Maddie & Tae, Morgan Wade, and Levi Hummon are joined by British duo The Shires, Nashville-area native Chase Matthew and powerhouse singer/songwriter Caitlyn Smith as artists releasing new music this week.
Maddie & Tae, Morgane Stapleton, “Don’t Make Her Look Dumb” – Written by Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Barry Dean and Luke Laird, “Don’t Make Her Look Dumb” (Feat. Morgane Stapleton) is a melodic warning to a man stringing along his love interest.
Lyrics include: If you don’t love her, leave her| Tell her that you’re done| Just don’t make her look dumb for loving you
The women’s voices wrap the song like a caress but carry some teeth when they say: “She’s the kind to go find|The best side of the worst kind, like you.”
“Don’t Make Her Look Dumb” is from Maddie & Tae’s “Through The Madness Vol. 1” that is out now.
Morgan Wade, “The Night”- It isn’t often singers address mental health – much less their own – in songs, but Wade bravely faces it head-on in “The Night.”
She sings: My mind likes to talk about everything I am not|And even worse everything I am|I tell my friends and they tell me that time will only do me well|I won’t shut my mouth is it a rule down in the south that you can’t talk about your mental health
Her distinct voice roles through the lyrics and owns lines about the fear she’s wasting her life while she keeps unhealthy demons at bay.
“The Night” is a raw testament to what it’s like to fight to control your mind before it puts you in danger. Wade’s “Reckless (Deluxe Edition)” is out now.
Caitlyn Smith, “High” – Smith puts her unique spin on “High,” which she wrote with Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Erin Decilveo. Cyrus recorded “High” for her “Plastic Hearts” album, but Smith reclaims the song with her powerful, soaring vocals and turns it into an arena-worthy anthem. Amanda Shires covers fiddle on the track, which Smith self-produced. “High” is from Smith’s forthcoming third album.
Levi Hummon, “Bottled Up” – “Bottled Up” is Hummon’s sing-song break-up bop that his social media account implies was written about his most recent ex. The song includes the lyrics: “I don’t think I’ve ever shed a tear because when I’m sad, I drink a beer.” Hummon posted videos on his socials showing him surprising his ex at her house with a Bluetooth speaker to play the song. She wasn’t amused, but he let viewers in on the joke by the end of the second video. It wasn’t his ex’s house but that of a friend. The song is Hummon’s follow-up to his Walker Hayes duet “Paying For It.”
The Shires, “I See Stars” – The British duo heavily layers atmospheric elements with ample percussion and acoustic guitar to create a soaring track that matches the song’s lyrical theme. The contemporary production marries with the unique blend of Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes’ voices to create a striking single to launch the duo’s upcoming album “10 Year Plan,” available on March 11.
Chase Matthew, “Born for This” – Matthew is a Nashville-area native who grew up in its rural outskirts. “Born for This” is the title track from his Feb. 11 album and marries his backwoods baritone with his ardent, autobiographical lyrics. “Born for This” weaves a dream-worthy, relatable tale of making it big and using success for grand gestures with your family – like building his grandmother a kitchen or recovering and restoring his dad’s old car.
Listen to the full Roundup Playlist:
