8 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Charles Wesley Godwin, Dan + Shay, Darius Rucker & More

Jessica Nicholson
·4 min read
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This week’s mix of new music includes good-time tracks from Dan + Shay and Darius Rucker, an ode to booze-fueled partying from Priscilla Block, while Charles Wesley Godwin previews his upcoming album with a determination-fueled, family-oriented ballad. Bluegrasser Caroline Owens brings an easygoing grace to leaving love behind.

Charles Wesley Godwin, “All Again”

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Godwin’s Appalachian roots and unvarnished, country-folk sound has gained traction over the past few years, thanks to his albums including 2019’s Seneca and 2021’s How the Mighty Fall, in addition to a performance slot opening for Zach Bryan. On “All Again,” passion, determination and defiance mingle as he turns his focus inward, crafting songs about his family. “Times are gettin’ hard, good is getting rare,” he sings in raw-throated acknowledgement of his family’s trials.

Yet, he’s willing to let the naysayers talk, while he and his family are building the life of their dreams. Godwin’s vocals are met and soothed by tender, dynamic fiddle. “All Again” is part of a four-song sampling — which includes other top-shelf songs such as “Family Ties” — of Godwin’s upcoming 19-song album Family Ties, due Sept. 22 on Big Loud Records.

Dan + Shay, “Always Gonna Be”

Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney have been known for dramatic, smooth pop ballads and rafter-ringing vocals. But this relaxed, sunny track is the soundtrack to rural communities, weekend football tailgate parties, and young lovers dreaming of growing old together. Their signature harmonies still reside on the sinewy, pop side of country, but this fiddle-drenched track recalls the duo’s earlier releases. “Always Gonna Be” previews the duo’s upcoming album, Bigger Houses, out Sept. 15.

Darius Rucker, “Have a Good Time”

The golden-throated Rucker launched his country career with a pair of mid-tempo ballads, “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” and “It Won’t Be Like This For Long,” and later on, the gorgeous “If I Told You.” That said, he also notched one of his career’s biggest hits with his charming rendition of the Old Crow Medicine Show classic “Wagon Wheel.” Of late, Rucker has issued a string of happy-go-lucky, uptempo tracks such as “Beers and Sunshine.” This exuberant track launches with a fiddle/guitar intro reminiscent of “Wagon Wheel,” while the song itself raises a beer to fighting through life’s low times and relishing the joyous ones. The song previews Rucker’s upcoming album, Carolyn’s Boy (out Oct. 6).

Caroline Owens, “No More Blue Moons in Kentucky”

This two-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) momentum vocalist nominee issues her latest single, with Darin & Brooke Aldridge joining in on harmonies. Owens’s voice has an easy grace, backed by Darin Aldridge on mandolin and rhythm guitar, Bryan McDowell’s fiddles and Tim Surrett’s bass. The song concludes with Owens showcasing her voice’s agility, shifting from sweet, whispery tones to a powerfully piercing vocal that drives home the song’s sense of wanderlust.

Wynn Williams, “All Over Me”

This former rodeo cowboy issued his first album back in 2017, and has steadily been building his audience. His latest release out of the chute acknowledges the heavy influence of Texan titans such as George Strait, marked by Williams’s suave vocal over a fiddle-charged melody. He muses how his lover has left an imprint on his face, on his mind and in his heart. “All Over Me” is included in Williams’ recent five-song album Your Love.

Dylan Gossett, “Coal”

This acoustic track puts Texan Gossett’s poetic songwriting and grainy, weathered voice at the forefront, as he contemplates the emotional weight of alienation. “They say pressure makes diamonds/ How the hell am I still coal?” he sings, also musing, “Love is tough/ Loneliness is twice as hard.” He’s gaining traction on TikTok, and his releases “Coal” and “To Be Free” position Gossett as a formidable, heart-on-his-sleeve singer-songwriter with immense potential.

John Morgan, “Cold Summer in San Antone”

It’s sweltering in Texas, but you’d never know it, judging by the cold, stark reality that surrounds him now that his lover has left him lonely. Morgan has written songs recorded by Jon Pardi and Jason Aldean, but on his latest release, the North Carolina native brings his own brand of twang. Thematically, Morgan’s latest feels somewhat reminiscent of Mark Chesnutt’s “Too Cold at Home,” but sonically, Morgan constructs a traditional-modern hybrid, imbuing a ’90s country influence with vocals that suggest a little influence from Morgan Wallen.

Priscilla Block, “Fake Names”

Block follows her hit collaboration with Justin Moore (the sultry “You, Me & Whiskey”) by offering up this party anthem. She and her girlfriends conjure up some fake names (“Black-ed out Brittney,” “Hurricane Hayley”) as they head out on the town for a night of guilt-free, slightly unhinged antics. Block wrote this sassy, ’80s-inflected bopper with Alysa Vanderheym, Summer Overstreet and Audra Mae.

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