Here are this week’s five songs worth listening to.

Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen–AM/FM

I featured Texas country buddies Randy Rogers and Waden Bowen a while back with Rodeo Clown. Well, here is another one off of their new album, Hold My Beer, Vol. 2. While Rodeo Clown was a fun gimmick, this is my favorite track off the album. It’s good blacktop cruising music.

Gretchen Peters–The Sailor

Nashville veteran Gretchen Peters has a new album out covering a slew of Mickey Newbury songs. The opening track is the piano ballad The Sailor, a slow-driving run that will leave you melting away in a dark room. This one fits Gretchen perfectly.

Turnin’ at the gang plank
He looked me in the eye
He said learn to read the truth son
That lies between these lines

Chika–Industry Games

Chika first showed up on my radar back in February with an appearance on Tiny Desk. Industry Games came out shortly after. At just seven tracks, it is fast and furious, and is one of the best albums of the year in my spreadsheet right now. This album is an upgrade from Lizzo. I look forward to hearing more from the 22-year-old Alabama-born rapper.

Zach Aaron–Potato Salad

There was a time in my life where I despised speak-singing. I have no idea how that hate would turn into downright appreciate with a couple of decades, but here we are. Potato Salad is as much a story as it is a song. And that’s okay. Fill Dirt Wanted is the third album from Aaron, an oil-rig hand turned performer. This one is a callback to Guthrie you would expect from a folk spoken song type, with a little more tongue-in-cheek than most modern Guthriers pull off.

DWY: Latchkey

A second hip-hop selection this week comes from DWY, a British R&B artist. Latchkey is atmospheric and melodic, with a poignant and timely message.

“Be careful of the shooter… When you Black, they want your future.”

We’ll be back with five more next week. Until then, remember the immortal words…
“Songs are really just interesting things to be doing with the air.” Tom Waits