First Country: New Music From Dylan Scott, Jimmie Allen, Kane Brown, Randy Houser & More

First Country is a compilation of the best new country songs, videos & albums that dropped this week.

Dylan Scott feat. Jimmie Allen, “In Our Blood”

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Scott and Allen team up for a unifying message here, as the opening verses acknowledge, “We might do things In a different way/ But we all want love and we all need grace / Everybody bleeds red at the end of the day.” The searing, moody production adds to the song’s timely message of commonality and love.

Kane Brown, “Like I Love Country Music”

Before earning a string of No. 1 hits with his pop-fueled songs such as “Lose It” and “One Thing Right,” Brown steadily grew a fan base with his cover versions of other country hits. On his latest release, he nods to those early days, with a boot-stompin’ ode to romance and country music. This track blends Brown’s burnished deeper tones, twinkling piano and raw fiddles, as he name-checks songs like Brooks & Dunn’s “Brand New Man.”

Randy Houser, “Still That Cowboy”

Houser dips into his gritty low range a bit on this introspective song, which finds him chronicling the various stages of a couple building a life together as he hopes he’s “still that cowboy” who first stole his lover’s heart. It’s a sentimental heart-tugger, which Houser wrote with Matt Rogers and Josh Hoge.

Morgan Wallen, “Thought You Should Know”

This pensive track depicts a wayward son making a slightly homesick call to his mama, lamenting that it’s been too long since he’s been home. “Been chasin’ songs and women/ Makin’ some bad decisions, God knows I’m drinkin’ too much… I know you’ve been worrying about me/ You’ve been losin’ sleep since ’93,” he sings before the chorus picks up with an assurance that those mother’s prayers have “made their way on through” and he’s finally settling down. Wallen co-wrote the track with Miranda Lambert and Nicolle Galyon.

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Kimberly Kelly, “Summers Like That”

Kelly pays homage to a string of ’90s country songs such as Tracy Byrd’s “Keeper of the Stars” and Deana Carter’s “Strawberry Wine,” pondering the teenage memories those songs still elicit years later — whether that’s Trisha Yearwood’s “Walkaway Joe” evoking memories of a painful breakup or reliving a first kiss when she hears Pam Tillis’s “Maybe It Was Memphis.” Kelly’s warm, lilting voice and the song’s spacious production only add to the feeling of nostalgia in this track. “Summers Like That” is included on Kelly’s upcoming album, I’ll Tell You What’s Gonna Happen, out July 8 through Show Dog Nashville/Thirty Tigers.

Kat & Alex, “Let’s Find a Bar”

Kat & Alex don’t need much for a good night on the town — just bar stools, good drinks, a dance floor and each other. This sweet and sultry track highlights this duo’s always ace vocals pairing. Kat & Alex wrote the song with Jared Keim and Jared Scott.

Blue Dogs, “The Good Ones”

On June 3, this Charleston-based Americana group will release its first album in 16 years, Big Dreamers, produced by Sadler Vaden. Their latest song sets up a relaxed, jam-band groove led by singer Bobby Houck’s easygoing, conversational voice, and is an ode “to all those cut-abovers who keep on comin’ through.”

Kelsey Waldon, “Sweet Little Girl”

Waldon relieves the monotony and pressures of being on the road through any means possible on her new release. “I’m gonna drink myself drunk, I’m gonna get myself high/ Anything just to make the time pass by,” she sings over instrumentation that recalls the freewheeling best of ’70s country music, as Waldon’s vocal embodies a certain bruised innocence. “Sweet Little Girl” is included on Waldon’s upcoming album, No Regular Dog, due Aug. 12 via Oh Boy Records.

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