Happy April and Happy Spring! Here is the latest installment of my What I’ve Been Listening To series, featuring my monthly song picks for February and March:

February

“Parallel Line,” Keith Urban

Vulnerable, tender, emotional, Keith Urban is all three on this love song from his album, Graffiti U. (Fun fact: the song was written by Ed Sheeran).

Standout Lyrics: So come on and/Take a little bit of my/Heart tonight/No, I literally don’t mind/Just please don’t misplace it/Take a little bit of my/Heart tonight/No, baby be mine now/Baby be mine now/Maybe it’s time we/Put our hearts in a parallel line

“Heart’s Going Out Of Its Mind,” Carly Pearce

Carly Pearce deals with the effects of a crush on this heart-spinning track from her sophomore self-titled album. The song is catchy, fun, and features some awesome banjo sounds throughout.

Standout Lyrics: You just said hi, now I’m high/And I’m not smokin’ nothin’/All you did was touch my hand/Let me tell you something/You make my heart go beep ba beep/Right out my chest/I’ll admit, I confess, yeah you got me, I’m a mess

“What Could’ve Been,” Gone West

Colbie Caillat, Justin Young, Jason Reeves, and Nelly Joy, better known as the band, Gone West are nostalgic on this track about lost love. The group shines vocally; their harmonies are next-level.

Standout Lyrics: Cause we left blood the on the tracks/Sweat on the saddle/Fire in the hills/A bullet in the barrel/Words never said in a story that didn’t end/Looks like you’re on the mend and I’m on the bottle/We folded our hands with money on the table/Tried moving on but I keep coming back again/To what could’ve been

March

“Adelina,” JOHNNYSWIM

Amanda Sudano and Abner Ramirez, the husband and wife singer-songwriters who comprise JOHNNYSWIM sweetly blend their voices on this folksy love song that appears on their 2013 EP, Heart Beats. The inspiration for the song? Ramirez’s parents.

Standout Lyrics: Waiting, waiting by the shore,/No fear, no worries of the storm./A fire so warm and bright inside you/Say she ain’t been burned before./Darling can’t you see that you’re my sea and sun?/Oh, the battle rages but the war is won./Adelina, Adelina, Adelina, oh, there’s hope for us.

“I Hope,” Gabby Barrett

American Idol alum, Gabby Barrett hopes for karma on this angsty track about a cheating ex-boyfriend. Vocally powerful–Barrett sounds eerily similar to fellow Idol alum, Carrie Underwood–and sonically sharp (the track is backed by a rousing electric guitar), “I Hope” has the potential to become a break-up anthem among young women everywhere.

Standout Lyrics: Yeah, babe, I hope she shows up in a 2-AM pic from her friend/Hanging on to a guy, and you just ain’t him/I hope you stay up all night all alone waiting by the phone/And then she calls

“Be A Light,” Thomas Rhett featuring Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin, & Keith Urban

Thomas Rhett teams up with friends, Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin, and Keith Urban on this inspirational tune that couldn’t have arrived at a more relevant time. The track is hopeful and empowering and each vocalist offers something moving. According to iHeart Radio, each artist who appears on the track will “donate their proceeds to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.”

Standout Lyrics: In a world full of hate, be a light/When you do somebody wrong, make it right/Don’t hide in the dark, you were born to shine/In a world full of hate, be a light

And those are my song picks for February/March. Let me know what you think of them and also tell me what songs you’ve had on repeat recently. Check back next month for more, but in the meantime, stay safe, be well, and listen to some good music!