In VH New Music Fridays, the Life staff covers this week’s new music releases, from pop to country to alternative.
Country & Americana: Alexa Bussmann
“Ocean,” Lady Antebellum
It’s official– Lady Antebellum can do no wrong. Their much-anticipated album “Ocean” came out recently and it’s everything that a Lady A fan could’ve hoped for. It starts out with the dramatic single “What If I Never Get Over You” and only gets better from there. Emotions and vocals are paramount on this album: Lady A pulls out deep emotion with soulful duets on every song. One of my favorites is “What I’m Leaving For,” a promise to be present in their childrens’ lives as they pursue their careers. “Let It Be Love” seems like it could be just another love song, but perfect vocals make it an instant classic. As a bonus, “Let It Be Love” sounds perfect for the holiday season. The feature of all features is “The Thing That Wrecks You” with Little Big Town. This combination of the three members of Lady Antebellum with the four members of Little Big Town makes for seven of the most talented voices in country music– it’s almost too good to be true. Overall, “Ocean” is evidence of Lady A’s staying power in country music.
“Damn You For Breaking My Heart,” Caitlyn Smith
Country music releases were few and far between this week as the industry stopped to celebrate the Country Music Awards, but I wanted to point out another gem by Caitlyn Smith. “Damn You For Breaking My Heart” is vengeful and intense– the instrumentals reminded me of an impending storm. This year’s CMAs focused on women in the genre, and Smith is one of those artists that hasn’t yet broken through in the male-dominated industry. Take a few minutes to listen to her new single and appreciate the power of womanhood in country music.
Pop: Alexa Bussmann
“Love You for a Long Time,” Maggie Rogers
Maggie Rogers is having a great week– she was both nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and released a new single. “Love You for a Long Time” is a summery song about new love. It captures everything that Rogers’ fans love about her with its whimsical instrumentals and creative lyrics. This single doesn’t feature the genre-breaking elements of songs like “Fallingwater” and “Light On.” However, “Love You for a Long Time” perfectly showcases Rogers’ unique, free-spirited style.
Indie & Alternative: Angela Karas
“everything I wanted,” Billie Eilish
Billie’s latest offering maintains a somewhat melancholy and introspective tone that differentiates “everything I wanted” from more of the songstress’ upbeat songs like “bad guy” and “my strange addiction.” The single further cements Billie Eilish’s credibility as a bona fide alternative artist, showcasing that she does indeed have an impressive range characterizing her discography. At only 17, she is arguably one of the most impressive artists in the industry and the complexity of this latest single suggests that she might be the most accomplished artist of her age. She’ll also be coming to Bridgestone Arena on Mar. 27, but tickets are currently sold out on Ticketmaster.
“So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth,” Grimes
Grimes is back with another track ahead of the release of her latest LP, “Miss Antropocene.” The singer released two different versions of “So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth”– the “Art Mix” and the “Algorithm Mix.” The former is an explicit six-minute track while the latter is under four minutes and did not warrant the explicit label. In all, the “Art Mix,” is more of an immersive experience while the “Algorithm Mix” is more manufactured for radio. The songs themselves are overall middle-of-the-pack offerings from Grimes; while they perhaps are not her best work, they also stand on their own as solid indie tracks.
