Hello friends, my name is Keri Cunningham and
you are listening to my weekly mixtape with Brian
Coburn. Tonight we are talking about some of
my favorite amazing country female artists. Get
ready to get your country on. Yeehaw! Welcome
to My Weekly Mixtape, a podcast that takes the
classic mixtape approach to building a modern
playlist. I'm your host, Brian Colburn. Joining
me tonight is country music artist Carrie Cunningham.
Carrie, thank you so much for joining me on the
show. Thank you. I really appreciate you having
me on. This is exciting. It certainly is. And
if I'm correct, the night we're recording, I'm
going to break the fourth wall here. Today, I
can also say... Happy birthday, Carrie. Thank
you. Thank you. Thank you. I thank you for taking
time out of your day to talk music tonight. Absolutely.
Absolutely. One of my favorite things to talk
about. Well, I am going to start by asking you
the same question I ask all of my first time
guests. And that is, what does the word mixtape
mean to you? Mixtape means all my favorite songs
that I can just jam out to. And it also brings
me back to, actually, it brings me back to my
husband because he used to make me little mixtapes
and send them off to me. I guess they were mixed
CDs, you know, but the same concept. And so when
I think of a mixtape, I definitely think about
when my husband and I were dating. When my wife
and I were dating, we were a long distance relationship,
New Jersey to New Hampshire. So anytime one of
us would travel to the other, we would always
burn mixed CDs for each other. And a couple of
times over the last decade, now that we are two
kids into a 20 something year marriage, a song
will come on. I'll be like, do you remember?
When I put this on, she goes, you made me probably
5 ,000 mix CDs in the first year we were together.
No, I don't remember every song from them. Yeah,
right? That's awesome. And I think my favorite
song on one of the CDs, because he made a couple,
is probably The Best Is Yet To Come. Well, that's
how he labeled it. And so it stays in my mind.
But it was a jazz artist. The best is yet to
come. And baby, won't it be fine? I can't remember
who it was. Well, you need to record a version
of it, obviously, because that sounds great.
Thank you. I love jazz. I used to moonlight as
a jazz artist when I was also doing my country
stuff. But if somebody didn't have room for a
country artist, then I'm like, well, can I put
on my stilettos? And they're like, yes, you may.
Come on in. That is awesome. Well, tonight, Carrie
and I are going to be creating the ultimate modern
female country artists mixtape. So as someone
who is a female country artist, what are you
looking for in the songs you're bringing to the
table tonight? Oh, what am I looking for? I love
music that really resonates either like in a
storytelling format or in a fun. funky way, something
that makes you feel good and want to dance. As
far as like me being a musician, I always get
trapped in that moment where I want to be either
going, am I singing this to a theater group where
they're just sitting there listening to me? Or
am I singing it to my honky tonk rodeo crowd?
And so it's a daily battle on what I feel like
listening to. So it's going to be fun mixing
it up. with you tonight. Well, let's get down
to business. Tonight, as I mentioned at the top
of the show, Carrie and I will be curating a
modern female country artist's mixtape, and we're
going to use that old cassette deck approach.
Carrie, as my special guest, will begin side
A with her first song choice, and then I'll add
a song that I feel best follows up that choice.
We'll then flip -flop choosing songs until we've
mapped out 10 songs for side A. We'll then give
our mixtape a proverbial flip, and we'll map
outside, be only this time I'll kick things off
with Carrie choosing second. Our overall goal
for this episode is to craft the best modern
female country artist's mixtape possible through
only 20 songs. And at the end of the show, you
can take our conversation to the next level by
visiting the episode page at myweeklymixtape
.com to give our final mixtape a listen. via
the embedded playlist. And if you like what you're
hearing on the show, you can help me out by either
telling a friend, leaving the show a five -star
review wherever you're tuning in, or becoming
a Patreon mixtaper at patreon .com forward slash
myweeklymixtape. And a few of the Patreon mixtapers
chimed in with songs that they would suggest
we use to kick things off tonight. So I want
to give a quick shout out to a few of those.
David Owens chimed in with Miranda Lambert's
Gum Powder and Lead, saying it is her first top
10 single and he feels she's pretty influential
for female country in the 2000s. Tom Hutchinson
chimed in with Priscilla Block's Hey Jack. Chad
LaMassa chimed in with Britney Spencer's Bigger
Than The Song as he recently saw her open for
Grace Potter and enjoyed the fact that she pays
homage to all of her inspirations. And Chad also
chimed in with Jamie Wyatt's Neon Cross. And
Philip Bergman chimed in saying this is not a
kickoff track, but maybe song two on side two
can be the Secret Sisters' Tennessee Me. He loves
the rustic feel to that one. So with that out
in the atmosphere, Carrie, I'm officially pressing
the record button on our mixtape and the floor
is yours. What song did you choose to kick off
side A and why? I am kicking it off with Laney
Wilson, Wildflowers and Wild Horses. I absolutely
love Lainey. I have been a fan of hers since
before she became superstardom Lainey Wilson.
And when this album first came out, I went out
and I downloaded the whole thing the very first
day and I was just absorbing it. And her and
her songwriters or co -writers have such a unique
way of just speaking the language of her. but
resonating with everybody else. And that's what
we strive for as songwriters and performers,
to be able to reach out to everybody that's listening
and connect with them. And sometimes it gets
a little hard because we kind of get too personal,
but I think Lainey just nails it. And Wildflowers
and Wild Horses, that song, the moment I heard
it, made me feel like I was back in my home state
of Nebraska. And I was like... Oh, my word. I
love everything, everything about this album
and about this song. So that's why I'm choosing
this one first. Could not agree more. Bell Bottom
Country is probably my favorite country album
of 2022. Maybe quite possibly my favorite album
of 2022. The first time I put it on and heard
it front to back, I. had to sit back and say,
did I just listen to that entire album and not
even think about skipping anything? And I listened
to it a second time through. And the way she
weaves in between songs like Watermelon Moonshine,
which is, I would say, a modern day strawberry
wine by Dina Carter. Exactly. I feel like it
has that same type of feeling where when you're
listening to the lyrics of that song. It's got
such a storyteller -like delivery to the song.
You almost feel like you know Lainey Wilson listening
to that song. But then a couple of songs later,
you're flipping it into this funky 1970s swagger
that is Grease. And then you throw on her cover
of Four Non Blondes at the end of the album,
What's Up? And I mean, she just slays it. She
took home the prize. for best country album at
the 2024 Grammys, deservedly so. So you totally
scooped me on the artist. Love the song. Love
the pick. Perfect. Yeah. And I think I'm going
to follow it up with, hmm, I'm going to go back
one more year. I'm going to go to 2021. In all
my years of podcasting, I've had the chance to
talk country only a few times so far. Super stoked
to be able to do this tonight. But one of the
first country interviews I ever did was with
an artist whose album Reckless was soon to be
released. And I'm going to go with Morgan Wade.
And I'm going to go with the track Wilder Days,
which was co -written and produced by Sadler
Vaden, who some might recognize. from his tenure
as part of Jason Isbell and the 400 unit. Now
I could go on and on about how much I love this
song. However, because I was fortunate enough
to chat with Morgan a few years back on my old
tune styles podcast, she told a pretty cool story
about recording this song with Sadler. And I
want to play that clip now. Wilder days was a
song that that's literally like the first song
Sadler and I worked on together. writing and
wilder days has been through so many processes
like just trying to figure out what's the right
vibe for it and it's it's always been you know
a similar line i remember the first night that
we like really got the demo finished it was like
10 30 and i'm an early bird man if i'm not touring
i'm like in the bed early and this dude was so
excited that he's like, we've got to go get ice
cream and listen to this in the car. And he like
burns a copy of it onto a CD and we get in Sadler's
Honda Element and we ride to Jenny's to get ice
cream at almost 11 p .m. And this guy is like
so excited. This song is, he's like blasting
the song as loud as he can as we're riding through
Nashville. So that was like the biggest memory
I have of this song because just the joy. that
Sadler had from doing that. And I remember waking
up the next morning and he's, you know, sitting
down there in his robe and his pajamas. And he's
like, I had this other idea for it. And so it's
great. It went from that to, you know, where
we're at now. And it just, it was like real organic,
but we wanted it to kind of punch you in the
face a little bit, but be one of those jam songs
that also has meaning to it. And he definitely
did that. That was all Sadler, you know, being
able to really come up with the beat for that
and really make all that groove. But it's exactly
what I pictured in my head. And sometimes it's
really hard to write something and you have this
image in your head of like, okay, I want it to
sound like this. I want it to look like this.
But to actually do it is another thing. And we
actually really did it for this song. And so
this is a song that, you know, I was playing
at shows and people were just freaking out. wanting
the song, where can I get the song? And so we
were like, we definitely have to put Wilder Days
out, you know, as the first standalone single
off the record. That's so awesome. Yeah, I couldn't
agree more. To me, Wilder Days is one of those
top down on the convertible country road trip
anthems. And it peaked at number 36 on the Billboard
Hot Country Songs chart and really helped establish
Morgan. as a future force to be reckoned with
in the country music space. So I feel like coming
out of Lainey Wilson, Morgan Wade, the two of
them really kind of have this vibe going right
from the start. And I like where we're heading
with this. So following up Lainey Wilson, I'm
going to go with Morgan Wade's Wilder Days. That
sounds perfect. I couldn't agree more with you
on that. When I first heard her, I was like,
ooh. She's a little like a little rebellious
and we kind of need that. You know, when you
think about country music and rebellion with
female country artists, you know, there's obviously
like Miranda Lambert, people think, and then
they think of Gretchen Wilson, you know, but
Gretchen was very the rebel female in 90s country.
And I think along those lines too, I also think
of like Wynonna Judd for some reason, but Morgan,
I think she's a perfect. Number two, following
Lainey Wilson on our mixtape. Well, now I'm throwing
it back to you to follow up with track three.
Well, I think that I'm going to go with Megan
Moroney and her song, I'm Not Pretty. And reason
why is because that was, I believe, single number
two following Tennessee Orange. And I wish I
had written this song. I honestly wish that I
had written this song. I can relate to it on
so many levels. Yeah, because I feel that like
she was kind of looking into my diary at this
particular moment. And I'm like, girl, how do
you know my story? So I definitely want to continue
on with her song, I'm Not Pretty. And I just
think it resonates with so many younger women
out there. who, especially with the whole social
media route going on right now, we can spy on
anybody, you know, as long as their profile's
not private. And if you're jealous, you go down
that rabbit hole and, you know, you'll find fault
in that new girl, no matter what. And then you
being the strong, confident new woman in this
guy's life, it's just like, don't know what to
tell you, sweet cheeks, you know, but move along.
Just move, move, move. So, yeah. So, Megan Maroney.
So, we're talking with something that came out
just this past summer in 2023. That reached number
32 on the Hot Country Songs chart and just missed
cracking the top 100. So, this song was certainly
making some waves. Now, the subject matter is
something that I could tell you 20 years ago,
I never would have thought would have been in
a country song. But here we are because it is
part of... The culture we live in now, social
media is such a big part of human nature. It's
kind of brought through its ugliest parts in
this song. And there's that pop sensibility that
is brought into this song. That's not overly
pop, but you could definitely feel that there's
something about pop music now in country music
that there's been a line that's been blurred.
Where you don't know at times when country ends
and pop begins, because a lot of it has been
thrown together and a lot of country songs are
becoming crossover mainstream hits a lot quicker
than they did, let's say, back in the 90s, where
it took something extreme like a Shania Twain
on the female side of things or a Garth Brooks
on the male end of the spectrum to really cross
over. Or a Billy Ray Cyrus achy breaky heart
moment. But now that line has been completely
moved where the blurring happens more often.
And there's a lot of crossover appeal. And I
think I'm going to tap into that with my next
pick. I'm going to follow up Megan Maroney with
an artist that started off pretty much in the
pop realm. But has since pivoted to a more country
style. And I know there's been. Some good and
bad news recently over a performance for Dolly
Parton at the Ryman on the Grand Ole Opry stage.
But Ellie King has such a unique voice. The first
time I heard X's and O's on the radio, I'm like,
this song is going to be played at weddings for
decades. Like, you just know when a song has
that hook. And she brought it to country on her
most recent album, which. I wasn't sure when
I read it on paper that she was going to do a
country album. I'm going, hmm, I'm not quite
sure how that's going to work. And the first
time I heard her single Out Yonder from the 2023
album Come Get Your Wife, it was instantly that
moment of, yeah, she nailed it. Her voice is
perfect for country. And she's definitely getting
out there a lot more. I could see. Her being
a big name in country moving forward if she continues
down this path. And when I say this path, I'm
talking totally about the music here, not her
personal life and the things that she's facing
ever since the Dolly Parton incident. I know
with some artists, they weave in and out of country
depending on the album cycle. But I'm guessing
she might be here to stay with this one because
the album as a whole is a pretty strong statement.
Yeah. I can't chime too much on Elle King, only
knowing X is an O. I love that song. I used to
perform that song a lot. I really get down and
dirty with that song. And I have listened to
some of her songs. Yeah, more power to us bringing
her into this mixtape and allowing grace and
giving her that moment of saying, you know, she
is a great artist. Very unique voice. And, you
know, I just I hope that with the whole Dolly
Parton's issue that she had on the stage, I hope
she gets the help that she needs. And from what
I hear, she is getting the help she needs. So
I expect her to come out a brand new person later
on this year and shine. And, you know, her fans
will still be there to support her. I agree.
Look, people you can go on and on about issues
that people have. Everybody. has one issue or
another no matter what it is and i always try
to use grace when stories like that pop up because
not everything is what tmz makes it out to be
sometimes there are other things going on and
you just aren't living in those people's shoes
so it might not have been her finest hour but
if it put her in the direction to get the help
she needs to put her on a path moving forward
i could see that being a positive from a negative
Oh, absolutely. I agree. Well, following that
up, we're back to you for track five. You know
what? I am following that up with a little bit
of humor. I am going to take it down the aisle
of, down the aisle, wrong aisle, Brandy Clark.
And with Brandy. I just want to say that with
both Brandi Clark and Brandi Carlile, they're
both from Washington State. And I have a huge
following in the Northwest. And I used to live
in Spokane and Seattle and Vancouver, Washington.
And so I've been a fan of Brandi Clark and Brandi
Carlile for a long time. So I am super happy
that the two of them have been working together.
I am super happy that Brandi won a Grammy last
night. But following in my little sick humor.
With Elle King, my song of choice for Brandi
Clark is Stripes. And I used to sing that song,
and I think that was the first song that actually
really helped her get noticed in Nashville, because
she had been putting out all these songs that
all these other artists were recording, but her
as an artist... wasn't really making waves in
Nashville until she came out with her own album,
12 Stories. And 12 Stories ended up just taking
off and everybody was like, this is album of
the year. This is so fantastic. And her song
Stripes is so awesome. And so I want to follow
it up with Stripes. Well, one of my closest friends
on the planet who I went to college with in North
Carolina, and we've stayed friends for decades.
And I want to say in like the last five years,
he messaged me and said, you know, you're talking
about country online. You've heard 12 stories,
haven't you? And I said, uh, 12 stories. He goes,
Brandy Clark. I said, it's not ringing a bell.
He goes, oh, Jesus, hold on. And about a week
later, I got a package in the mail and it was
a copy of 12 stories on CD. And popping that
in and hearing Pray to Jesus for the first time,
I was like, Chris, maybe it's the New Jersey
guy in me, but I don't know how I've gone this
long and not heard Brandi Clark before. She is
incredible. And everything she's done since then,
I feel like her winning that Grammy is more a
question of how did it take this long? Long overdue.
Long overdue. What a fantastic pick. Thank you.
And I'm going to follow it up. bring things down
a little bit because we're at track six and sometimes
on a mixtape, you know, you're kind of going
up, up, up, and you want to bring it down a little
bit and give everyone a breather. And there are
certain songs that when it comes to slow country
songs, really create moments. And there is a
song that came out in 2019 that as a father,
I have listened to this song. I have never once
gotten through it without welling up. I have
two beautiful daughters, and I know one day this
song may come true, and I don't ever want it
to, but it's realistic. I'm going to go with
Ingrid Andress, More Hearts Than Mine. The first
time I saw her perform that song on the 2020
CMT Music Awards when she broke down in tears.
My wife looked at me, I'm like, did you start
cutting onions? I'm like, what is happening here?
Like, why am I so invested in this song? And
I went back and I immediately bought it. As soon
as that performance was done, I bought the album
and I went right to that song. And every time
I hear it, and I'm just talking about it right
now, and you could see this on the, I literally
have goosebumps going up and down my arm. It
is such a perfect storytelling song. And it breaks
my heart, but it's also something where you can
hear the family coming together in the lyrics.
You feel like you know Ingrid by the end of that
song. It's just so well written. It's so vulnerable,
so personal, and it's just a beautiful song.
So more hearts than mine. Oh, that's so perfect.
I love that song. And the first time I heard
it, I was like, oh. This is me and my daughter.
This is so me and my daughter. And I had her
listen to it. And she's like, I didn't tell her
anything. I just, I'm like, you should hear this
song. And she's like, oh, that's us. I was like,
yes. So I love it. Following that, since we are
along kind of a little bit more mellow mood.
It's always good to have like two right before
we start to build it back up. Since I was talking
about Brandi Clark, I would like to pay homage
to Brandi Carlile. And I was thinking about doing
a song from the High Women. But then I was like,
no, I'll give Brandi Carlile her own song. And
I'm going to go with The Joke from 2017. And
it's about all the struggles that us women. have
had to, oh, well, actually it's not just us women.
It's anybody that is different, whether you're,
whether you're a woman or whether you're, you're
gay or what have you, you know, talent and longevity
and just being yourself. It always comes back
around. And you know, when she's like the jokes
on them, it is just like, and the way she delivers
that hook is just like, oh, it just sends. chills
down my spine and the first time i heard it i'm
driving and i just remember i got teary -eyed
because i was like yes you're 1000 correct the
joke is on them not on you and so the joke by
brandy carlisle i became a brandy carlisle fan
back in 2007 the first time i heard the story
i mean that song just blew my mind. I had never
heard anything like it. It was so powerful, so
big, so bold. And then we talked about the Grammys
just before with Laney Wilson. If you watch the
Grammys, I know we're still kind of hot on that
moment this week because it just happened as
the week we're recording this, but Randy's performance
with Joni Mitchell of Both Sides Now was literally
the most Beautiful performance I've seen on the
Grammys in such a long time. And I know a lot
of people right now are talking about the incredible
performance of Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs doing
Fast Car together. And that was a wonderful,
wonderful performance. But Joni Mitchell's Both
Sides Now just shredded me. I could barely see
the screen through the tears of my eyes because
it was such an emotional, beautiful performance.
You could see the admiration and love that Brandi
had for Joni in that performance. Just the look,
it was just so powerful and so emotional. I'm
so glad you included her on this list because
you really can't talk modern country and not
talk Brandi Carlile. Absolutely. Well, and even,
you know, me being a country singer up in the
Northwest, a female country singer up in the
Northwest. I just have to. There's no ifs, ands,
or buts about it. I just have to bring up Brandi
Carlile and Brandi Clark. Contractually obligated,
all set. That's right. Well, I'm going to pick
up the pace a little bit now. And I'm going to
go with a song that came out in 2020 during the
height of the pandemic. And this was a song that,
you know, during the pandemic, it was a very
down time. Everything was... You turned on the
news. It was just negative, negative, negative.
And there was so much going on. It was such a
stressful, horrible time that I turned to music
to get a release and some joy and some happiness.
And one of the most infectious and upbeat songs
that came out in 2020 that truly was a delicate
balance between country and pop. So this song
truly had that crossover appeal. I'm going to
go with Kelsey Ballerini's Hole in the Bottle.
Yes. Okay. All right. This song, again, it's
also international. It reached number one on
Canada's country charts and number two in the
U .S. for country airplay. It was a top 40 hit,
meaning all genres. So there's that crossover
appeal. It reached number 39. Now, if you're
a person that likes your country to have less
of the pop side of things, when Kelsey released
the album, the CD version, and obviously on streaming,
it's two separate albums, but there was a companion
album called Ballerini, obviously, and there
is a stripped down. honky -tonk almost bluegrass
version of the song so depending on where you
sit with your country tastes there's two versions
there's actually three versions of the song if
you count the duet version she did with shania
twain so depending on where you stand this song
kind of really checks off all the boxes and let's
just be honest it's just a ton of fun yes yes
it is oh i love kelsey I know we're not throwing
it on the list, but when she came out with Miss
Me More in 2017, I'm like, girl, you literally
just spoke to every female on the planet with
this song. We all can relate to this. It's happened
to us at one point in our lives. So yeah, she's
an amazing songwriter. And I'm going to follow
it up with a Texas artist. I'm going to follow
it up with Raelynn from her 2021 album, Baytown.
And the song is called Keep Up. And Keep Up is
a fun, fun honky -tonk song. I used to go around
and sing it at rodeos, etc. But it's such a fun
song about being, I guess, like a country girl.
And living in the city and still staying true
to your roots and and kind of just telling a
guy like almost kind of like anything you can
do, I can do better with my with my boots on
and my and my truck. And I'm a truck girl. I
have a truck and and she is just so much fun.
So I want to say Ray Lynn and keep up. Well,
I was introduced to Ray Lynn back in 2012 when
she appeared on The Voice. And she covered the
Pistol Annie's Hell on Heels. And to pull that
song off with authority speaks volumes. And the
fact that she isn't so much bigger, because I
really felt like she was a highlight of that
season, even though she did not win. But I think
to follow her up, to close out the side, we started
with Lainey Wilson, who is one of the biggest
names in country music right now. I'm going to
go with one of the biggest names in country music
over the last several decades. And I'm going
to follow it up by bouncing off the fact that
Ray Lynn was on The Voice. And I'm going to flip
the channel and go over to American Idol and
bring in an artist that we obviously have to
talk about with modern country artists. And that's
the amazing Carrie Underwood. And I'm going to
go all the way back to 2005 because Before He
Cheats is just one of those songs. That I don't
care what level of country fan you are. This
song just hits. This song is powerful as all
hell. It's the first country song ever to sell
2 million digital copies. And at one point was
the best selling country song of all time. That
is amazing. Now think about the fact that. A
lot of the American Idol, The Voice, America's
Got Talent, there's not a massive track record
for success. Just because you're on the show
doesn't guarantee you're going to be able to
solidify a career beyond the show. There have
been some winners that have just kind of fizzled
over the years. Carrie Underwood was one of those
ones that just eclipsed it and then some and
became the benchmark for what people on these
shows strive to become. And she still is putting
out amazing music to this day. I was thinking
about some of the songs from her latest album,
but as soon as I heard the Before He Cheats kick
in, I'm like, I gotta go with it. It's just that
great of a song. So closing out Side A, Carrie
Underwood, Before He Cheats. I approve this message.
Well, in fact, she was so nervous to even record
the song that she asked permission from her mom.
She asked her mom, what do you think about this,
mom? Am I going to shine a bad light on me? She
was that worried. And that just pays homage to
her credit as a human being and the message that
she wants to portray to other female artists.
And with her mom going, heck yeah. cut the song,
you know? But it was just awesome that she thought
about it first, about what kind of message she's
putting out there and how her parents would see
her, you know, and her faith and everything.
So I give her massive kudos for that. And boy,
talk about skyrocketing. I mean, when Guns N'
Roses asks you to join them on stage to sing,
and I'll just say with all due respect, I am
a huge Guns N' Roses fan. Carrie annihilated
Axl on stage. She sounded so amazing. She could
do a straight up hairband rock album and just
murder it. And it would be amazing. I mean, if
you think back to when she was on American Idol,
she tackled alone by heart. Case closed. That
is not an easy song to sing. I've tried to sing
along with it. terribly on many occasions and
she just slayed it. So there you have it. Mixtapers
side a of our modern female country artists mixtape,
which kicked off with Laney Wilson's wildflowers
and wild horses, Morgan Wade's wilder days, Megan
Maroney's. I'm not pretty. Ellie King's out yonder.
Brandy Clark stripes, Ingrid Andrus, more hearts
than mine. Brandy Carlisle's the joke. Kelsey
ballerini's hole in the bottle. Ray Lynn's Keep
Up, and Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats.
Head over to myweeklymixtape .com to hear all
the songs we've discussed in this mix through
the playlist embedded on the episode page. Now,
Carrie, I'd like to take some time to dive into
some of your songs. So let's start with your
latest track, Just Like. Be the light in any
situation I see you time and time again Bringing
out your selflessness Show me what it means to
be more patient I was looking for a mirror image
But you got me seeing things all different On
first listen, I hear in this song a very memorable
groove. It immediately grabbed me. And you referred
to the track as a term that I've never heard
before. Disco country. So I have to ask, what
inspired you to write a song with such a unique
cross -genre approach? myself as an artist with
what I grew up listening to. So I grew up listening
to country music. I love country music, but I
also grew up listening to Motown and Donna Summers
and Lou Rawls and the Bee Gees and Diana Ross
and the Supremes and the Mamas and the Papas.
And that kind of music, those different genres
really resonated with me my whole life. And so
When I was working on Just Like with my co -writer,
Riley Roth, we had finished it and we thought,
oh, you know what? This is a beautiful walk down
the aisle song. And that was the tempo that we
had it going to. And as I was driving around
Nashville, I just kept feeling myself going.
And I'm like. oh, this is definitely not the
walking down the aisle like this. I mean, some
people do, right? Of course. I was like, no.
And I just started thinking, I'm like, no, you
know what? You need to dive into the kind of
person you really are. And I think it also helped
with Lainey, again, bringing it back up to side
A with Lainey Wilson coming out with Bell Bottom
Country. I was already kind of in the midst of
writing this. way, because of my showgirl album
that came out in 2022. There's a few songs in
there that have that like a little bit of a disco
backbeat, my song happy to me, for instance.
And so I was like, I'm just going to embrace
who I really am. And that's how I ended up coming
out just saying, you know what, I'm going to
be this disco cowgirl because that's who I am.
I love disco. I love country music. And I even
have a shirt that says disco cowgirl. So So when
you're in the studio producing this track, how
do you strike that balance to where the scale,
because this song, it never tips to where you
say, oh, this is leaning too heavy disco. This
is leaning too heavy country. You really struck
a balance with the instrumentation on the track.
How did you tell that story musically with the
producer on this song? So Scott Jarrow and I,
he is the gentleman that was helping me produce
the song. I was very adamant on when it came
to talking to musicians, especially the drummer.
I think the drummer and the bass player are the
two most important musicians in this style of
music. Because you can have keys doing something,
you can have guitar doing something, but if you
don't have... that backbeat with the drums and
the funk on the bass, what have you, it just
won't sound. And so with the drummer, I was talking
to him and he was doing a couple of things. And
I'm like, nope, that's just not what I'm hearing.
Like, I need to hear the hi -hat like this. I
need to hear the snare like this and hit these
accents. And he just kept doing it until I was
happy. And then, you know, and there was times
when I would bring up a song. I'm like, I think
we need to hit it more like this. And so they
listen, I'm like, ah, they're like, we get what
you're saying now. And then we would finesse
it from there. And so when I have something in
my head, when it comes to producing a song, I
just keep working at it until it hits the way
that I hear it. And sometimes, you know, I think
musicians get frustrated with me, but yet the
ones that really understand, they love it because
it's, it's pulling because they want to be able
to helped me succeed in the vision that i have
in my head and i was just working with some amazing
amazing musicians that scott had brought in for
me and scott and i had this great communication
talking back and forth on exactly how i wanted
to go and the exact instrumentation and making
it a nice fine balance where it wasn't over produced
and so yeah i just it was a conglomerate of the
musicians and scott and i working together and
my overall vision Well, you might have coined
a brand new phrase, disco country, that might
become the next thing in female country music.
I'm hoping so. There's not often where I hear
cross genres that I'm going, what? And when I
saw disco country, I'm like, okay, you have my
attention. Thank you. We'll wait till the next
single comes out. I'm looking forward to it.
But you did mention your 2022 album, Showgirl.
And I want to jump back to that for a second.
and play a track now called Just a Bar Thing.
But tonight it's just a bar thing, kicking back
and drinking. I could see it could lead to a
walk me to your car thing. Swinging on the front
porch, kissing behind closed doors. I don't see
no harm in starting just a bar thing. Now this
song gives me that flirty 90s country vibe. And
when I say 90s country, depending on the listener,
they might question where I'm coming from with
that. Because there was the Shania pop country,
but I'm hearing a little bit more of the Terry
Clark 90s country sound, which was definitely
much more rooted in country western music. And
I've always wondered, do you feel like the 90s
country sound is coming back? into music now
as it's all very cyclical, because I hear that
influence on the song, but don't get me wrong,
it sounds very much like a modern country song.
It could work in both decades, and that's not
an easy thing to pull off. Thank you for saying
that it also works in this decade. No. Yeah,
well, definitely. What I've been hearing the
last year or two from publishers when they're
looking for songs is, you know, they're definitely
wanting songs that are kind of throwback to 90,
but it has to have a current sound. And when
we talk about 90s country stuff that makes you
want to dance, get on the dance floor and, you
know, do some line dancing, but also lyrically
have some sort of substance. And I'm not sure
if like just a bar thing is really like. some
sort of substance that they're looking for, but
definitely one that makes you want to get out
and dance and has a story to it. It's flirty.
It's fun. I mean, sometimes that's all you need
in a song is that happiness and joy. Yeah. And
well, I definitely pulled from reality on that
song. I have to give credit to my dad for that.
He threw that line at me. There's just a bar
thing when he. Handed over his phone one night
to some random dude at the bar. And my dad was
showing this guy my picture. The guy just happened
to call me on my dad's phone in the middle of
the night and left a message about how good looking
I was. And he was in Nebraska at the time with
my dad. And he was from Spokane, Washington,
which is where I used to live. And he's like,
yeah, we'd make a really cute couple. So why
don't you give me a call sometime, sweetheart?
Okay, love you, bye. And I got freaked out and
just texting my dad. And I'm like, what are you
doing? And he's like, why, what'd he say? And
I'm like, well, he said all this, blah, blah,
blah. And my dad's like, oh, don't worry about
it, Carrie. It's just a bar thing. And I go,
I'm so mad at you, but I'm going to take what
you just said and I'm going to write a song about
it. So I ended up writing just a bar thing because
of that whole situation. That is such a cool
story. Thank you. The fun nature of that song
is woven all throughout the Showgirl album. When
you sit down to write an album like that, are
you thinking, because in this day and age, the
difference between the 90s and now, in this day
and age, people are, their attention span has
changed. And it's not so much the album anymore.
The album as a whole, the thought process is
more focused on a collection of singles. But
Showgirl, to me, feels like a statement as an
album, which is... rare and almost few and far
between now. So I'd like to know, is that something
you're cognizant of when you're going in to start
a project like Showgirl? I'm always thinking
of a complete set. And I think that's just because
that's just the way that my brain's been ever
since I started doing music. I have a lot of
different albums over the years that I have put
out. And when I started working on my Showgirl
album, it was along the lines of, I want my listeners
to me as a creative and so like with just a bar
thing it's a fun flirty thing but I also have
on there what is love which is definitely like
a more reggae pop and then there's road by road
which is straight across the board Americana
talking about past lives and reincarnation and
all this stuff and so I just I really needed
To have my listeners know that I'm just not a
straight down the middle country person. And
they love it. As far as I know, they do. Love
it enough that I was able to put it out on vinyl
and CD. So that's a great thing. Of course. And
do you feel like in this modern day and age in
music that the country music scene. Is more adaptable.
To be able to have country artists branch out.
And explore different things. Because when I
think about country radio in the 90s. There was
almost a. I don't want to use the word monotonous.
Because that's not the word I'm looking for.
But there was a sound that you got on country
radio in the 90s. And country radio in 2024.
Really is just an entire spectrum. Where country
music went from being the subcategory to being
the category on top where everything branches
from, the way rock music did, where everything
kind of branched from rock. Country is now doing
the same thing. And do you feel like that's an
advantage for artists such as yourself? Oh, absolutely.
When you were talking about 90s country, I was
thinking cookie cutter, kind of like neighborhoods,
right? Where you had what worked. And you just
repeat what works. And now, especially with streaming
and people wanting to find different sounds,
it really gives us the creativity to really cross
-blend genres and be true to ourselves, really.
And how we all listen and how we absorb music.
And it's true with the way pop music goes. I
was just thinking about it. a couple weeks ago
if you listen to 80s rock right about 1986 is
when if you're listening your list you're thinking
man 80s pop does a massive shift because it was
kind of like an 80s rock sort of speak but then
you have like def leppard and then you have tiffany
or debbie gibson you know And there are two totally
different extremes, but they were both working
in pop music. And even though some people would
say like, well, Def Leppard was rock music, they're
still being played right next to each other where
it wasn't really divided going, well, this is
rock and this is pop. It just was, you know,
because it wasn't country. And so they had to
be put into that pop category. And if you listen
to 80s on 8, you know, on Sirius XM. You will
hear the whole gamut depending on what year they're
playing. And it's just, it's really funny just
to hear how massively music and pop music has
changed from 1980 to 1989 and getting right on
that cusp of 1989, where now it's like, oh, we're
now hitting into kind of like hip hop, you know,
and everybody's going to jump, jump, you know.
And this is the same holds true for country music.
I'm really glad that country is actually able
to expand and bring multiple genres into country
music. Well, now we're going to flip over our
cassette and begin side B. And you know what?
Ever since you mentioned Ray Lynn's Keep Up,
I have had this song in my head because I explained
to you at the end of the side, it's the song
that introduced me to Ray Lynn, but I'm going
to go with the original. Back to 2011's Hell
on Heels, Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, Angelina
Presley, Pistol Annies. This is a female power
country trio of epic proportions. We are talking
about three singers who can and have done just
fine on their own. But when they come together,
it's a super group at the level of the high women.
And I'm sorry, but when I think of. Female country
trios. There's only two that come to mind. And
it's the Chicks and Pistolannies. And actually,
God, Shadazie. But I think that's 90s. I think
Shadazie was 90s. I love Shadazie. And they are.
They're 90s. I know. So, I mean, like, they were
one of my favorites when I did my country radio
show, Little Goodbyes. Oh, my God. I could play
that song a million times over. I loved it. But
Hell on Heels just has that awesome vibe to kick
off a side to get the energy going. And I would
be remiss if I did not mention Patreon mixtaper
David Owens, who did chime in with Miranda Lambert
at the top of the show. But remember, she's still
on the table because of the fact that she's one
third of Pistol Annie's. So there might still
be some time for Miranda, but I'm going to kick
things off on side B with Hell on Heels. Perfect.
Well, darn it. I wish you hadn't mentioned them
because now I have to mark them off my list.
I scooped you. Sorry about that. That's okay.
Because when you talked about the high women,
I think instead of putting out a song that has
to do with the high women, which the album is
amazing. It came out in 2019. Absolutely love
it. I think I'm going to shift gears and talk
about one particular person off the high women
album since we already spoke about Brandi Carlile.
But I think I'm going to shift gears and go to
Maren Morris. And with Maren, you know, she's
kind of wanting to get out of country music.
I think she'll always be country, even though
there's a lot of pop in her too. But she helped
pave the way for new female country artists,
even though she's relatively, I don't want to
say she's relatively new in the country market
world, but she blew up. because her voice is
so undeniable and her range is so amazing. And
I'm like, like my church and I could use a love
song. Those are just fantastic stories. And so
many people can relate to my church, just being
out on the road and trying to find what makes
you grounded. What's your center, you know, and
just trying to make it to where it's not everybody
is religious, but everybody. can agree on finding
something that makes you just feel at home. And
I'm just going to have to go with My Church with
Maren Morris on our next song. Oh, I love and
hate the fact that you picked it because you
totally scooped me on the artist and the song.
I didn't know if I was going to go with My Church
or Circles Around This Town from 2022's Humble
Quest. I was literally teetering on it. So you
made the decision for me. Can I get a hallelujah?
Can I get an amen? To me, that is a perfect country
road trip song. You are taking the sanctity and
sanctuary of a church and putting it into a road
trip. And for me, growing up. My weekly mixtape
came from the fact that when I was a kid, I would
always make mixtapes. And when my parents would
go on road trips, when we'd go on vacation down
to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, that was
a 13 -hour drive. I would have to make hours
and hours and hours and hours of cassette tape
mixes, which took months of work. I mean, really,
months of work. And sitting in the car listening
to music and being on the road was just a feeling
that always put me at peace. And hearing it in
2016 when she first released Hero truly resonated
with me because she was explaining what I felt
through the lyrics of that song. So I knew immediately
she would be massive. And then you take the stuff
that she did with Sheryl Crow when she did Prove
You Wrong with Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks.
And she stayed at that level. And that was such
an amazing track. Love the song. Love the pick.
Hallelujah. Amen. Love it. Well, not only that,
I mean, you think about the story and I don't
want to get too deep into the story with the
song, The Middle. Like that song was shopped
around to find the right demo singer. And I mean,
and like Demi Lovato cut it even. And Demi's
voice just wasn't right for what the co -writers
or what the writers were longing to hear. And
then when Maren did it for them, that's what
I was like, yes. We finally found somebody that
can deliver the song the way we want it to. And
then she ended up just cutting it. So, I mean,
that just in itself speaks for how much of an
amazing singer she is. Couldn't agree more. And
I'm going to follow it up with somebody who I
think is cut from similar cloth, but definitely
leaning a little bit more towards the pop side
of things. But this was one of my favorite songs
from 2023. Spoiler alert, it actually made our
Songs of 2023 episode. And I'm going to go off
the album 20 -something. And I'm going to go
with Alana Springsteen featuring Chris Stapleton,
Ghost in My Guitar. This song weaves the pop
sensibilities that Alana brings to her style
of country music. But then you overlay this haunting
guitar line from Chris Stapleton. And the two
marry together in perfect harmony. ahem harmony
but chris never sings on this track he's just
there playing guitar but his guitar work really
makes this a beautifully memorable track and
i think could be a launching point for alana
in 2024 because i still listen to this song as
much as i did when i first heard it it's still
in heavy rotation for me right now and i feel
like she could be part of the future Of country
music. If she continues down this path. Of really
bridging the pop. Country sensibility. Because
she nailed it in this song. Yeah I'm really glad
that you brought her in. To the mixtape. When
I first heard of her. I was like. Springsteen.
That automatically caught my attention. And I'll
be honest. At first I'm like. I don't even care
what she sounds like. She has the last name Springsteen.
She's got to be good. But I, because Bruce Springsteen,
not, I mean, I'm not talking about Bruce right
now, but he is one of the reasons I even got
into the music business. I bought my first cassette
tape. Wait, wait, wait, time out. I have to ask,
was your first cassette tape born in the USA?
It was. Oh my God. Hand to God, strike me dead
by lightning. First Christmas, I got two cassette
tapes, born in the USA and Michael Jackson's
Thriller. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yep. I remember my
friend had a Michael Jackson thriller poster
on her wall. And that's when I think about that
timeframe in my life. I remember sitting on the
front porch, listening to Bruce Springsteen with
my new Walkman and that picture of Michael Jackson.
Well, I will say there is no relation between
Alana and Bruce. However, there must be something
in the name. Yeah. She's going to be huge. All
right. Well, we're back to you for track four.
What are you going to follow up Ghost in My Guitar
with? Okay. Ghost in My Guitar. We're going to
have to, I was going to do somebody, but I'm
changing my mind now just because you said Ghost
in My Guitar. I think now's the perfect time
to, let's just bring in Taylor. Let's do it.
We're going to bring Taylor Swift in now. Who
is this Taylor Swift you speak of? It's a guitar,
Taylor guitar. The only person who just swept
14 Grammys last night. Insane. Yeah. I'm so incredibly
happy for her. I have to say that anybody that
I see that knocks Taylor doesn't know Taylor.
They haven't heard her music. They don't know
her work ethic. They don't know her behind the
scenes. They don't know all the garbage she has
to do. They don't know how incredibly talented
she is. And it's just, I'm not going to go down
that ramp right now, but we're going to bring
Taylor into this picture. The problem is trying
to figure out which song. Oh, right now, Lover
is sticking out in my head. So maybe we'll just
do, maybe we'll do Lover, you know? Or we could
do Carnaghan. That's such a great song. Do you
ever have a problem trying to pick out a favorite
Taylor song? I will say this. You just picked
two of them. That's for certain. And I also had
You Belong With Me on my list. And if you want
to go all the way back, you can go with Picture
to Burn. I mean, honestly, you can take any,
ahem, era of Taylor Swift and it would work well
in this mixtape. I think Lover was such an unusual.
song for her to come out with it just threw us
all for a loop and i was like wow this is like
a new sound it was completely different than
the album that she had just put out and so lover
i still see the pink and the blue right now so
let's stick with that one well i'm just gonna
say that Taylor Swift is playing chess while
the rest of the world is playing checkers because
she came out on stage to accept an award for
Midnight's and announced her new album in a couple
of months. I mean, that is just a chess level
move right there. And I have two girls who are
obsessed with Taylor Swift. I took the girls
to see the Eras movie. Unfortunately, I was not
able to secure tickets to an actual Eras tour
show. But my oldest said to me. You're not going
to know all the songs tonight, but I want to
know which ones were your favorites at the end
of the show. And the three that I resonated with
the most were Cruel Summer, Betty, and Lover.
So I am so glad you picked that one because to
me, it has this almost, as I said to my daughter,
a 1950s style of doo -wop. Mixed with a little
bit of country and a modern pop sense. It was
really creative, really unique. And I think it's
songs like lover that truly prove that Taylor
Swift is an incredible songwriter. I think most
people see her as the pop icon, not realizing
that there is a lot of thought that goes into
these tracks because. Lover doesn't sound like
anything out there. And I think it's the perfect
choice for this mix. Thank you. And you hit the
nail on the head when you're talking about kind
of like a 1950s, 60s sound. And I think that's
probably why I resonated with it so much as well
with my love of Motown and soul music and everything
that that's exactly it. So, yeah, thank you.
Thank you for agreeing with the lover. Oh, yeah.
Well, coming out of that, though. Like, how do
you top or how do you continue the vibe of Taylor
Swift? And I'm going to go with an artist that
I've seen live a couple of times that has blown
my mind every time I've seen her perform. And
she is not a country artist per se, but due to
her style of music, she has swayed in and out
of country over the years with different collaborations.
Namely, Kenny Chesney being the biggest of all
of them. I'm going to go with Grace Potter. And
I was torn between two songs. I was debating
going with a cover song because in 2012, she
performed at the Love for Levon benefit in New
Jersey at the Izod Center. And she did a cover
of the band's I Shall Be Released. I was there
with my father. And when the song was over, there
was like this long pause before. the cheers started
because everyone was, their jaws were on the
ground and the crowd needed a minute to collect
themselves because she was actually crying as
she delivered the last line of the song. Just
unbelievable performance. My father turned to
me and said, I've seen Jimi Hendrix perform.
I've never seen anything like that in my life.
And it was just a mind -blowing performance.
But that one is a little bit more on the classic
rock side of things. So I'm going to go with
a song she did. On her 2012 deluxe edition of
her album, The Lion, The Beast and The Beat.
And it's a duet with Kenny Chesney. There's two
versions of the song on the album. I'm going
to go with the country version. I'm going to
go with Stars. Make no mistake. She's not a country
artist per se. But she was able to zig and zag
into the genre. And Stars is a stunning country
song. And I think Kenny Chesney actually elevates.
This version from the original, just because
of the harmonies he brings to the fold, because
the song is beautiful regardless. But when there's
the vocal harmonies at the end, it just rips
my heart out and shows it to me. And it's just
so beautiful and so powerful. And I've seen so
many people try to sing this song on different
shows, American Idol, The Voice, and none of
them reached the level of Grace. So I got to
put Grace Potter into the mix here. Now, Sam,
I thought that you were going to put You and
Tequila. That was the other one. But I decided
to go with Stars because You and Tequila was
technically a Kenny Chesney song where she guested.
So I kind of wanted to keep this putting the
female name in front from her album. So tough
decision. I could have went either way. I am
going with you on that one. I agree with you.
Yeah. With it being a Kenny song and her just
being a special guest appearance, I think you
made the right decision. I'd love for the two
of them to do an entire album together, but I
digress. That would be amazing. I'd love to hear
it. But now we're back to you for track six.
We're going heavy hitters here now. We are. You
know, there are two females that I definitely
want to make sure that are on the mixtape before
we end. So I'm going to bring in Miranda now.
And I think, you know, she did the Marfa tapes.
And then some of the songs that are off the Marfa
tapes, she put onto another album. And one song
that really resonates with me is If I Was a Cowboy.
Just lyrically, it's so beautiful. You envision
being a cowboy and just the presentation music
-wise, you just feel like you're seeing sunsets.
You feel like you're out in the open range. You
feel powerful in a sense of being a woman and
wanting to be that cowgirl in that moment. And
it's just, it's such a great song. And I don't
know, I think, especially when I'm doing shows
for rodeos, that song just hits me. And I'm like,
I am full blown cowgirl right now. You know,
like, I don't have to say if I was, if I was
a cowboy, because I'm a cowgirl right now, you
know, so definitely Miranda right now. I mean,
Palomino is an amazing album. And I think once
again, kind of like what you were saying with
Taylor Swift, she writes these songs and she
is an amazing songwriter. I know everybody hears
her voice and that is what really grabs you,
but she is also writing these tunes as well.
And then the fact that she features the B -52s
on the same album. Yeah. What is happening? Like
it just works so, so well. If I was a Cowboy,
it's probably my favorite song on the album.
But Music City Queen, it's tough because the
B -52s are just so much fun and they bring me
back to my middle school dances. It's hard to
not pick that song as well. And obviously, David
Owens, Patreon, Mixtaper brought her up. We can't
not talk Miranda Lambert in this episode. And
the fact that she made it twice with Pistol Annies
is a nice little asterisk because she deserves
to be here. And I think following that up, I'm
going to go with somebody else who definitely
deserves to be here. But I feel like something
we haven't done a lot on this mixtape is go a
little deeper into the Americana folky side of
things. We did it a little bit on Side A, and
I want to bring it in here as well. And I'm going
to go back to 2013 for this one. And this was
a song. That was written by Shane McAnally and
Joan Osborne. The latter 90s rock fans will remember
from that smash hit, One of Us, that Dr. Evil
sang in one of the Austin Powers movies. But
I digress. I'm going to go with Kacey Musgraves'
Merry -Go -Round. Just a beautiful folk rock
song with contrastingly cynical lyrics. So there's
this beautiful melody. with this biting story
that is literally oil and water. And they're
not supposed to mix, but it just is the perfect
concoction. I mean, this song is just unbelievable.
And this is somebody that you shared the stage
with. I did. I did. In fact, she was on her merry
-go -round tour. Yeah. Thank you for saying that
and recognizing that. It was in Portland, Oregon.
When I got to share the stage with her, it was
pretty fantastic. Like I said, it was her first
single that was out, and she was out on the road
promoting it. So since you saw her kind of at
the onset of her career, did you know, seeing
her live, that she had that if factor that was
going to make her the musician that we all know
today? For me personally, I did. I did, especially
because I'm from a small town in Nebraska. I
could definitely put myself in that kind of situation
where I'm like, oh yeah, that, that is my brother
actually smoking weed down, you know? And how
did she know that my, yeah, Mary is a true person.
Let's okay. Nevermind. Moving on. It's a poetic
song, very smartly written and very biting and
very scathing, but there's this beautiful melody
and the two just work so well together. So Mary
go round. Perfect. Yeah. I'm glad that you brought
Casey into the mixtape, even if it's on side
B, because I would have felt really bad if she
didn't make it on the list. I hate to say it,
but you're going to wake up tomorrow and you're
going to go, wait a minute, I forgot. And I do
it every time. It happens. It happens. I know.
I used to do this women of country music and
their first number one hits and do it out on
the road. And that was so much fun, but I would
do it from like. decades, like 50s, 60s, 70s,
80s, 90s to today. And you can't hit all the
female artists. I mean, it made it a little easier
for me saying if they had a number one, I would
do their first number one. So that made it a
little better. And I know it's not this decade,
modern country, but I do have to give homage
to Barbara Mandrell because she is literally
what got me into the music business as far as
being a female country artist. And just her voice,
her stage presence, her instrumentation that
her and her sisters had, played so many instruments.
She played pedal steel at the age of five. Like,
that's unbelievable. It's insane. And so with
that being said, Barbara Mandrell was my first
female influence in country music. And my second
female influencer with stage presence, with voice,
with choosing songs was Reba. And so I want to
make sure Reba gets on our mixtape. And I was
trying to debate on what song, but I think we
just have to go with Fancy. And I was thinking,
well, I can go back to the 80s with Reba and
do like Kathy's Clown or whoever's in New England.
But I think we will just stick with the one that
skyrocketed her into every household in the country
music world, which was Fancy. And heck. You know,
when I in the late 90s and I was very young,
but I had a six foot Reba in my bedroom. I did.
I had a cut out six foot Reba and she was my
inspiration and I wanted to be just like her.
And so I give many, many thanks to Reba as far
as what I do on stage and my stage performance
and how I talk to the audience. It's all Reba.
Reba is a national treasure. I mean, I can't
even begin to say how influential she is on female
country artists. Obviously, with her being on
The Voice right now, it's almost getting a resurgence.
But I feel like there were so many times over
the last several decades, if you see him, if
you see her with Brooks and Dunn, I'm a survivor,
seven minutes in heaven, turn on the radio. She
even did an amazing cover because I know you
like dance music and Motown. She does an amazing,
fun dance version of You Keep Me Hanging On,
which I used to play on my radio show all the
time. So there's a little bit of the dance country
for you. Love the pic. Absolutely love it. Thank
you. And that's really tough to follow up because
these are big, big names. And I am torn right
now because. We haven't talked about the chicks
yet. I want to, but there's one other artist
that has a song from 2023 that I feel like I
need to include. So. How many more do we have?
We each have one pick left. Oh, no. Yes. Oh,
no. This is where it gets ridiculous because
I want to. So I'm going to give a shout out to
the chicks right now because they're amazing.
They're my wife's favorite group. I took her
to Madison Square Garden to see the chicks on
the Top of the World Tour. And holy crap, they
put on such an amazing show. But God, when we're
talking modern country, 2023 was such a great
year for this singer. And hell, there's hell
everywhere I go. I'm just sticking with the devil
I know, Ashley McBride. This song just slays.
I'm a rock guy at heart. And she... Brought the
heft and the heavy guitars to country music effortlessly.
And when she was discussing the album, I'm going
to read a quote here. She said people were saying
to her, y 'all are too country. So we leaned
into that more country. It is. Y 'all are awfully
rock leaning for a country artist. Is that so?
You ain't seen nothing yet. Last thing y 'all
need is another tender finger picking song. Oh,
tender makes you uneasy. Cowboy. I hear you.
Let's see how much more tender we can be. We
listened to all those opinions and said, I hear
you. I understand what you're saying, but sadly
there's no room on the record for your opinion.
We'll do what we want. And that's exactly what
she did. The devil, you know, is a monster track.
And as my last song of the night, that's the
one I'm going to throw in at track nine. I'm
so glad that you. chose Ashley because now I
can mark her off my list, but that still, I feel,
oh man. No, you know what? I really want to talk
about Carly Pierce, but I feel, okay, I wish
I could give a shout out to Carly Pierce. I wish
I could talk about Maddie and Tay. I wish I could
talk about Caitlin Smith. Remember, there's always
room on volume two. There is. You know what?
I'm going to go with Mickey Guyton. I'm going
with Mickey Guyton. She is the first black female
solo artist to be nominated for a country Grammy.
Black female artists are starting to get recognition
in the country market. And she is such a wonderful
human being. And the song that I think the song
that I want to play is, what are you going to
tell her? That resonates for all the women of
color. It resonates with any female in general.
And I know it's a really heavy song, but I think,
and you know, you never want to end a playlist
on a heavy song, but. We didn't get her in any
earlier. And I think she deserves to be on the
mixtape. So we have to. We have to close it out
with the next mover and shaker as far as a female
country artist goes. I'm so glad you chose her.
I discovered her back in 2021. I am a rock guy
as well. And Metallica put out an album called
The Metallica Blacklist. And it featured covers
of all the songs from the Black album. And she
did a version of Nothing Else Matters on that
album that just blew my mind. And I am so glad
that she's being included in this list because
she is definitely the future of country music.
The fact that we're at a point in 2024 where
musically country music can expand and bring
in artists like Mickey with such a unique statement
and style to her voice and the way she can weave
in a Metallica song and still keep that country
sound. And I'm not going to lie, you're 100 %
right. What are you going to tell her is a ridiculously
heavy song to close with. But I think it absolutely
works because you're coming out of Ashley McBride's
The Devil You Know, which is a heavy musical
song. And what are you going to tell her is a
heavy song only thematically? Exactly. And there
you have it, mixtapers. Side B of our ultimate
modern female country artist mixtape, which kicked
off with Pistol Annie's Hell on Heels, Maren
Morris' My Church, Alana Springsteen with Chris
Stapleton, Ghost in My Guitar, Taylor Swift's
Lover, Grace Potter's Stars with Kenny Chesney,
Miranda Lambert's If I Was a Cowboy, Kacey Musgraves'
Merry Go Round, Reba McEntire's Fancy, Ashley
McBride's The Devil I Know, and Mickey Guyton's
What Are You Gonna Tell Her, head over to myweeklymixtape
.com to hear all the songs we've discussed in
this mix through the playlist embedded on the
episode page. I'm looking at both sides of this
mixtape, Carrie. I think we've made a strong
case for the fact that female country music is
alive and well in 2024. I'm hoping so. And if
people don't think so, then they need to start
listening to more of your playlists and start
doing their research because there's so much
great female talent out there. And it just, we're
doing our part, right? You certainly are. And
as part of that amazing female country music
scene, what does the rest of 2024 have in store
for you? You did tease a fact that there is possibly
some more disco country coming our way. What
can fans expect in 2024? Yes, I will be coming
out with some more singles. I'm thinking I'm
going to end up putting out a whole album that's
kind of along those lines. But definitely in
the next few months, I will be having another
single come out. I'm not sure if I want to tell
you what the single's called or if I should just
wait. Do tell, do tell. Okay, okay. Well, the
next single that's coming out in the next couple
of months is called Habit. And it's along the
lines of Just Like, but a little bit more in
your face. Like, Just Like was kind of like the
sweetness of it. Habit's going to be a little
bit more edgy. And I'm doing some shows. throughout
the Northwest. And I have a lot of, a lot of
writing retreats I'm going to be on. I'm also
a side note, you know, I'm also a benefit auctioneer
because I love helping people. And so I got some
auctions that I'm working on. And other than
that, I'm just enjoying life and I'm just going
to keep putting out music and improve my craft
because you keep improving yourself until you
die. I mean, plain and simple, because if you
don't, then. You're boring. You've got to just
keep improving yourself. So that's what I'm going
to be doing. Carrie, this has been an absolute
pleasure. First off, I hope you have a wonderful
birthday. Thank you so much for joining me on
my weekly mixtape. And I hope to have you back
sometime down the road. Absolutely. Thank you
so much for having me. And I hope everybody loves
our mixtape. And remember, Mixtapers, you can
find My Weekly Mixtape on all the social media
haunts at My Weekly Mixtape. You can also head
to MyWeeklyMixtape .com to check out the full
catalog of My Weekly Mixtape episodes. And if
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can help me out by either telling a friend, leaving
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That's all for this week. Thanks again for listening.
And until next time. Enjoy the tunes.