#76 - Country's Cool Again 🌞

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! Last week’s Super Bowl had more music news than the GRAMMYs: Usher showcased his iconic status during Halftime with a little help from Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Ludacris, and Lil Jon. J. Lo had the perfect commercial featuring Jack Harlow and The DunKings to hype up her new album. Lastly, we’re voting for BOTUS this election year as Queen Bey announces a new album that is officially set to be released as a country album. We’ve been ready for this era since “Daddy Lessons.”

Rating Rationale: Amidst much controversy, ¥$ (Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign) have finally released their first volume of Vultures, which is expected to debut at #1 on the charts next week. While it’s difficult to separate Kanye the person from the artist, we want to acknowledge that as the artist, his production is still strong with this album. There are times of brilliance: the perfectly fused influence between Ye and Ty on a song like “STARS,” enlisting the Inter Milan fan club to chant the hook of “CARNIVAL,” and even working with James Blake to integrate a sample of the Wilkes-Barre Area High School cheer squad chant in “TALKING.” But, throughout the album, there are also times of questionable lyricism. The album itself is enigmatic and chaotic, somewhat reflective of Ye’s current life juncture, so we suggest listening to it with an open mind. His feelings have always been reflected in his music, and this album serves as a window into the turmoil surrounding him. Also, does anyone else think the intro of “PROBLEMATIC” is introducing the epilogue of “Bound 2?”

Beyoncé releases two songs, upcoming album will be country-themed

After Beyoncé’s curious cameo on the “Breaking Verizon” commercial aired during the third quarter of the Super Bowl, she surprised the Beyhive with two new songs, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” and “16 CARRIAGES,” and announced that her second act of Renaissance would be released on March 29th. Since then, Sony revealed that the album was officially registered as a country album, resulting in an eruption of controversy surrounding certain radio stations refusing to play Beyoncé’s songs, a reprehensible action in our opinion; We’re eager to see more diversity in this genre and believe it’s on the rise, with more recent artists like The War and Treaty, BRELAND, and Brittney Spencer paving the way.

Mavis Staples’ 85th Birthday and Fool in Love’s Inaugural Lineup

Mavis Staples is celebrating her 85th birthday in style by hosting an all-star birthday concert in Los Angeles with an incredible lineup that includes Black Pumas, Chris Stapleton, Grace Potter, Hozier, Jackson Browne, Norah Jones, Nathaniel Rateliff, The War and Treaty, and others.

If you’re an old soul staying in Los Angeles through the summer, you can catch the inaugural Fool In Love music festival dedicated to retro soul and R&B. The lineup is one of the best this year featuring legendary artists like Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Santana, Al Green, The Isley Brothers, Chaka Khan, Smokey Robinson, Durand Jones & The Indications.

Kameron Marlowe

Primer: Back-to-back weeks of North Carolina rising stars, but this week, we’re going country. Kameron Marlowe began sharing cover videos on YouTube when a talent scout discovered him and brought him on as a contestant for season 15 of The Voice. Although he was eliminated in the Live Playoffs, he already had his sights set on Nashville, releasing a debut single that became a catalyst for his signing with Sony Music. Since then, he’s toured with Dierks Bentley, played CMA Fest, and dropped his debut album, We Were Cowboys.

Genre: Country

Influences: Brooks & Dunn, George Strait, Ray Charles, Travis Tritt

Current Label: Sony Music Nashville

Audience: 3.26 million listeners on Spotify

What’s Next: Kameron is set to wrap up his I Can Lie Tour in the next few weeks, with one month of downtime before he kicks off his Strangers Tour in April named after his latest single and duet with fellow rising country star, Ella Langley, “Strangers.”

🔊 Every Noise at Once: If you’ve never been to the encyclopedic music genre site, Every Noise at Once, click on the link to check it out. Amazing, right? It’s a treasure trove of information, but the data scientist responsible for this site will no longer be able to make updates due to recently being laid off by Spotify. It’s a sad update for all audiophiles.

Spotify 🤝 Bandsintown: Bye-bye Songkick, hello Bandsintown. Spotify has integrated with Bandsintown to improve live music discovery on the streaming platform.

📹 Short Music Videos: As a user, you can now integrate official music videos on YouTube into your Shorts.

🌐 Web3 Updates: Sound released genre-specific “Channels.”

🫥 Year of Efficiency: This has been the motto for many companies over the past year as part of the economic downturn. These effects are increasingly being felt by music companies this year, with SiriusXM as the latest company with layoffs, affecting 160 employees.

🏙️ Middle East Music City: Universal Music Group is partnering with DGMC (Dubai Global Music City) to create a “Music City” in the UAE, another indicator of rapid interest in bringing music experiences to the Middle East.

💰 Securing the Bag: GoDigital has invested $250 million into its subsidiary, Cinq Music, to continue growing its indie record label, distribution, and publishing operations. Iconic Artists Group has raised $1 billion from HPS Investment Partners while concurrently purchasing Rod Stewart’s catalog for $100 million. Music financing platform, Duetti, raised $90 million via mixed equity and credit financing to grow Duetti’s catalog acquisitions. Indie music promotion platform, Groover, raised an $8 million Series A led by OneRagtime to expand their promotion and marketing tooling and career development resources.

Toby Keith posthumously tops charts, Teddy Swims and Benson Boone continue strong start

📈 Toby Keith’s 35 Biggest Hits has posthumously returned to #1 while also making history as the first artist with 9 of the top 10 biggest hits on the Country Digital Song Sales chart, breaking the previous record set by Taylor Swift. Separately, Teddy Swims and Benson Boone continue to compete for the biggest breakout hit as both of their respective singles climb to the top 3 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Jennifer Lopez announces a world tour, Pearl Jam will be releasing a new album in April

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

🚨 Surprise Drops: On Valentine’s Day, Caroline Polachek released a deluxe version of her album, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You: Everasking Edition, featuring four new songs. Kim Petras dropped a surprise EP this week, Slut Pop Miami. On Thursday, Lainey Wilson dropped the debut single from her next era (and the namesake of this week’s edition), “Country’s Cool Again.”

📣 Album Announcements: Shakira will be releasing her first album in seven years, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, on March 22nd. Vampire Weekend announces their fifth studio album, Only God Was Above Us, will be released on April 5, and shared two leading singles called, “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops.” Pearl Jam will be releasing their 12th album, Dark Matter, in April.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week: 

1. MGMT, Loss Of Life

2. Real Estate, Daniel

3. Allie X, Girl With No Face

4. Mick Mars, The Other Side Of Mars

The Merch Table

• 🤘 Motley Crue has announced new action figures inspired by their iconic album Shout at the Devil, featuring detailed replicas of the band members in their signature stage outfits.

• 👟 Megan Thee Stallion has released a Nike training collection, featuring athletic wear designed for women, showcasing her commitment to empowering her fans through fitness and fashion.

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See ya next Sunday 😎

Donya and Chris