Lilly Hiatt is music royalty. Her father is famed musician John Hiatt. Her husband is Coley Hinson of Coley and the Young Go Hards fame.... plus, he's a producer. And playing the instruments Lilly isn't.
She released an excellent album - Forever - in 2025, and the first single is an absolute earworm. Why this isn't a hit song is BEYOND me. Written by Lilly Hiatt, it's a hard-rocking but country-tinged instant classic.
But my writing style has changed since then. This time, I'm going to start with Kasey Chambers, the Australian country star who wrote and released this song on her 1999 album The Captain, produced by her older brother (and acclaimed producer) Nash Chambers.
The song is spectacular.
For her 2025 album Rhinestone Requiem, Sunny Sweeney covered this song, and it is a FAITHFUL cover.
The cover is spectacular.
So, the one change I made since 2012 is that I endeavor to include live performances for all these songs. For Kasey, I decided to go with a 2011 performance that literally closed her whole US tour, from Dallas and featuring her father, musician Bill Chambers.
Sunny literally uses the song as her encore now.
And, the best part is, she gives full credit.
Now, if only they'd do a performance together! I'm not even sure they've ever met!
It's been a bit since we posted about Olivia Rodrigo, so we felt we were due, since her 3rd album is expected to drop sometime this year.
We went all the way back to the beginning - to 2021, and her debut single (not counting her High School Musical stuff), from her debut album SOUR. The song, co-written by Rodrigo and her producer, Dan Nigro, is mature and drives right into the multifaceted feelings one might feel after a breakup.
The song was a record-breaker - it debuted at #1, making 17-year-old Rodrigo the youngest artists to ever do that (Billie Eilish was younger at #1, but did not debut there). It spent its first eight weeks, in fact, at #1.
It's actually quite a sad song, lyrically. And it's not one that I initially liked, although it's grown on me.
There are so many great performances of this song. I chose her Austin City Limits performance because, well, she is very clear about how much the song means to her.... and also, that's probably the youngest audience in ACL history.
In January, Rodrigo announced a project where other artists would be covering songs from SOUR. Alongside that was this version of "drivers license" by David Byrne.
In 1995, I went to see Throwing Muses in concert in Northampton, Massachusetts. Kristin Hersh was wearing a black t-shirt that said "i hate milk".
A few songs in, she explained her shirt. It was a labelmate of hers, Air Miami - it was a name of one of their songs.
So, naturally, I had to seek it out.
Air Miami was a DC duo comprised of Mark Robinson and Bridget Cross, both formerly part of the trio Unrest. They only lasted from 1994 until 1996, but managed to get this classic song released. Their music was released on Robinson's Teen Beat Records as well as 4AD.
You know, this close to Maple Leaf March, I really shouldn't be doing another French artist, right?
Well, Roméo Elvis - the stage name of Roméo Johnny Elvis Kiki Van Laeken, and yes, that's a really long name - is Belgian, so I guess that makes it OK.
But seriously, he also makes great music.
He was born in a household where the performing arts were important and central - his father is famed singer/songwriter Marka - and yes, I know most of you haven't heard of him, but trust me. His mother is actress and musician Laurence Bibot. I think his sister did something, too.
But he's a talented rapper and producer in his own right, and since I enjoyed this song by an artist I definitely found because of Angèle, I wanted to share it with you.
And yes, he does perform live, and yes, it is entertaining.
LISASINSON is not a band you're going to understand.
They aren't like anything I've ever heard, and yet, also exactly the right kind of bright pop/rock fusion - they call it "punky pop" - I needed.
From Valencia, Spain, the band released their latest album, Desde Cuándo Todo, last month. This is a single from the album, and I think you're going to hear the bright punky pop pretty clearly.
There are actually two versions of the video (the song is remixed here by David Van Bylen and this version also features La Casa Azul).
