Jesse Lovelock leads a week that also includes the best debut ever from an American Idol alum.
Shallowater
God’s Gonna Give You a Million Dollars
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Doesn’t deliver on that exact promise, but in terms of a slightly twang-attuned indie rock record w a sardonic streak, this hits for me in a way that it felt like the MJ Lenderman, Ryan Davis / Roadhouse Band albums were supposed to. AotY for 2002 undergrad me.
Zac Brown Band
Love & Fear
Long past hope they’ll ever regain the form of their exemplary early-aughts run, this is a right mess even by their more recent standards. One or two strong standalone tracks can’t compensate for the lack of impulse or quality controls or the off-putting, defensive posture.
Lance Roark
Bad Reputation
A quite capable singer, a songwriter with a clear grasp of structure and melody, and a lyricist who relies entirely on clichés, predictable tropes, and middlebrow sentiments. The fundamental lack of ambition in these songs doesn’t make for an allegedly great album.
Jess Jocoy
Cul-de-Sac Kid
Answers her own question (“Does country need a country song from a cul-de-sac kid like me?”) with a resounding yes, many times over: She’s a fantastic writer w a clear POV and genre know-how. A few vocal choices are giving Reba in a dodgy way, but a minor quibble.
Nicki Bluhm
Rancho Deluxe
The songs are consistently good in a low-key Laurel Canyon country way, if rarely better than that. What sells this album is Bluhm’s effortlessly great singing, which is some of the best I’ve heard all year; the slight raspiness in her tone is a glorious thing.
Colter Wall
Memories and Empties
Sturdy and solid, Wall remains the ideal for particular flavors of genre traditionalism and authenticity fetishists. As ever, I don’t find him a compelling enough singer to overcome the stuffier elements of his dogged, formalism. This is fine in predictable ways.
Jack Blocker
The Lord On Most High
I’m aware of the hellfire saying so risks, but this is the best country debut album by any American Idol alum, and by some margin. Polished enough (and with better songs) to appeal to Zach Top’s fans, sincere enough (and more technically sound) for Zach Bryan’s demo.
Jesse Lovelock
Jesse Lovelock & The Velvet Voices
A spectacular work of thoughtful, savvy cosplay, and of an older vintage that stands out among 2025’s 90s-inspired neo-Neotraditionalists. Would be even better if he invoked any real modern POV on balance, so there’s room for further growth here.
…you got to love this batch of albums. ms. blum vs. colter wall – laurel canyon meets open range. her “taking chances” is as soothing as having vick’s applied to your caughing chest gently.
the album for the young pathologist must be shallowater’s one: which arrow killed the warrior finally? the one in the back of the head must have really hurt. the proposition in the title may also make you pondering (in the advent of christmas and the age of elon musk & friends): whatever happened to jesus and serious amounts of money? anne wilson might feel challenged.
if “red dragon” hadn’t already been written – zbb’s cover art might have led to it now. the music also evokes bitin’lists on top of everything.
the album is better than mr. roark’s self-proclaimed repuation and hairdo. these white arms though – was it such a wet summer in ohio this year?
cody johnson already sang his praise, now jack blocker gets another pretty coat of paint here. you may like this, if you’re into bob ross too.
jesse lovelock actually not being an ai-freakshow was some surprise to me. but what’s the point of this album – that it can be done? at least, he doesn’t look like gerald butler – ai’s archetypical country hunk poster boy.
I’m surprised that Jack Blocker came from American Idol! In some ways, his voice and sometimes his style reminds me of Tyler Childers.
Re. Nicki Bluhm: The Laurel Canyon analogy is rather apt; after all, when you’ve gone out of your way to combine influences like Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt the way she has, and then integrated those influences into your own authentic style, you are following that path and doing something right (IMHO).
Hey thanks ! I appreciate the review.