Him” is a somber, moody track reflecting emotional maturity, capturing the painful realization that a passionate romance doesn’t make two people right for each other. This feels like a debut that makes a powerful, defining statement about Colins’s artistry and vision. Well worth repeated listens.
Cole Swindell, “Make Heaven Crowded”
Swindell is as known for Saturday night party anthems as he is for heart-tugging songs such as “3 Feet Tall” and “You Should Be Here.” His latest is perhaps one of his most faith-based songs to date and the warm sincerity in his vocal is a perfect fit. Written by Swindell, Joel Hutsell, Greylan James and Blake Pendergrass, “Make Heaven Crowded” was inspired by a speech given by Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, in the wake of Kirk’s passing earlier this month. But ultimately, the song is a tenderly-rendered plea for unity as well as compassion and generosity toward others, no matter their political persuasion, on lines such as “[If] we all quit throwin’ punches and held out a helping hand.”
Kevin Powers and Shaboozey, “Move On”
This fiddle-laced, jangly country number from Powers and Shaboozey captures them wrestling with just how swiftly an ex-lover was able to cast aside a relationship’s memory. Swaths of pedal steel and a relentless percussion give the song drive and energy, while their voices have a seamless chemistry. Powers is the first artist signed to Shaboozey’s American Dogwood label.
Avery Anna, “Girl of Constant Sorrow”
Avery Anna’s songwriting prowess and soothing voice have made her a fan favorite thanks to songs such as “Breakup Over Breakfast” and the Sam Barber collaboration “Indigo.” But here, she gives one of her most captivating vocal performances to date, on a reimagined version of Joan Baez’s classic. “Some folks they think that I’m an angel/ But I’ve got holes inside my wings,” she sings. Understated guitar lets her honey-sweet vocal stay at the song’s center, as she sings of returning to Arizona to find a place of respite from the world’s troubles.
Benjamin Tod (feat. Shooter Jennings), “Outlaw Shit”
Benjamin Tod and Shooter Jennings team up for a re-envisioned version of Waylon Jennings’s posthumously-released 2008 song “Outlaw Shit,” which itself was a slowed down, more mournful retelling of Jennings’ 1978 song “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand.” Over a mashup of fiddles and guitars, Tod and Jennings blend their rough-hewn voices on a song about consequences for older vices and choices, pondering when the consequences of those actions outweigh the vices themselves. Jennings and Tod do an exemplary job of bringing this classic to a new generation, while showing utmost respect for the original.
Ty Myers, “Come On Over, Baby”
Myers continues his bluesy-country musical style on this flirty, come-hither track. On this solo write, he sets the stage for a romantic evening on lines such as “So come on over to my place/ I need love in a bad way.” Bolstered by horns, passionate guitar work from Brandon Hood, Tom Bukovac and Kris Donegan, as well as twinkling piano, this song sizzles with a sultry energy, while also showcasing Myers’s continually maturing sense of songcraft.
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