Kelleigh Bannen - Famous

WOW, I really have been lazy this year here at Your New Favorite Song. There's certainly no other excuse for me not posting the latest video by one of my favorite up-and-coming country singers Kelleigh Bannen. The first time I heard Sorry On The Rocks I was hooked (click on that link for a photo of Kelleigh and I and the video for Sorry). I got to see her again this summer on Luke Bryan's tour and she commanded the stage with her powerful voice, charming charisma and most importantly, great songs.

Kelleigh's latest single Famous came out in late January. It's a busted relationship but you'll get yours song that delivers a big pop chorus which is apparently what it takes to get country radio's attention these days if you are of the fairer sex. Let's be honest though, I like a big poppy chorus, especially when it's as catchy as hell, and Famous' is for sure.

I still haven't heard word as to when her debut album comes out. Hopefully it will be this year. Maybe we'll learn more at tonight's #CMchat (click the link for more info and join in, it's fun).

The Royal Oui - True

Indie-folk duo The Royal Oui (Adrienne Pierce and Ari Shine) released their fantastic full-length self-titled debut album this week. Every time I listen to it, I seem to fall into a trance-like state as their vocals gorgeously blend together on the album's 11 songs about love and conflict. Thirty-eight minutes later I kind of snap out of it and go about my business, not really knowing what just happened. So what I'm trying to say is, The Royal Oui have gone out and made an album to hypnotize the music buying public. I'm not certain what their ultimate goal is, but if I start clucking like a chicken, alert the authorities.

The Head and the Heart - Shake

Well, it appears I'm still catching up with 2013 indie releases that I would have an interest in hearing as I finally picked up Let's Be Still by Seattle indie folkers The Head and the Heart. While I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet (hopefully this afternoon), I really liked their self-titled debut from a couple years ago. Here's the video for Let's Be Still's first single Shake, which I'm already totally digging (yeah, I'm a sucker for songs with lots of hand claps).

The Lawrence Arms - Seventeener (17th and 37th)

YES! The Lawrence Arms released a new album this week. I'll certainly be picking up Metropole as soon as possible so I can revel in their punk rock goodness. Here's the video for the album's first single Seventeener (17th and 37th).

Dum Dum Girls - Lost Boys & Girls Club

Two True, the third Dum Dum Girls album drops tomorrow. The only song I've heard off of it so far is the wonderfully buzzy/dreamy Lost Boys & Girls which I'm really digging. The song's sound is reminiscent of 90s alternative shoegazer bands like My Bloody Valentine or Lush that I was always a sucker for back in the day (and still am for that matter). Two True is definitely on my 2014 wishlist.

Keith Urban feat. Miranda Lambert - We Were Us

I still can't get enough of We Were Us by Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert. When this song comes on the radio, I crank it up. When the video plays on CMT or GAC, I set the laptop down and just soak in its joyous vibe.

Lady Antebellum - Compass

Lady Antebellum's latest anthem Compass is one of my favorite songs playing on country radio these days. Hearing those great harmonies (with lots of jubilant "oh oh oh ohhhs") and that perky mandolin lead just make my day a little bit better. How this song hasn't taken over the country charts is beyond me.

Lindi Ortega - Tin Star

OK, this one isn't exactly new (it's been out for a couple months), but I simply cannot get enough of Lindi Ortega's latest single Tin Star (or any Lindi Ortega song for that matter). Her old school country sensibilities bring a big ol' smile to my face. And that voice...Wow! Makes me melt every time.

Eric Church - Give Me Back My Hometown

I'm dying to hear Eric Church's new album The Outsiders. I posted his CMA performance of the title track a couple weeks ago, today, we have the just released video for Give Me Back My Hometown. February 11th cannot come soon enough.

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Cinnamon and Lesbians

No one writes slack anthems better than Stephen Malkmus. From the opening line: "Shanghaied in Oregon, Cinnamon and lesbians" I was laughing and completely sucked in to it's stonerific godness... and oh yeah, the video's freaking hilarious too. It's seriously up there on the laugh meter with Superchunk's Crossed Wires video (note to self: go watch Superchunk's Crossed Wires video when you're done posting this).

Angela Perley & The Howlin' Moons - Hurricane

So last week, I got an intriguing message on Twitter from the fine folk at No Surf Music (give 'em a follow ‏@NoSurfMusic) who suggested that I check out the Hurricane video by Angela Perley & The Howlin' Moons. Of course I had to check it out as I generally trust those guys. Well, 10 seconds into the video and I was completely out of my mind bonkers. This song is ridiculously bad ass. ROCK 'N' FREAKIN' ROLL! We're talking new favorite rock band here people. I will definitely be picking up their new album Hey Kid when it comes out.

The Distillers - City of Angels

Here's a Friday Flashback to 2002 with The Distillers and their video for City of Angels off the Sing Sing Death House record.

Frankie Ballard - Helluva Life

Frankie Ballard is certainly an artist to look out for in 2014. His single Helluva Life is steadily climbing the charts (it's now in the Top 20) and his second album Sunshine & Whiskey drops next month. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more from him, especially as I see more and more people compare him to the great Gary Allan.

Eric Church - The Outsiders

All last week we looked at my best of 2013 lists (thanks for checking them out if you did...if you didn't, there's still time). This week, we'll take a look at some music that I'm definitely looking forward to hearing in the first quarter of 2014. So let's get this 2014 preview rolling with one of my favorite country singers, Eric Church. His performance of The Outsiders at this year's CMA Music Awards certainly turned some heads. Country music purists bristled (it doesn't take much) at the heavy metal-esque guitars (my question for them is what's a country purist doing watching the CMAs in the first place?). I for one, thought the performance was freaking bad ass. In fact, it reminded me of similarly killer performance two years prior at the CMAs when Miranda Lambert debuted Baggage Claim. Eric's new album, The Outsiders, drops on February 11th...this will likely be the only time I'm first in line for Church.

Best of 2013 - Top 10 Country Albums

Your New Favorite Song's week of Best Of lists finally comes to an end. This is the big one: the Top 10 Country Albums of 2013. This list is based solely on what I enjoyed and listened to the most, and has nothing to do with the charts or record sales. Will Kellie Pickler take home the prize for a second straight year? Or will a country newcomer follow her arrow to No. 1? Read on and find out!

10. Maggie Rose - Cut To Impress - I couldn't get enough of Maggie's soulful and sassy voice in 2013. Her song Better breaks my heart every time I hear it (which is why I posted a different video). VIDEO: I Ain't Your Mama

9. Blake Shelton - Based on a True Story - Yeah, I still get a big dumb goofy grin on my face when I hear Boys 'Round Here. VIDEO: Boys 'Round Here

8. Sturgil Simpson - High Top Mountain - Old school country goodness. VIDEO: Life Ain't Fair and the World is Mean

7. The Band Perry - Pioneer - Better Dig Two was simply the coolest song on country radio this year. VIDEO: Better Dig Two

6. Brandy Clark - 12 Stories - She's written plenty of hits for others, now it's her time to shine. VIDEO: Stripes

5. Jason Isbell - Southeastern - Southeastern is Jason Isbell's defining moment...well, until he records his next album. VIDEO: Traveling Alone

4. Julie Roberts - Good Wine and Bad Decisions - Julie has one of the most expressive and soulful voices in country music. Good Wine and Bad Decisions, besides being an awesome album/song title, is her best work to date...and I adore her first three albums. VIDEO: He Made A Woman Out Of Me

3. Kellie Pickler - The Woman I Am - Kellie's 100 Proof was my top album of 2012. The Woman I Am is every bit as good. Her No. 3 spot this year speaks more to my top two than to any perceived "drop-off." VIDEO: Someone Somewhere Tonight

2. Ashley Monroe - Like A Rose - I am completely drawn to Ashley's bittersweet vocals and songs. I could have easily put Like A Rose at No. 1 and almost did. Consider it 1b. VIDEO: Like A Rose

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
1. Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer Different Park - Great storytelling, fantastic songs and one of the most refreshing voices in country music. I hope Kacey Musgraves is singing to us for a long, long time.



21 Honorable mentions in no particular order because it's the right thing to do...
Ashton Shepherd - This is America
Lori McKenna - Massachusetts
Tim McGraw - Two Lanes of Freedom
Brad Paisley - Wheelhouse
Justin Moore - Off the Beaten Path
Jaida Dreyer - I Am Jaida Dreyer
Katie Armiger - Fall Into Me
Keith Urban - Fuse
LeAnn Rimes - Spitfire
Lady Antebellum - Golden
Charlie Worsham - Rubberband
Holly Williams - The Highway
Gary Allan - Set You Free
Tyler Farr - Redneck Crazy
Sarah Jarosz - Build Me Up From Bones
Luke Bryan - Crash My Party
Thomas Rhett - It Goes Like This
Chris Young - A.M.
Amanda Shires - Down Fell The Doves
Randy Houser - How Country Feels
Thompson Square - Just Feels Good

Best of 2013 - 10 Indie/Alternative Albums That I Liked

The Best of 2013 week continues at Your New Favorite Song. Monday we hit my Top 10 Concerts and Tuesday we looked at my Top 10 Pop Songs. Today, we will examine 10 Indie/Alternative Albums That I Liked. I decided not to rank them because, well, I'm a pretty lazy dude. But, to make up for my half-assedness, I did add links to videos by each band (I'd embed them here, but it would take about a week to open the page...trust me...I made that mistake in my 2011 Top 40 Artists of the Year).

Superchunk - I Hate Music - Superchunk will forever be my favorite indie rock band. I Hate Music was probably my most listened to non-country album this year and if I was doing a formal Top 10, this would easily be No. 1. VIDEO: Me & You & Jackie Mittoo

Joy Formidable - Wolf's Law - Crunchy guitars and heavenly vocals abound on this record. One of the most exciting bands around. VIDEOS: This Ladder is Ours and Cholla

Arcade Fire: - Reflektor - A lot of people think I hate this band. I don't. Do I think they are ridiculously over-rated by the media and fans? Of course. Regardless, they are good at what they do and as long as I don't have to see their over-righteousness on stage again, I can deal with them. A lot of people didn't like the new-wavy sounds of Reflektor, I probably shouldn't either, but I did. VIDEO: Reflektor

Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Daze - Fuzzed out, far out psychedelic rock. What's not to love. VIDEO: Never Run Away

Arctic Monkeys - AM - I can't believe it took me so long to finally give this band a shot. I'm loving AM these days. Kind of reminds me of the first time I heard The Libertines. VIDEO: Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High

Oh Land - Wishbone - Smart and catchy electro-pop with breathy vocals. Just the way I like it. VIDEO: Pyromaniac

Cults - Static - Nothing wrong with a little indie dream pop. Great album to totally space out to...something that I'm very good at. VIDEO: High Road

Savages - Silence Yourself - I knew nothing about Savages when I picked up the Silence Yourself for $3.99 on Amazon one bored afternoon. Hot damn! This album smacked me in the face with its updated Siouxsie and the Banshees sound. VIDEO: Husbands

Deer Tick - Negativity - Every time I listen to Deer Tick I immediately think of how much they remind me of The Replacements. Take that as the ultimate compliment from me. VIDEO: The Rock

Those Darlins - Blur The Line - Fuzzed out garage rock that doesn't try too hard to be cool. It just is. I'd include a video here, but I've given up trying to find one that's safe for work. Look 'em up on YouTube when you're free from the boss or the kiddos.