In this week’s crop of new music, Eric Church issues his first solo release in over three years, in order to benefit his homestate of North Carolina, which has seen devastation following Hurricane Helene. Meanwhile, Jamey Johnson previews his upcoming first solo studio album release in 14 years with a stately, insightful ballad. Ella Langley, Conner Smith and more also offer new songs.
Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of the best country songs of the week below.
Eric Church, “Darkest Hour”
Church has been in the studio working on new music, and chose to release his first solo song in over three years, in order to help those in his homestate of North Carolina, which found many areas ravaged by Hurricane Helene.
On this Church-written, Jay Joyce-produced song, he employs a soulful and serrated falsetto voice, which mingles resplendently with horns and a backing choir, all meshing for a creation that feels more akin to the orchestral constructions of 1970s rock than modern-day country. Meanwhile, at the fore is a message of an artist intent on bringing comfort and compassion to those who are weary, both physically and mentally. Overall, this marks one of Church’s most striking recordings, and a further boon to his already powerful catalog of songs.
Ella Langley, “Weren’t for the Wind”
Langley has been riding high lately on the Riley Green collaboration “You Look Like You Love Me,” and her debut album Hungover. She follows with what seems poised to be a surefire, solid followup single — a vision of wanderlust, musing how different her life might look if she wasn’t pulled toward the excitement of new horizons. Her deep Southern drawl is at once sultry, sage and nonchalant, gliding over a breezy, steady rhythm that mirrors the song’s want for unencumbered freedom. “Weren’t for the Wind” will be included the deluxe version of her debut album hungover, which will be released Nov. 1.
Kat Luna, “That Girl”
Luna, formerly of duo Kat and Alex, now launches her solo career on Sony Music Nashville with this power ballad that centers on establishing oneself apart from a previously fizzled relationship. Luna has always had a formidable, octave-leaping, pop-fused vocal, the kind that feels tailor-made for rangy, emotion-fueled ballads like this. She also pays homage to her Latin heritage by releasing two versions of the song — one in English (written by Luna, Rhett Akins and KK Johnson) and one with a blend of English and Spanish (with additional co-writing Erika Ender).
Jamey Johnson, “Someday When I’m Old”
Johnson, long known as one of country music’s most masterful songwriters, is set to release his first album in 14 years, when Midnight Gasoline releases on Nov. 8 on his new label home Warner Music Nashville (the album will be released through WMN and Johnson’s own Big Gassed Records). Among the songs previewing the album is this meditation about growing wiser with the passing years. “No matter how much time you get/ You always want more,” he sings, a musical aphorist filling this track with keen observational moments. Above the sparse guitar and percussion, his voice is in fine form, conversational and commanding as ever.
Conner Smith, “Faith From a Farmer”
Known for songs including “Learn From It” and “I Hate Alabama,” Smith delves deeper into his songwriting talents on this solo-written song, which is included on his new project The Storyteller.
His warm, conversational vocal style is heightened by a blend of guitars, fiddles and piano, as his writing contains an ingenuousness in putting forth this observation of gleaning faith-leaning insights from the steady work and spiritual devotion of a farmer “who wants to hand a good life down to his son or daughter.” With every release, Conner continue to impress as one of a new generation of country artists as devoted to songcraft as performing.
Runaway June, “New Kind of Emotion”
Trio Runaway June returns on this light-hearted track, which strives to capture the levity of a new, heartbreak-healing romance. As always, their harmonies are tightly-woven, fluttering over this honey-hued song, written by the group’s Jennifer Wayne, Natalie Stovall and Stevie Woodward, along with writer Paul Sikes, and production by Kristian Bush.
