All Things Music

Happy Summer! I hope you’re enjoying some time off and relaxing, reader. It’s been a busy couple of months for me, but not so busy that I haven’t had time to listen to some music and share my June/July song picks with you. Read on to find out what I’ve been listening to:

June

“Last Name,” Carrie Underwood

I haven’t been able to get this catchy Carrie Underwood song about a drunken night in Vegas followed by a shotgun wedding out of my head.

Standout Lyrics: Today, I woke up thinking about Elvis somewhere in Vegas/I’m not sure how I got here/Or how this ring on my left hand just appeared outta nowhere/I gotta go/I take the chips and the Pinto and hit the road/They say what happens here, stays here, all of this will disappear/There’s just one little problem/I don’t even know my last name/Oh, my mama would be so ashamed/It started off, “Hey, cutie, where you from?”/And then it turned into, “Oh, no! What have I done?”/And I don’t even know my last name

“I Told You So,” Randy Travis

This Randy Travis classic makes me emotional in the best way. I really enjoy singing this one very badly and off-key and in the most dramatic manner possible if I’m being honest.

Standout Lyrics: If I got down on my knees/And told you I was yours forever/Would you get down on yours too and take my hand?/Would we get that old-time feeling?/Would we laugh and talk for hours?/The way we did when our love first began/Would you tell me that you missed me too?/And that you’ve been so lonely/And you’ve waited for the day that I returned/And we’d live and love forever/And that I’m your one and only/(Or would you say the tables finally turned?)/Would you say, I told you so?/Oh, I told you so/I told you some day you’d come crawlin’ back/And askin’ me to take you in/I told you so, but you had to go/Now, I’ve found somebody new/And you will never break my heart in two again

“Never Say Never,” Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson

I’ll admit that I was a bit late to the party on discovering this one, but now that I have, I’ve had this song on endless repeat. Cole and Lainey are the pair I never knew I needed.

Standout Lyrics: You gotta touch that kills me, makes me feel alive/Couldn’t turn me off, yeah, even if you tried/So keep turnin’ me on and turn out the lights/Who knows tonight, we might get it right/I never say never with you/I end up together with you/It’s hell and it’s heaven with you, baby/Anything’s possible/The highs are unstoppable/We’re so uncontrollable, it’s crazy/We say we won’t/And then we do/You’re all I want, I never say never with you, yeah/I never say never with you

July

“Courtesy Of The Red, White, And Blue, (The Angry American),” Toby Keith

If you ask me my favorite song to play on the 4th of July, I’ll tell you this one from Toby Keith without hesitation. I’m proud to say the trend continued this year.

Standout Lyrics: Justice will be served and the battle will rage/This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage/And you’ll be sorry that you messed with/The U.S. of A./’Cause we’ll put a boot in your ass/It’s the American way

“LOVE IS A COWBOY” Kelsea Ballerini

I’m really enjoying this new song from Kelsea Ballerini. There’s nothing I love more than a good ole’ country ballad/love song, and girlfriend really delivered on this one. I also can’t wait for her new album to drop in September.

Standout Lyrics: It makes your heart feel like wild horses in your chest/Trying to catch it’s like tryna tame the wild, wild west/It’s reckless and rugged, it’s sweet and it’s stubborn/Love is a cowboy, mm-mm/Yeah, and when I’m with him, it’s like ropin’ the wind/Love is a cowboy

“winner.,” Nicolle Galyon

Speaking of new albums I’m excited about, I’ll be listening to Nicolle Galyon, AKA my all-time favorite Nashville songwriter’s new song, “winner.” until her debut album firstborn drops on July 22. I love introspective songs that make me think and this one does just that.

Standout Lyrics: I thought if I could just be a winner/That’s all anybody would see/But I’m over overachieving/These days my greatest victory is a/High five for the girl making dinner/First place for a family of four/I was born in a town called Winner/But I don’t live there anymore

And those are my monthly song picks for June/July. Let me know what you think of them, give them a listen on Apple Music or Spotify, and tell me what tunes you’ve had on repeat for the last two months. Until next time…music on, world off.