Duets from both Australian and US stars headline this week’s edition of the New Country Friday 5.
Wife and husband, Carly Pearce (pictured above) and Michael Ray have released a new song together.
While father and daughter, Rob Hirst and Jay O’Shea have also unveiled the first song from their upcoming album project.
Also featured this week are new songs from CAM, Russell Dickerson and NeillyRich.
1. CARLY PEACE – ‘FINISH YOUR SENTENCES’ FEATURING MICHAEL RAY
Carly Pearce is releasing her new self-titled album today.
And with it being Valentines Day and all, it’s fitting that the album’s release day focus track and new official single is a duet with her husband Michael Ray.
“A lot has happened, obviously, in my musical career in the last few years, but the biggest thing that has happened to me in the last few years is the fact that I started dating, got engaged and fell in love,” Pearce said at an album preview in Nashville recently.
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“And everybody kept asking me, ‘Oh my gosh, are you gonna have a song with Michael on the record?’
Well, the two young lovers have answered those wishes with ‘Finish Your Sentences.’
Kelsea Ballerini and Thomas Rhett are two of the big name writers of this new track, along with hit songwriters Ashley Gorley and Jesse Frasure.
The new album also features ‘I Hope You’re Happy Now’ – the duet with Lee Brice (and written by Luke Combs) which has racked up almost 17 million Spotify streams, and is a top 20 Country radio airplay hit in both the USA and Australia.
Check out ‘Finish Your Sentences’ featuring Michael Ray by Carly Pearce
2. ROB HIRST & JAY O’SHEA – ‘PEARL SHELL BUTTONS’
It was revealed last week that Rob Hirst and Jay O’Shea would record an album, The Lost and The Found.
‘Pearl Shell Buttons’ is the album’s first single, which has been released day – on the same day as Midnight Oil’s major album announcement!
“Unsurprisingly, Jay and I have a natural chemistry” says Rob Hirst.
“We both like songs with melodies that stay in your head, and lyrics that tell little stories,” he continues.
“We’re suckers for a strong chorus.”
“And of course, Jay’s voice is a remarkable instrument: It lifts every lyric, magnifies every melody.”
Check out ‘Pearl Shell Buttons’ by Rob Hirst and Jay O’Shea
3. CAM – ‘TILL THERE’S NOTHING LEFT’
Cam sings about love that lasts till the very end… until life it self come to an end.. in her new song, ‘Till There’s Nothing Left.’
The track’s very sensual and cinematic music video, described as being set “in the middle of the honky-tonk apocalypse” has also been released today.
“It’s the end of the world and I know a little place in the eye of the storm. Let’s live our last moments dancing together in the neon glow,” says Cam.
‘Till There’s Nothing Left’ is the lead single from Cam’s sophomore album, which will arrive later in 2020.
Check out ‘Till There’s Nothing Left’ by Cam
4. RUSSELL DICKERSON – ‘LOVE YOU LIKE I USED TO’
Here’s another song timed perfectly for Valentines Day.
‘Love You Like I Used To’ was inspired by Russell Dickerson’s wife Kailey.
However she recently revealed that she didn’t actually like the song when she first heard it!
“After I played it she was like, ‘Oh, I don’t think you nailed it on this one,'” Dickerson recalled to Billboard.
“I was like, ‘Wow. OK.’ And that’s why I love her. She’s brutally honest no matter what.”
So Dickerson and his co-writers completely rewrote the verses and only kept the original chorus.
The reaction to the re-write was much more positive.
“We had a couple of people from our team and my wife and we played it for them. They were like ‘Holy crap! There we go!'” said Dickerson.
Check out ‘Love You Like I Used To’ by Russell Dickerson
5. NEILLYRICH – ‘STOP LOVING YOU’
The song, co-written with Phil Barton, references a couple close to the duo, that they observed for some time.
“They were together for a while, they loved one another, but the relationship just wasn’t healthy,” say NeillyRich.
“There were underpinning flaws in their connection, and despite countless attempts to make it work, they just couldn’t find the way back to each other,” they continued.
“To this day, both people openly admit they are still in love, but better off apart.”
‘Stop Loving You’ will appear on NeillyRich’s new album, which is expected to be released in May.
Check out ‘Stop Loving You’ by NeillyRich
