This week’s crop of new tunes features Jelly Roll in collaboration with Alexandra Kay for a song included on the soundtrack Twisters: The Album. Meanwhile, Joe Nichols brings a sunny new tune and Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi offers some top-shelf songwriting on a solo outing and Caylee Hammack teams with Foy Vance for a soulful collaboration.
Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of the best country songs of the week below.
Jelly Roll feat. Alexandra Kay, “Leave the Light On”
Jelly Roll contributed a pair of songs to Twisters: The Album, the soundtrack to the recently-released movie sequel Twisters. Backed by a choir, Jelly leans slightly more into bluesy territory than his rock-fueled radio hits, as he sings of finally finding a love that feels peaceful after sabotaging many of his past relationships. He welcomes “Best Worst Ex” hitmaker Alexandra Kay, whose feathery voice offers a foil for his full-force, angsty tones. The intertwining of raging guitar, a gospel-tinged choir backing vocals, and their voices provide this track with plenty of torque. Jelly Roll wrote the track with Hillary Lindsey, Jesse Frasure, Blake Pendergrass and Jessie Jo Dillon. Kay also joins Jelly on his Beautifully Broken tour, beginning in August.
Joe Nichols, “Bottle It Up”
In a society that often feels chaotic on numerous fronts, including politically and economically, one of country music’s most steadfast neo-traditional torchbearers offers a light-hearted moment of respite. Written by Josh Kear, Dan Isbell and Paul Sykes, with production from Mickey Jack Cones and Derek George, this song doubles down on etching Americana scenes of small-town living, with imagery of children catching fireflies in a backyard, as adults visit with family members, and prepare for dinner filled with chicken and pecan pie. A perfect song for a summer soundtrack, “Bottle It Up” is included on Nichols’ upcoming 11th career studio album, and his second project for Quartz Hill Records.
Denitia, “Gettin’ Over”
This Texas-born singer, a member of CMT’s 2024 Next Women of Country class, also spent a decade working in Brooklyn’s music scene before relocating to Nashville. Denitia’s latest is an anthem for anyone who’s overworked, underpaid and worrying about paying bills and paying dues. Packed with steel guitar, muted percussion and a plucky melody that feels reminiscent of a bygone era of country music — one of homespun, unvarnished songs aimed at connecting with the heartaches and hopes of the working class– the song is infused with Denitia’s relaxed vocal rendering, which heightens potent lyrics of work-weary escapism. Denitia’s new album, Sunset Drive, releases Sept. 6.
Caylee Hammack with Foy Vance, “The Hill”
In her career thus far, “Small Town Hypocrite” singer and Georgia native Hammack has consistently displayed a depth of creativity and unshackled musical exploration that is rare in Music Row circles. She finds a vocalist capable of matching her free-spirited passion in Northern Irish singer-songwriter Vance. Together, they elevate this song that centers on someone wise in the ways of romantic relationships, someone who knows that at times, winning the war for enduring love means surrendering in a temporary battle. Weaving in strands of Celtic and bluegrass influences with fiddle and stomping rhythms, “The Hill” highlights Hammack’s ceiling-scraping, soulful warble with Vance’s craggy, full-throttle vocal. Hammack wrote the song with Tenille Townes and Logan Wall, with production from Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne.
Brad Tursi, “Church Bells and Train Whistles”
Old Dominion member Tursi makes his first solo outing on the new project Parallel Love. Several songs on this succinct album, culled from a decade of writing and recording, are solo writes from Tursi, in addition to tracks that found him collaborating with writing peers including Stephen Wilson Jr., Dan Isbell and Jessi Alexander. Among the standouts here is the earnest, softly rendered “Church Bells and Train Whistles,” in which Tursi tenderly muses on the craving for the comforts of home, while simultaneously being drawn to the freedoms and wanderlusts of the road. Tursi has always been an essential component of OD’s success, with the group winning Country Music Association’s vocal group of the year honors each awards since 2018. But his new project puts him squarely in the driver’s seat.
Jade Eagleson feat. Jake Worthington, “Do It Anyway”
Canada native Eagleson and Texas native Worthington may have grown up more than 2,000 miles apart, but musically, their inspirations are excavated from much of the same fertile ground. This collaboration declares its striking country bona fides right from the starting gate, as their swaggering, twangy voices further fuel their reputations as traditional country flag bearers. “They said that sound ain’t coming back/ They said don’t wear that cowboy hat,” Eagleson and Worthington sing, before making it clear that no Music Row gatekeeper is going to stop them from making music their way.