Dallas Moore / "No God in Juarez" / Ameripolitan Awards

 From his new album of the same name out tomorrow.

New Video / Dallas Moore / "Blue Jean Jesus"

 From his 2021 album The Rain. 

Lack of Curiosity Killed The Country Music Fan

Ten Favorite Albums of 2021 So Far: 1/3 Report

 The usual disclaimer: Our year-end list will be staff-voted; this is just Trailer’s list.

It’s been a weird year and I’ve listened to more old music than I have new, to be honest. I’ve still heard a lot of new stuff and I’m pretty sure these are my favorites, but it’s entirely possible I’ve completely left out an album I listened to multiple times and enjoyed. Feel free to let us know your favorites or make suggestions! 

1. Morgan Wade - Reckless

2. Carly Pearce - 29

3. Dallas Moore - The Rain

4. Laney Wilson - Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’

5. Triston Marez - s/t

6. Zach Schmidt - Raise a Banner

7. Loretta Lynn - Still Woman Enough

8. Melissa Carper - Daddy’s Country Gold

9. Austin Meade - Black Sheep

10. The Marfa Tapes

(this one may end up higher, but it's new so I haven't listened a lot yet)

Album Review / Dallas Moore / The Rain

By Matthew Martin

There's something comforting about hard hitting country music. It feels like comfort. It feels like the songs are oddly specific to you or about you. Maybe I'm just projecting but, for me that's how it feels. It reminds me of home, of hearing someone like Hank Jr. or Marshall Tucker Band blasting from the pick-up trucks of either my high school or my Granddad's farm. Dallas Moore picks up the reigns from those 80s/90s artists who so deftly mixed honky-tonk country with just enough rock and roll to get the blood pumping.

Dallas Moore's lyrical abilities are on display on The Rain. Sure there are the same old country tropes of drinking and having a good time, but this album is so specific to this time and place we are in that it really feels brand new. On the title track, Moore uses water and rain to signify rebirth and starting over. It's a hell of a catchy tune and sets the tone of the rest of the album. It feels like after the year we've all had, a rebirth is necessary. We're going to return to normal hopefully very soon and it's going to really be something else. 

Where I think Moore's songwriting prowess truly shines are on the back to back songs "Better Days" and "Locked Down and Loaded." "Better Days" shines a light on the rather interesting people that we all have in our lives- the doom and gloom people, the conspiracy theorists, and the eternal optimists. Moore stares down these folks and recognizes there's room in the middle and there's always reason to keep pushing forward. Again, it feels like this song comes from a place of longing to be back to normal after the past year. This rolls into the next song, "Locked Down and Loaded." This is probably my favorite song on this album. The anxiety and fear of the unknown are all over the song. Not knowing exactly what is happening and the constant change in tone and medical advice near the beginning of the pandemic really had an effect on everyone. Moore paints his picture of being locked-down in Las Vegas vividly. I can't stop listening to this song.

Moore also sings about not having an exact place in this world, of being a drifter so to speak. I think "California Highway" and "Ain't No Place In The Sun" are songs that Moore uses to celebrate his status of not being part of the in-crowd. These are songs you can't help but believe are going to sound better on a hot, Summer day with the windows down. 

Lastly, on "In My Last Days" Moore really tugs at the heartstrings with a song from the point of view of a man who is on his deathbed and is trying to live out his last days as best he can, telling everyone how he feels and doing things he may have missed out on in the past. It is an incredibly effective song and it's hard to not get a little choked up on this one. We've all lost something or someone in the past year and the song just ties everything together in a beautiful melody of peace and acceptance.

I think the best thing about music is that we can all interpret it in many different ways. Maybe The Rain isn't so much steeped in the pandemic world we live in right now. But, it certainly feels like it to me. And I can't help but feel comforted by that. By knowing that we're all affected in one way or another, but we're all going to figure out a way through because that's just what we do. 

The Rain is available today everywhere you purchase or stream music.

Dallas Moore Performs "Every Night I Burn Another Honky Tonk Down"

 From his album, The Rain, out Friday.

Dallas Moore Performs "The Rain"

 From his forthcoming album of the same name.

Saturday Night Music/New Video / Dallas Moore / "Everything But You"

Farce the Music's Top Songs of 2018 (#11-30)

These songs were selected by me, Trailer, and are in no particular order. 1-10 tomorrow.

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Buffalo Gospel – When Lonesome Comes Calling

Leon III – Alberta

Kari Arnett – One More Chance

Whitey Morgan and the 78's – What Am I Supposed to Do

Joshua Hedley – Weird Thought Thinker

Kacey Musgraves – Happy & Sad

Lucero – Among the Ghosts

Brandi Carlile – Sugartooth

Mike and the Moonpies – Beaches of Biloxi

Brent Cobb – King of Alabama

Old Crow Medicine Show – Look Away

Whiskey Wolves of the West – Alexandria

Dallas Moore – Somewhere Between Bridges

Pusha T – If You Know You Know (explicit)

Kelly Willis – Back Being Blue

Josh Grider – Pictures Do

Brandon Jenkins – Be the Revival

Amanda Shires – White Feather

Hawks and Doves – Chasing the Sky

Vince Staples – FUN! (explicit)

Farce the Music's Top 10 Albums of 2018

Like numbers 11-25, these were voted on by all Farce the Music contributors.

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10. Dallas Moore - Mr. Honky Tonk

This is the album where Dallas Moore took a huge step forward. He's always been good, but on Mr. Honky Tonk, the songwriting, vocals, and especially the production all came together. Normally I'd not even consider voting for an album with only 8 tunes, but when the material is this strong, there's nothing wrong with delivering a short, powerful punch. Moore knows for damn sure who he is and on Mr. Honky Tonk, that comes through loud and clear. Check out "You Know the Rest" and "Somewhere Between Bridges." ~Trailer

9. Whitey Morgan & The 78s - Hard Times & White Lines

When it comes to straight-up, hard-edged country, there's not a single person doing it better than Whitey Morgan.  He and his band have again written a damn incredible country album.  You can always bet the bank on Morgan to only release the best of the best.  You will not get filler or cheap songs.  You're going to get songs about living out on the road, the things that does to relationships, and ways to pass the time when out on the road.  It ain't a pretty life, but when Morgan sings about it, it sure makes you wanna try it out for a while. ~Matthew Martin

8. Ruston Kelly - Dying Star

One for the misfits, but who among us isn’t one? At times depressing, funny and hopeful, and with a dash of redemptive potential. And it’s oh, so very pleasing to the ear. Comparisons to Ryan Adams are inevitable. So far, though, Mr. Kelly doesn’t seem to be a full-of-himself douche. ~Kevin Broughton

7. American Aquarium - Things Change

When BJ lost his band a couple of years ago due to whatever reasons, I thought the American Aquarium name would be retired.  Instead, BJ found a new backing band and came back stronger than ever.  These are some BJ's strongest songs he's written since Burn. Flicker. Die. And, the band!  I'll be damned if this band doesn't seem even tighter.  When BJ has been at his lowest point, band-wise, he's given us masterpieces and this album is no exception.  ~MM

6. Joshua Hedley - Mr. Jukebox

The soul of Mr. Jukebox is decidedly unhip by mainstream Nashville standards, but the songs are glorious throwbacks to guys like Ernest Tubb, George Jones or Buck Owens. The reason Mr. Jukebox succeeds is his backbone of traditionalism, not only in character, but also because of Ole’ Hed’s dedication to the heart of real country music. Hedley’s fiddle furiously battles his smooth vocal runs with a multi-disciplined attack that's just damned good music. Joshua Hedley can strum a guitar, sing with a clean, clear harmonious range, and write lyrics that are not only witty, but also painstakingly crafted so that the words on some of the record’s tracks land like guy punches. ~Robert Dean

5. Cody Jinks - Lifers

Cody is just taunting the Satanists running Nashville now, showing these soulless, undead beings what a country record could be on their radio stations. ~KB

I remember when I first heard Cody Jinks a few years ago, I wasn't immediately a fan.  I don't remember what made me think that- maybe just wasn't in the right headspace or something.  But, that has completely changed.  Jinks released the album that will likely (and seems to already have) boost him to the ranks of Simpson or, potentially even Stapleton.  Jinks's voice is velvety smooth and his band is right on the mark.  The songs are a perfect mix of hard-life livers, hard-night havers, and hard-love lovers.  It's incredibly relatable to those listening and it's the kind of tunes we've come to expect out of Jinks over the last few years.  Yet another very good album in Jinks's short, but incredibly respectable output. ~MM

4. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour

An album chock full of beautifully arranged, damn-near perfectly delivered, radio-ready singles that for some reason didn't find their way to Country Radio. It's a shame that format has bent over backwards to completely ignore and ostracize women because Musgraves made the best Country record of the year by a wide margin. I guess the Country Radio folks need to make sure there's always enough room on the charts for any dude named Luke who might decide to release a single at some point. ~Kasey Anderson

3. Brandi Carlile - By the Way, I Forgive You

Brandi’s finest album since The Story (which will always be in my Top 10 of all-time). “The Joke” is simply gorgeous and a song of the year contender. This Dave Cobb produced platter got some serious Grammy nom love and for good reason. ~Scott Colvin

2. Jamie Lin Wilson - Jumping Over Rocks

I’ll be honest, this album is so beautifully understated in its delivery that I almost had it around number 12. Then I sat down & listened again. What Jamie Lin Wilson has done is monumental. She covers perhaps the greatest song Guy Clark ever wrote, and it fits the album. If you’re looking for who’s going to fill those shoes, the answer is still “nobody”, but this album is a tour de force. Jamie Lin Wilson is a generational talent who deserves every bit of acclaim she receives, and then some.  ~Kelcy Salisbury

I love this freaking album. So classy and classic sounding. "The Being Gone" and "Death and Life" are amazing songs. ~Trailer

1. Lucero - Among the Ghosts

To follow Lucero's career has been an amazing transition from country/punk 4 piece to a straight-up Memphis rock and roll band complete with a horns section. For their 9th (or 10th if you count The Attic Tapes) studio album, the guys took it back to their roots and left the horns out for the most part.  What they gave us was their best album since 1372 Overton Park.  It's a musically concise album cutting away any fat and letting the songs and band speak for themselves.  Ben Nichols has written some of his most interesting songs to date about Civil War battles, touring, and shoot-outs.  In a catalog full of incredible albums, this one is certainly at the top. ~MM

Good to see Farce the Music's unofficial house band finally make our top spot! ~Trailer

Saturday Night Music / Dallas Moore / "Home is Where the Highway Is"

Top Albums of 2018: 3/4 Report

Usual disclaimers: This is Trailer's top 20. The year-end list will be compiled from all FTM contributors' votes. 3 more months to go - this'll change a lot by December.

1. Dallas Moore - Mr. Honky Tonk

2. Ashley McBryde - Girl Going Nowhere

3. Fantastic Negrito - Please Don't Be Dead

4. Ruston Kelly - Dying Star

5. Neko Case - Hell On

6. Blackberry Smoke - Find a Light

7. Caitlyn Smith - Starfire

8. John Prine - Tree of Forgiveness

9. Lucero - Among the Ghosts

10. Brent Cobb - Providence Canyon

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11. Joshua Hedley - Mr. Jukebox

12. Rolo Tomassi - Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It

13. Lori McKenna - The Tree

14. Cody Jinks - Lifers

15. Glorietta - s/t

16. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour

17. Ryan Culwell - The Last American

18. Brandi Carlile - By the Way, I Forgive You

19. Buffalo Gospel - At the Last Bell

20. Shooter Jennings - Shooter

The Gravity of Kane Brown

Crap Can Be Authentic Too

Top Albums of 2018: First Half Report

Trailer's top 25 so far. 

Usual disclaimers: The year-end list will be compiled from all FTM contributors' votes. Also, the second half looks really strong, so expect a lot of shake up to this list.

1. Dallas Moore - Mr. Honky Tonk

2. Ashley McBryde - Girl Going Nowhere

3. Blackberry Smoke - Find a Light

4. Caitlyn Smith - Starfire

5. John Prine - Tree of Forgiveness

6. Brent Cobb - Providence Canyon

7. Neko Case - Hell On

8. Fantastic Negrito - Please Don't Be Dead

9. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour

10. Joshua Hedley - Mr. Jukebox

11. Brandi Carlile - By the Way, I Forgive You

12. Buffalo Gospel - At the Last Bell

13. Caleb Caudle - Crushed Coins

14. Pusha T - Daytona

15. Old Crow Medicine Show - Volunteer

16. Sarah Shook & The Disarmers - Years

17. Leon III - s/t

18. First Aid Kid - Ruins

19. Courtney Patton - What It's Like to Fly Alone

20. Buffalo Tom - Quiet and Peace

21. American Aquarium - Things Change

22. Charley Crockett - Lonesome as a Shadow

23. Brothers Osborne - Port Saint Joe

24. Courtney Marie Andrews - May Your Kindness Remain

25. Ghost - Prequelle

And here are Robert Dean's five favorites:

Since we’re ½ through 2018 (weird) – here are the records I’m jamming the hardest and think are this year’s best so far: 

Joshua Hedley – Mr. Jukebox

My #1 with a bullet. It would take a miracle to unseat this record. 

Sleep – The Sciences 

Vein – Errorzone 

Charley Crockett – Lonesome As A Shadow 

At The Gates – To Drink From The Night Itself 

Honorable mention cuz it’s new to me: 

Queensway – Swift Minds of The Darkside 

Top 25 Songs of 2018 First Half Report

It was hard to narrow this down to 25. There have been some truly great and memorable songs released in 2018, and we're just halfway through. These are in no particular order. 

*not a combined contributors' list - just Trailer's*

------------------------------

Ashley McBryde - Tired of Being Happy

Lucero - To My Dearest Wife

YOB - Our Raw Heart

Willie Nelson - Something You Get Through

Caitlyn Smith - This Town is Killing Me

Kacey Musgraves - Happy & Sad

Brent Cobb - Mornin's Gonna Come

Kelly Willis - Back Being Blue

Buffalo Gospel - When Lonesome Comes Callin'

Joshua Hedley - Weird Thought Thinker

Lori McKenna - People Get Old

Dallas Moore - Somewhere Between Bridges

Trixie Mattel - Soldier

Blackberry Smoke w/Robert Randolph - I'll Keep Ramblin'

Manchester Orchestra - No Hard Feelings

Pusha T - The Games We Play

Caleb Caudle - NYC in the Rain

Old Crow Medicine Show - Look Away

Erik Dylan - Funerals and Football Games

Brandi Carlile - Sugartooth

Leon III - Alberta 

Tami Neilson - Good Man

Whiskey Wolves of the West - Alexandria

Ruby Boots - Break My Heart Twice

Anderson East - House is a Building

Kane Brown is Certified?

Top 20 Albums of 2018 - First Quarter Report

1. Brandi Carlile - By the Way, I Forgive You

2. Caitlyn Smith - Starfire

3. Ashley McBryde - Girl Going Nowhere

4. Dallas Moore - Mr. Honky Tonk

5. First Aid Kid - Ruins

6. Courtney Marie Andrews - May Your Kindness Remain

7. Caleb Caudle - Crushed Coins

8. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour

9. Courtney Patton - What It's Like to Fly Alone

10. Buffalo Tom - Quiet and Peace

11. Ruby Boots - Don't Talk About It

12. Wade Bowen - Solid Ground

13. Mike & The Moonpies - Steak Night at the Prairie Rose

14. Trixie Mattel - One Stone

15. Whiskey Wolves of the West - Country Roots

16. Anderson East - Encore

17. Josh Grider - Good People

18. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - Tearing at the Seams

19. Ross Cooper - I Rode the Wild Horses

20. Pedigo's Magic Pilsner - s/t

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*there are a few recent and forthcoming albums I haven't listened to enough to rank yet

**This is just Trailer's top 20 - year end list will include all contributors

Ace Ventura Country Reaction Gifs

Average mainstream country executive giving an interview

This, but for your ears when you hear

a Walker Hayes song

Doesn't matter what car you drive.

If Waylon's playing, you're cool.

If Dallas Moore is playing downtown...

"Genres don't matter anymore, but I can call 

this country music if I want to..."

If "Sangria Wine" comes on at the party

Just scored Cody Jinks tickets

Almost as creepy as Old Dominion