Record Rumble: “Country Queens” Reba McEntire Vs. Lainey Wilson

Welcome to the Album Nerds podcast with your hosts, Don and Dude. Let's get ready to record rumble. Man, I'm good at that. The Album Nerds podcast. Dude, I got Don with me. Donnie Boy, how's it going? You ready for yet another record rumble? Yes. Finally getting some women in the ring. Why is that appealing? No, no particular reason just because we haven't. Yeah, that's true. It is time to have some female artists featured. So yeah, it should be fun. This is

the Elbner's podcast. We love albums, the album format, talking about them, pretending that they're boxing each other somehow. We have a great show for you today. As stated, it's another slugfest in our record rumble series where two albums enter the ring going head to head. track to track and toe to toe. As always, Don's going to be asking us a deep question. Then we're going to have some shout outs to some other albums and

album related items we're digging. We'll spin that legendary wheel of album Gettin to learn the topic of our next record rumble. But for now, let's get it on. So two country music powerhouses are going head to head, each bringing her own unique style to the ring. One offers a heartfelt stripped down take on her classic songs, while the other delivers fresh energy with bold modern sounds. Tradition meets innovation, promising an exciting country battle that is sure to go

the distance. Yeah, I mean, I feel like this is more of an exhibition match, you know, showing respect to each other. So let's get to those ring introductions. Choose your fighter. In this corner hailing from the heart of Oklahoma packing powerhouse vocals and boasting more hits than the jukebox at your local saloon She's got Grammy winning producer dangerous Dave Cobb in her corner and is serving up stripped down toe -tapping versions of her legendary classics There's no

rhinestones here. Just pure country gold get ready for a rootin tootin apron wearing not that fancy demonstration of championship country Let's hear it for the reigning champ of heartfelt honky tonk Reba McIntyre's not that fancy So Reba McIntyre was born in McAllister, Oklahoma in 1955. This is actually her 32nd album. Crap. This is an odd one. It's a companion piece to her recent memoir called Not That Fancy, Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your

Boots. And basically, it's stripped down acoustic versions of many of her biggest hits. There's actually only one new song on this. And of course, it's produced by the legendary now, Dave Cobb. My favorite. Did you read the book? Are there any good recipes in there or anything? Did you do your research or not? I did not read the... I don't have time to read the... That's embarrassing. Yep. Yep. So supposedly she had solicited suggestions from fans on social media about what tracks to

include. So again, this features some of the biggest songs in her catalog. So this was released in October of 2023. Who's she going up against? Choose your fighter! And in this corner, fresh off a run of chart toppers, major awards, and a trail of sold -out shows, she's the new face of country with a voice full of grit, fire, and mixing hunky -talk, southern rock, and soul. This album doesn't just ride the storm, it is

the storm. Please welcome to the ring the future queen of country and her genre -bending knockout, Lainey Wilson, Whirlwind! Yeah, you know what time we burn all of our energy on those Those intros and then the rest of the show. We just have no fire. Yeah, I'm out of breath. So Laney Danae Wilson Danae Can't help it. Thanks, Forrest. She was born a country singer. A dream come true. She was a country singer. Born in Baskin, Louisiana.

She began writing songs at the age of nine, performing at county fairs by her teens, moved to Nashville in 2011, lived in a camper trailer behind a recording studio while pursuing gigs and honing her songwriting. So she paid her dues. Wilson quickly became known not only for her retro cool fashion, and bold persona, but her authenticity, mix of humor, heartbreak, and honky tonk wisdom. The album itself, Whirlwind, released August 23, 2024.

It was her fourth studio album produced by Jay Joyce, much like on Bell Bottom Country, the album before. And you know, it's her typical kind of mix of country rock, Western soul, acoustic

balladry. I think she has some freedoms that artists like Reba didn't have in the 80s and 90s, where she can... play around with different genres and not kind of stuck, you know, like all the kind of rules are used to be debuted at number one on the country charts did pretty well for solidified her role as a leading voice for women in country music. Okay. So I think it's time that we stopped with the yapping and get to the slapping round one opening cuts, the

opening track of a great album should immediately capture attention set the tone. for everything that's to come and draw listeners into a unique listening experience. So Don, I want you to start us off with an opening salvo from Reba. All right. Well, the first song on Not That Fancy is called The Fear of Being Alone. So that's a stripped down take on her 1996 hit, which appeared on the album What If It's You. It was written by

Walt Aldridge and Bruce Miller. So the lyrics tell the story of two wounded souls exploring a new relationship with the narrator warning against confusing loneliness for them. That is a common problem. It is. Yeah. So, you know, this version is particularly well done. I think her vocals sound great and there's just like I mean, the whole album is this way. I mean, her vocals really are prominent and the instrumentation is minimal and acoustic, a little bit of background

harmonies. It's amazing how good her voice is. Like, I think even better than in her early days because it has a little road wear on it. It's just a tiny bit of grit. It's just not quite as clean. And I think it sounds even cooler than it did. Yeah. Overall, I think this presentation of her music is more appealing to me personally. I would love a whole album of new songs in this style from her. I think it's a wise choice for

an opening punch on a retrospective album. It's got a good theme, the lyrics are clear, and the message has stayed the same since the original. It just feels a little more rooted in reality than the original version. Yeah. And it's catchy as hell. Well, how does Laney Wilson start the whirlwind? Fancy. Get it? There's a Reba reference for you. All right. So the opening track on whirlwind is Keep Up with Jones. Why don't we do that? Now, in country music, you can't go wrong with

a good reference to a legend. It's sort of one of the things baked in. If you want to knock it out of the park, you got to reference either a country legend or a John Mellencamp. It's in the rules. And this one, of course, is referring to George Jones. And then playing with that, keeping up with the Jones's thing. But in this case, it's keeping up with binge drinking. Well, and I wonder if there's something about like living up to the country star. That too. Yeah,

I think it's not just about drinking. It's also about going out on stage, feeling great. And then the next morning you feel like shit. You know, I think there's there's a lot. There's a lot to unpack here, which is part of what makes it her songs, even though on the surface, they seem like your typical radio country stuff. You know, there's a lot of thought that goes into the lyrics and the way these songs are built. Love the references to white lightning and the

possum, which I never really thought about. And I read up on it just to be sure, but it's because he kind of looks like, you know, possum George Jones, you know, with the little eyes and yeah. But yeah, it sets the tone for the album. Clever wordplay. What'd you think? about this one. Yeah. I mean, I've recently begun a love affair with George Jones. So yeah, she's speaking to me where I live, I guess. No, and yeah, I mean, I think

this is her at her best. I think that the wordplay is fun and it just has an energy and I guess kind of an authentic country feel. So yeah, really, really good start to the album. All right, well

that's round one down and as with any fictional sporting event It's not too long before you hear from the sponsor. Let's hear from our friends over at the six picks music club Hey there, I'm Dave and I host six picks music club with my two buddies Jeff Rowe and Russ We talk about six songs on a playlist that meet a theme to a topic that we've already decided on just real quick Do you meet themes do you meet them? Okay, no, I don't know I guess that what's the rest?

Can I get a ruling on the verbal phrase meet the theme Jeff? I don't know. I'm not fluent in the spoken word people just don't say meet the theme They say fit a theme and every week we talk about six songs that fit a theme Alright, okay fit a theme guys. We're gonna have to rerecord this Okay, and Dave don't forget it's six picks music club not your dark web pod sex picks booty grub Not sure what booty grub is, but I'll be sure to tune in and find out Hey maker on to

round two the haymakers in this round will select standout cuts from each of the albums trying to Establish dominance early in the bout done. What's Reba bring into the ring? Well, here's a song called how blue Man, she sounds great. Yeah, she really does. It just has a great old timey feel, you know, that particular song, but a lot of the album does. So How Blue originally appeared on an album called My Kind of Country from 1984. It was actually her third country

number one. It was written by John Maffet. The lyrics explore heartbreak and longing, using blue as a metaphor for deep emotional pain. So this one kind of cemented, I guess, her place in what they called the new traditionalist movement. Yeah. I guess in the in the 80s. Like Randy Travis and the Judds and stuff like that. Yeah, which is kind of funny because I kind of see Laney Wilson as being sort of a traditionalist in the, you know, in the modern country world. Yeah.

So even I mean, the original had kind of a traditional country sound with like fiddle and steel guitar. This kind of has it, but it's even more stripped down. I was really happy that the fiddle remained. I don't think it would have sounded right without it. I tried to find the originals first and then listen to the new ones. But the vocals are just they're golden. The arrangement never leaves second gear, but I think that's OK. for what

the song is talking about. The whole blue thing, if it got too much fun, it takes away from the feeling. Yeah, I think you're right. It kind of reminds me, remember we listened to that trio album, the Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, yeah, and Dolly. This song in particular feels like it belongs on that album. Yeah, same era too, yeah. Yep, yeah, that's true. All right. Well, that's that's Reba's big punch. What's Lainey

got? Well, I don't know if this is the big punch and this is where I struggled because this comes down to my personal taste. I think Country's Cool Again probably would have been the choice here because it was a huge radio hit and performed at CMA award shows and whatever. But I'm going

with Counting Chickens. Alright, so this is a country ballad that playfully captures the excitement and vulnerability of envisioning a future with someone special using Counting Chickens Before Their Hatch, which is a very sort of farm -like reference to make, an old -fashioned term. You know, it opens up with Wilson acknowledging that her partner hasn't proposed yet. So it sets the tone right away. You know, it's very clear what's

going on. And I think this is just what she does so well for me and even on Bell Bottom Country, like Watermelon Moonshine on that album. I just think these songs... capture the Southern drawl, the prettiness of her voice, the daydreamy sort of more vulnerable parts and less of the whiskey and bar stuff, which I think, you know, Wilson has done a great job of taking control of that. Cause that was like a dude thing in country music. And she's, she's done a great job co -opting

that to some, you know, with great success. And I think that, you know, the first time I heard something like that was Gretchen Wilson. I think no relation. Remember her? Yeah. I do yeah, the redneck woman song and I think Laney his taking that to new heights. I, um, but you know, it, there's some personal dimensions here too. It references Wilson's real life relationship with former NFL quarterback Devlin duck Hodges, you know, at the end of the song, she says, one chicken,

two chickens, three chickens. Oh shoot. I think that's a duck. I love that too. Yeah. So this is, this is what I think she, where she shines. I'd love an album with more of these. So that's my attempt at a, a haymaker, a haymaker that is cutesy and. Love you tell me though, so I'm not sure it'll work. Yeah, you know, she is very cute with her lyrics, so lots of puns throughout

this album. I don't know why, but sometimes I think they really work and they're charming and then other times they become a little too cute or cringy. But this is one where I think it does work. I think this is a really well executed track and it's just charming. I guess that's like a dark little twist at the end with her mentioning Duck because I think that relationship did not. No, they actually are engaged now. Oh, shoot. Okay, then I guess it's not dark. Sorry.

Now you don't like it as much. I know darkness and pain is what you feed on. Yes, yes. Well, yeah, I'm a fan of this particular song. Well, with Haymakers having been exchanged, it's time

to move on to round three. I don't wanna do it. All right, round three, opponent cuts. So in this round, we try to land a critical blow by spotlighting one of the weaker tracks from our opponent's albums. So dude, what's Reba's weakness? Yeah, I mean, this is difficult, right? Because in this case, the album is full of classics, just re -workings of them. I'm going with a track that... Was borderline cringy at the time and now feels even more so it's called does he love.

Although I still love it because Dolly and Reba together I mean can't go wrong there and that's a great collaboration but originally recorded in nineteen ninety three with Linda Davis. This song delves into the emotional complexities of a love triangle, which is pretty gutsy and especially back in 93. presenting this dialogue between the wife and her husband's mistress, both questioning his true affections and some of the lines, you

know, he's with me last night or whatever. It's like this stripped down rendition is more raw and intimate, but I think in the original with the bigger sounds and the more restrained vocals of that Linda Davis and Dolly is just so sweet sounding. Yeah. And Dolly's supposed to be the

mistress. seems too nice yeah very melodramatic though and it feels like a scene from like a southern soap opera like these two women wearing the fancy clothes having this throw down over the you know he loves me more or what is you know what do you do for him what what were your thoughts on this one yeah i i agree with you i mean this is not one of my favorite tracks on the album you know it is meant to be i think this very melodramatic piece and I think it loses

some of that. I think it would have been better as a one -off performance at an award show with Dolly and Reba or something. Right. Yeah. It was cringy, I think. This is mean because I love Dolly Parton, but you know how his people age, the way they... talk, it's more like, because it's what they have dentures or something like that. I just feel like the way she sings now

is very denture -y. Wow. Very well. Let's just a little, we'll keep doing this podcast and the day that you sound denture -y then, you know. I know. I mean, part of it also, I think is There's more effort sometimes. You can hear more effort in vocalists as they age, but I think they both sound great here. Love you, Dolly. I do too. Yeah, right. Sorry, Dolly. You look great at the Thanksgiving halftime show. Yeah, yeah. So I took my swing and not that fancy trying to

weaken your stance. What do you got for me from Whirlwind? All right. Well, I mentioned before that there are, you know, sometimes where I feel like the The puns just become a little too much. Alright, well here's the track called Bar in Baton Rouge. So in a bar in Baton Rouge, Lainey Wilson sings about nursing a broken heart in a smoky Louisiana bar. Lots of imagery of beer, cigarettes, and longing for distant places that

capture her pain. I mean, it's not a bad track by any means, but here's where I start to roll my eyes a little bit about some of the, like the silver bulletproof reference to Coors. The drink about instead of think about. Which reminds me of a film I saw in seventh grade that was supposed to be to teach teens not to drink and it was from the 70s. And it was a terrible film and there was a song in it. Think about what you drink about. Yeah. I mean, it sounds better

because it's Lainey Wilson and it's good. But if this was Luke Bryan or something, I'd be vomiting. So it's not her best effort here. Although it has some, it kind of starts slow and moody and then builds into kind of more of a rocky anthem. I mean, it's fine. Feels more like typical country fare. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's probably the most pedestrian. It feels a bit forced. It doesn't quite land, you know, it's more of a caricature for, although I like the sound of it. I like

the twang of it. I like the instruments. I like the composition, but yeah, there's, I get it. I mean, it's clever, but it just might be a little too clever. So we just made our best efforts to weaken our opponent's albums. Why don't we drop all of that aggression and answer a question.

Excuse me, I'd like to ask you a few questions. It's time again for Deep Questions by Don. So all this country western storytelling, it just kind of reminds me of westerns, as in films and TV shows. What are some of your favorite western films or shows? I mean, a lot comes to mind. I'm a I'm a fan of the genre, the spaghetti westerns and and like Tombstone, of course, comes to mind with the I mean, that's probably my favorite movie. And that style of Western movie then inspired

a lot that came after it. What was that like 91 or something like that for Tombstone? Kurt Russell, the late great Val Kilmer. I'm your huckleberry. I got two guns, one for each of you. Wow, that's exactly like him. Also the, uh, I believe it was on FX. I'm not sure. Uh, justified with Timothy Oliphant. He was, uh, he was in that HBO show also. What was that? Deadwood. Deadwood. He was in that as well, but justified was a more of a modern take on the Western genre taking place. I can, I think it

was mid 2000, 2010, something like that. But he's, uh, U S Marshall and his nemesis played by Walton Goggins, just the tension between the good guy and the bad guy, the gunsling. I mean, he's wears a cowboy hat though. I mean, it's, it's, it's a Western, but it's not definitely worth checking that show out. Goggins is amazing. Yeah, I, on the other hand, I've never been really

a big fan of of westerns. I actually I love like old movies and stuff, but it annoys me when like Turner classic movies is just full of like westerns. All right. But there are some that I appreciate. And actually, I was reminded of some on television. There's an episode in season one of The Twilight Zone. It's called Mr. Denton on Doomsday. It's about this basically just this drunk. who I think used to be a sharpshooter. But there's a snake

oil salesman guy who gives him a potion. All of a sudden, he can shoot like crazy or whatever. And he cleans his life up. And then the message is that there's just no point to violence. And it gets pretty deep, like every Twilight Zone does. And then the Wyatt Earp stuff reminds me of a Star Trek episode. Season three, Spectre of the Gun. I used to love those, those Star Trek episodes where they do a Western or do a

gangster thing. It's because the studio that they worked for had a set for some other show. And they're like, well, let's save some money and make a story around this. Yeah. And sci -fi, I mean, you can really do everything. So yeah, so at that point it's the crew have to face like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Well, it's pretty corny. You clearly hate the Western genre as the way you found in was through sci -fi. Yeah, exactly. What's your favorite Western? Let us

know. Hit us up on Instagram or Facebook at Album

Nerds. Back to the action with round four, the closing cuts. So we'll be focusing on the final songs of these albums. and they should wrap things up in a way that feels satisfying, leaves listeners thinking about the music long after it ends and maybe even spinning that record another time. So what does Reba have for us for a closing track? Well, she saved, I guess it's kind of a title track or it's not, it's not that much of a title

track. This is Fancy. Fancy was originally written and recorded by Bobby Gentry in 1969 but Reba covered it on her 1990 album Rumor Has It and it's become you know one of her her signature hits. It's basically a rags to riches story about a young woman Fancy who was sent by her mother to make a better life for herself despite in desperate circumstances, and she overcomes adversity and achieves independence. Is someone a prostitute in this? I think her mom is. I was trying to

figure out if Fancy was. Yeah. Yeah, so like everything on this album, it's kind of just a more mellow version of the original. The original is pretty dramatic, if you ever listen to it. And I think I prefer this version. I think it maybe just lends itself to the simple storytelling better. Yeah, and country music has changed too. I mean, I think during that period, I was the opposite of a country fan. So that sound, that style still doesn't ring true to me. This rings

more true. Without the horns and drama, it still tells a knockout story. So great storytelling here. Reba's delivery definitely carries it. And I think that's the point here. Feels smaller than the original, but that's perfect. But this Treatment is a little more soulful than the original and kind of gives me a dusty Springfield vibe. Sure. I think this one was well cobbed for sure. All right. How does Lainey leave us? She leaves

us with a whiskey colored crayon. So the narrative of this song delves into the impact of addiction on a family through the innocent eyes of a child, co -written with Josh Care and Wyatt McCubbin, tells the story of a young boy in kindergarten who, when asked to draw his family, realizes he can't depict his father without a whiskey -colored crayon. Isn't it just brown? I mean, come on. To a kid. This kid is just freaking,

I don't know. He's an artistic genius. But, you know, it encapsulates a child's association of his father with alcohol and the effect of that on familial relationships. In the story, like has the teacher contacting the boy's mother, and then years later, the father who's been sober for seven years reveals at an AA meeting that his son's drawing initiated his path to recovery. And you know, it works. I mean, the song is gentle

and powerful lyrics. Take the stage here and the storytelling is solid and it would have made a great Reba song in my opinion. Sure. It bore the whiskey colored crayon borders on too much maybe. But the more I listened to it, the more it worked for me. Don, did you listen to this on your headphones? Cause I think you would have gotten a tear if you had, didn't you? Oh yeah. Any tickle? Sure, yeah. I mean, it's a well -executed,

kind of sappy song. For those who don't know, when Don listens to emotional songs on headphones, that's typically what he gets at. I feel like she had a story she wanted to do, and it's like she needed some clever pun or something or metaphor to tell it with. And so just the whiskey -colored crayon thing Just seems like a bit of a stretch. I mean, it's fine. I don't really I I hated it more the first time I listened to it. And then I kind of warmed up to it. So, I mean, it's fine.

I can't draw my mama without a Cosmo colored. Yeah, I mean, the question really is, does this close the album? Well, I think the answer to that is yes. It's interesting that she chose to end in kind of a sad way, although I guess it's a happy story because the dad gets clean

because of the kid. And, you know, that's the hope that something, you know, when someone is struggling with addiction, that the people who love them are probably the ones that say that one, say or do that thing that makes things click and they go, I've got to try to stop this. So I likes it. All right. One more round to go.

In this fifth and final round, we're going to look at some key metrics that we believe make up great albums. The digging factor, which is, is it an enjoyable listening experience? Killer to filler ratio, strong songs, weak songs. How does it balance out? All important production. Rematchability. Do you want to listen again? And then of course the legacy. Does it influence music? Does it influence listeners, culture? How's it stand? All right, Don, bring me them

X -Factors. What do you got? I did end up enjoying both of these albums, but they're very different. I mean, one is a celebration of a career and the other is all original. The Reba is, I mean, she's overly dramatic and sentimental. I mean, that's always been her thing. Well, she was an actress as well. That too, yeah. Very successfully. Loved her in Tremors. Oh my gosh. Yeah. It's

a good movie. It's stupid, but great. And, you know, like I said, you know, Lainey ranges from kind of clever to cringy, but I think most of the time she she's good. I mean, she should learn that every song doesn't need a clever pun. You know, I mean, even Morris, if you got a break once in a while, and maybe she I think she forces herself to be accessible. And, you know, I don't know, I feel like I mean, she's already great. And there's definitely greatness there. But I

feel like she hasn't. There's still establishment happening here, putting your stamp on. This album, I think, is sort of more of the same from the last album, building on what was on the big hit album. She'll figure it out. I think there will be variances. I think there'll be some albums that are more rock -like, some albums that are more acoustic. We'll see. Yeah. And of course, I mean, she deserves credit because she writes, or at least co -writes, all of her songs, whereas

Reba doesn't. Killer to filler ratio. I don't know. I mean, I think they're pretty much the same there. I mean, there's tracks on the Reba that I don't love. I'm a survivor, just kind of feels like more overcoming obstacles kind of stuff. I know, but it is a collection, so you're going to get some similar themes. Yeah. I mean, certainly Reba has it easy here because she can basically curate songs, her best songs from her catalog, whereas Lainey had to come

up with all of these. More new tracks. I mean, if it even had four or five brand new songs, that would have that would have helped for me. Yeah. I also I was disappointed by the the night the lights went down in Georgia. Yeah. That song's just kind of, you know, kind of hammy anyway. It doesn't matter who does it. Yeah, that's true. Because originally, Vicki Lawrence had to hit with that, right? I think so. Yeah. And I mean, lots of people have done it over the years. You

know, and the Laney has fantastic moments. I really like the good horses. Yeah, Miranda Lambert. I like Whirlwind. Devil Don't Go There is good. Yeah. And then some track like Ringfinger. Appreciate the crossover appeal and the KT Tunstall vibe to it. I actually thought it was going to be a cover for a second. I like the line where I got the ring. He got the finger. There's some good lines in it, but didn't land with me. Bar and Baton Rouge was another one. I love the production.

on Reba, I feel like this is the best Reba can be. And I mean, Lainey's is fine, too. I mean, I mean, you can argue maybe it's a bit too shiny at times, but it's it's fine. Yep. But Lainey has the bold, rich textured sounds and bigger and more dynamic. So I kind of give that one to Lainey for production. I'm not sure which one I'll listen to more in the future. I'm not sure. I like this as a gateway to Reba's catalog.

Yes, I agree. And I think this is a good record to have on when you have company and stuff that's quiet. But Lainey intrigues me, and I think she's headed for greatness. So I'm sure I'll be visiting this again. Legacy, I have a feeling. Even though this is a celebration of Reba's career, I'm not sure that people will remember it. I mean, in fact, there's not even a Wikipedia entry about this album. Exactly. That's all you need to know

right there. Right. So, I mean, her legacy is gigantic, but I'm not sure that this album is. And then, you know, Laney, like I'm hoping the legacy is that this is the album before the amazing one. So, yeah. So I think I'm kind of mixed, you know, in my X factors. How about you? I think we're really close on all of these. Reba adds her legacy as a career retrospective with all these strong songs, strong voice, great sound, and Laney cements her rise, but it's too new

to be called iconic just yet. Well, what a showdown

it's been between these country queens. Indeed, more so than I thought. Yeah. So both bring something unique. One offers heartfelt stripped down storytelling while the other delivers bold modern country with a fresh twist. It's time to decide. Which album takes the crown in this battle of country's best? Let's send it back to the center of the ring and hear tonight's results. All right, we got to dig out our scorecards and figure out

who wins and who loses. All right. Well, round one, I gave to Reba with the fear of being alone. Lainey's Lainey took round two and three. Rounds two and three. Okay. And then I gave Reba round four. for, uh, for fancy. And then round five, I had a bunch of draws in there and the whole thing ended up being a draw. Okay. So, which means, uh, it's a tie. It's a draw two to two. Okay. Well, I've got round one, the opening track

going to Laney with keeping up with Jones. I've got round two going to Laney with counting chickens. Round three for the body blows, the, uh, trying to damage each other. Gave that one to Reba. Who does he love you? I like that better than bar in Baton Rouge. Round four for the closer between whiskey colored crayons and fancy. That was a draw for me. And round five, Laney won four of the five categories. So that's giving round five X factors to Laney Wilson. Whirlwind.

Well, we asked you the listeners to weigh in and share which album you think should take the crown. Right. Well, with 60 percent of the vote. The winner is Reba, not that fancy. Okay. So it came from our, from our listeners. Right. So that means, so I gave it a draw. Wow. You went to Laney and the audience gave it to Reba. So we have a draw. Oh no. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a draw. A draw. Well, so that says, that

says a lot. Laney is an up and comer. Reba is a well -established figure in country music. So I think that says a lot for how far. Laney has come and how amazing it is that Reba continues to have one hand on that crown of Queen of the country. Can you dig it? Can you dig it? So,

we spent the week in the country ring. Did you have a chance to check out anything else? What else are you digging? Actually, I was in the rodeo ring and I did dig some things that I have here in my saddlebags. Why don't you cry about it? Saddlebags? So, yeah, I went a little in a different direction here with the psychedelic porn crumpets and their album Carpe Diem Moon Man. It was released on May 15th of 2025. They're a Perth based psych rock band known for explosive

sound and surreal lyrics. This is our seventh studio album. Why don't we listen to a little bit of March on for Pax Ramona. Yeah, so, you know this reflects on the band's experiences with touring philosophical musings and a blend of genres with a Little Primus vibe there as well. Yeah, I can hear that nice Alright, so while I was in that rodeo ring and looking through my my record collection I don't have a ton of

country albums. I have some Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson and things you'd expect I also have culture wall and Chris Stapleton and things of that nature but and Laney Wilson, but I do have More of a pop country thing that appealed to me back in 2017. Midland, their album On The Rocks, I think that was their debut. Texas based country trio known for their rich harmonies and sound that pays homage to classic country. Kind of a George

Strait Dwight Yoakam vibe. Let's listen to the big one off of this album, Drinking Problem. Now that is a drinking song that just nails it. Yes. I always love this song. They got it right on that one. But the, you know, make a little burnout, other great songs on the album. Very enjoyable. And I'm happy to have it on vinyl. All right. Well, another kind of recent band that I just became familiar with, but I've been around, I guess, a while. A band called Camp,

spelled C -A -A -M -P. They have an album coming out on June 6 called Copper Changes Color. OK. We know that from the Statue of Liberty. Indeed. So it's the fifth studio album by the folk band formed in Columbus, Ohio by childhood friends Taylor Meyer and Evan Westfall. Here's a song called Fairview Feeling. I see you falling asleep. I mean, it's not bad. It was very sleepy. But yeah, the album explores themes of personal transformation, drawing on imagery of weathered copper as a metaphor

for change. All right. And I guess in the other direction, I'll wake you up. Dexter in the moon rocks. They have an EP called Happy to Be Here. They haven't come out with a full album yet. They're from Abilene, Texas. Call their sound Western Space Grunge. Ooh, that sounds like something I might enjoy. Yeah. Well, here's a song called Ritalin. I'll check that out. At least it's not about making a perfect kill room and being a serial killer. But the word, the name Dexter

has been ruined forever. I mean, there was that there was that cartoon dude, the little kid scientist and Dexter's lab. Yeah. And then Dexter, the serial killer, became the Dexter. So maybe these guys can change that. So what are you digging? Let us know. Join us on the socials, Facebook, Instagram, threads and blue sky. You fight great,

but I'm a great fighter. You ready? Well, it's about that time to bring forth the rhythm and the rhyme or it's time on the show when I'm reminded of the words of the great Queen Reba McIntyre She said to succeed in life. You need three things To succeed in life you need three things A wishbone, a backbone, and a funnybone. Amen. Indeed. With that in mind, let's bring out the wheel of albumgeddon and see what types of albums will be in our next record rumble. When the Fab Four went solo, the

magic didn't stop. It just took new forms. In the next record rumble, it's a Beatle battle. a head -to -head clash of solo albums from former Beatles showcasing their individual voices, visions, and post -band brilliance. So two former Beatles will face off with presumably their best albums. I wonder which two we'll lean towards, Don? That's a thinker. Not a stinker. Which Lennon and McCartney

albums should face off? What else are you listening to? Email us at podcast at album nerds dot com or follow us on Instagram and other social media at album nerds and make sure you vote on our next record rumble. And the best way to support the show is to share it. Please subscribe, rate and review on your favorite podcast app. Thank you so much for joining us once again on the Album Yards Podcast. We'll catch you next time with perhaps the biggest record rumble of them

all, a battle of the Beatles. See you next time. Espresso martini, colored crayon. Espresso martini. That's a little too advanced. We can stick with whiskey. Y 'all come back now, you hear?