May | 2015 | Country Heartbeat

Songs you should be listening to (and downloading!) right now:

Kelsea Ballerini, “Dibs”

Kelsea’s debut album, titled The First Time, came out last week… and I really hope that you all bought a copy! Kelsea is definitely the next big thing in the female country genre… you might know her from her first Top 10 Single, Love Me Like You Mean It. While her whole CD is amazing (even Taylor Swift thinks so!), I’m really liking this one right now. It screams girl power and confidence, knowing exactly what you want and going out to get it. I don’t see how anyone could not love Kelsea, she’s just so sweet and talented!

Michael Ray, “Run Away With You”

This song will always be special to me, because I got to hear the demo version back in October of 2013, way before it was released. I was at a bar in Nashville, hanging with some of Michael Ray’s band mates, and he let us listen to this song. My first thought was, “that’s totally going to be a big hit!” While Big & Rich cut it for their album, Gravity, you’ve got to hear Michael Ray’s original version, which I will always be partial to! (John Rich and Michael Ray wrote the song together.) Michael Ray’s version can be found on his EP which is ONLY available at Walmart! Get your copy here!

Drake White, “It Feels Good”

Just like the title suggests, this is really a “feel-good” song that perks you right up and makes you want to dance and/or stomp your boots! White combines some blues with his natural twang, and it’s nothing like all the other songs that you hear on the radio! This song has a very unique style and is sure to be a hit with both new-country and old-style country lovers! This is totally a fun-loving country summer jam! View the lyric video on YouTube!

Luke Bryan, “Kick The Dust Up”

I’ll always be partial to Luke, despite all of the cr@p he gets for his bro-country-hip-hop style. This song automatically had me bopping my head a long to the beat. Lyrically, it’s much like all of his other songs about partying in the middle of nowhere, moonshine, trucks burning up a back road, boots on, etc. Despite this, Luke knows what the radio stations want and he continues to deliver. It’s sure to be a summer hit! It’s definitely not my favorite Luke song, but I do love the guitar/banjo picking beat!

Outshyne, “Moonlight Crush”

This song is a bit older, being first released to Sirus/XM Radio in August of 2013. I’ve liked it since day one, but I’ve been really getting into it more lately with summer on it’s way. Boy meets girl, boy develops crush on girl. You know how you tend to love songs that you can relate to the lyrics? This song is magic to me for that reason. Everyone loves a good summer romance, right? 😉 Check out the music video!

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It’s no secret that I have some serious love for Frankie Ballard and all that he does. I mean I even went back to college (at least for one night) just for him. He knows how to tear it up on stage no matter what type of venue it is.

My most recent Frankie adventure brought me to Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH. There were two opening acts; Ryan Sandford, a current student of Saint Anselm, and Alec MacGillivray, both of which were amazing. You could tell they both had a solid fan base at the show.

The last time I saw Frankie he was still recovering from a shoulder injury but since then he’s been able to pick up his guitar and resume his “face melting” skills on stage. This is what I was most excited for.

He started the night off with I Came to Git Down and rattled all these new comers with his guitar moves. I think the majority of the students knew him by Sunshine and Whiskey, Helluva Life and from his recent single Young and Crazy, so when he started to sing those songs, things got a little crazy. Witnessing the smile on his face when people are singing his songs back to him is just an unbelievable moment.