10.) Jason Aldean Burnin’ It Down – ‘Weird.’ ‘Different.’ ‘Not REAL Country.’ Maybe. BUT, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t turn this song up every time it comes on Maverick. People give him flack for this song sealing his ‘Bro-country’ fate BUT considering his goal was to record a ‘different track that would shape his album’…he absolutely succeeded.
9.) Kacey Musgraves Keep It To Yourself – Come on! It’s Kacey freakin’ Musgraves! This is Texas! Of course she’s on this list! Enough said.
8.) Florida Georgia Line Dirt – This song turned ALOT of my ‘non-country’ friends into FGL fans. Even after ‘Cruise’, ‘This Is How We Roll’ and ‘Round Here’ they STILL managed to silence their ‘Bro-country’ critics with this surprisingly heartfelt ballad out of the blue.
7.) Jake Owen What We Ain’t Got – I saw Jake in concert a few years back and I’ve always associated him with the party crowd. It’s hard to believe the same guy who did ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’ put this song out. It’s a great track that shows just how much he’s grown as an artist in these past few years.
6.) Luke Bryan I See You – This was Luke’s SIXTH top 10 charting single from ‘Crash My Party’. This track was just different enough from his previous hits to strike a chord with me. It might be subtle, but it has a darker, more rock-driven feel to it that I hadn’t before from Luke.
5.) Cadillac 3 Party Like You – These guys are great. This is just one of those songs that digs deep into my white trash southern rock Florida roots in the BEST way possible.
4.) Aaron Watson That Look – I must have heard this song 20 times before I realized it was NEW! To me, Aaron managed to write the perfect 90’s pop country ballad…in 2014.
3.) Little Big Town Girl Crush – This album blew me away. As soon as I heard ‘Girl Crush’ it reminded me of Rascal Flatt’s ‘I Won’t Let Go’ (which I also love). Another great example of an artist showing how much they’ve grown.
2.) Eric Paslay She Don’t Love You – This is one of those songs that no matter how many times I hear it…it stops me in my tracks and forces me to listen. For me, George Strait is the only other artist today that can write such incredibly powerful ballads that still somehow sound effortless. (and ironically, Eric co-wrote this song originally with intentions of George Strait recording it.)
1.) The Band Perry Gentle On My Mind – I can’t think of a better current artist to cover Glen Campbell. To me, this is the best song of the last decade.
Check out YouTube playlist