#275 - New Artist Ashley Cooke on Finding Success on TikTok + Bobby, Eddie and Lauren Jo Black (Country Now)'s Top Albums of 2020 + Most Common Songs in Christmas in Movies

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Speaker 1: Hey guys, welcome to episode to seventy five. We'll talk to a new artist, Ashley Cook an interesting way that I haven't found her as an artist. I'll talk you about that in a minute. We'll go over our top albums. We'll get on Lauren Black from Country Now because they listed there's and then Eddie and I will be on to give you our our top ones as well. We'll talk about the most common songs and Christmas movies as well. Some of these songs have been in like four movies. Basically as always, let's go with the new music top five. These are all songs that pumped it checking out today. Some I have, some I haven't. Number five Matthew Ramsey of Old Dominion released a new Christmas song which is interesting and I know I was reading his Instagram and they said, hey, I wasn't planning to put this out, but I'm gonna put it out and we're gonna give the money to a charity. What's interesting to me is that he's doing it by himself because they have done no solo projects yet from Old Dominion, and so people are gonna go, wait, are you going solo now or you doing And he's no, no, no, But couldn't you have just made it Old Dominion? That's what I wanted, because no, we gonna know the difference. So I here is Matthew Ramsey, lead singer of Old Dominion with It's Christmas and we're still here, say it's got it in helpferens a sad and ship fool the chance this that's Christmas. We still could have easily made that Old Dominion song. Right, did you think the same thing? I thought it the same thing. I like it. I like him, I like them, I like all that everything I like. I just go one hybrid goes like that emoji and there's probably nothing there. What I make that Old Dominion? I just say next up. Eminem has a new album out called Music to be Murdered By Sigh. I'd be oh, did I miss Music to be Murdered by Sidday? Did that really come out? Yeah? That really came out. Anybody get murdered now? Yet here is a new I didn't know this was coming out. All of a sudden, It's Friday and there's an Eminem record out here? Do you know who's coming out? He hinted at it that he was gonna be dropping it here is black magic. One minute, she'll build me up, the next she'll pushed me around. I'll be watched. She calls me dumbbell. She lifts me up then puts me down. But I am munda thumbnail. I must be on the hospell. It's like looking right and super a gun barrel. But none of these an off. She got that. How old do you think, Eminem s I want to say fifty one? Not that all. He's interesting. But still when you have these you know, the baby and all these two roddy rich you know, I mean, I was like double their age. I wonder how they feel about him because to us, to me, because I'm older than you, man, Eminem. When he came out, it was a cultural phenomenon, and then he was just even respected by other rappers. So first he listen, we're not gonna lie and act like that a white rapper wasn't novel, and he was doing funny songs. That's what put him on the map in mainstream pop music. But the fact that he was also a great rapper, his peers came out and said that made him an artist who could last. You gotta wonder if these young rappers, like all right, Papa like dad rap like move on, or if they're still like, man, he's got it, because I hear that and I'm like, he's still got it. But eminem, there you go. At number four on my List with black Magic, de Blow has a deluxe version of his album Snake Oil. Here is a new song. It's called Horizon. It has Leon Bridges on him yea. At number two, Paul McCartney has a new album called McCartney three. Here's a new song called find My Way and just a side note because another Beatle has a new song called Here's to the Nights Now before we play it, This is a Ringo Star. It includes guest vocals from Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh from The Eagles, Dave Girl, Food Fighter, Cheryl Crow, Lenny Kravitz, Chris Stapleton, Ben Harper, Jenny Lewis, Yola Karim Bailey Ray and Phineas who is the artist producer of Billy English the Brother Yeah Yeah as her brother. Okay, here's Ringo Star song called Here's to the Nights right now, right here, with all those voices on it, You think that'd be a charity song, is it? No? It feels like a weird the world type thing where they're like, we all got together to make money for a cause, but it's like we're trying to make Ringo Richard number one. Nathaniel Ratliffe has a new song called Redemption. It's a new Apple movie called Palmer. It's in the movie yeah, coming up. Yeah. It'll be released on Apple TV January twenty one, and stars Justin Timberlake. I saw listen. I like Nathaniel rat Life. Haven't heard this song yet. I like him a lot. I put him a number one because I'm a fan of his music in general. So what you're gonna play for me? My first time hearing it. But I saw a clip for the just and Timberlake movie looks pretty good. It does look pretty good. What's it? What's it about? It's about he goes to prison and then goes back to his hometown and I think he starts to raising a kid there. So it looks interesting. When you see Justin tip Like acting in a movie, you think, I mean, I almost see him now more as an actor than I do his music, So I like him as an actor. I wanted you to say that first before I did not because I was worried you're gonna judge me because I don't want to affect movie Mike's movie opinion. But yeah, here's Redemption from Nathaniel Ratliffe. Three. There you go. It's gotta be more to it than just that. But I like that you would same words over and over again. Albums out today include Hayley Williams has a new EP called Pedals for Armor self Serenades EP. You would know Hayley Williams from Paramore that's right, and here is a song on there called find Me Here and really Lovely instance will turn an elevator. I was just a dude going up and down elevator, looked like garbage. She got in and recognized her. Didn't tell her what I did. I normally don't strike up a conversation unless it's with a celebrity and I can just judge if they're cool or not, only to tell the story. And I did struck up a little conversation. She was just delightful that Nashville or back in the day in Las Vegas. So I think I lived in Nashville, But um, she lives here now, yeah yeah, has for maybe ever? I think, so yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but I met her in Las Vegas and she was like offering me a phone charger. I don't remember the story now, but I remember it just being see that that goes to show it doesn't matter actually what you do for folks, that's how you make them feel. And I remember her making me feel like she's cool, you know, like that liked her. She's small, though, what are you gonna say? No, I never met her. Okay, it's like you look like you're about to say something. Let's see, black Keys have brothers. The tenth Anniversary Deluxe Edition, Katie Perry dropped a surprising PEA called Cosmic Energy. It doesn't feature any new songs, but it does feature some of her most enlightening and out of this world songs. Et Wide Awake, not the End of the World. Why is it a new EP if it's not new songs, explained to the same thing. I looked at her Instagram and she's like, this is out now, and I look up all the songs like these have all been out before. I guess people are just putting out like kind of collections of their songs basically the greatest hits pretty much and on streaming and used to be download great system. Really, I'm not saying about this, which is in general unless it's a deluxe version. That's mostly how people get away with greatest hits. Now they'll do the same songs, but they'll do a couple of new ones and maybe an old song with an artist coming in to collaborate. Like later on, i'll talk about Caitlin Smith and she put out of the deluxe version of Supernova but on her track launch, but all dominion on the second time she put it out, you know, um curious about I'm sure there's something way more intelligent about that than we know. The only other thing I've heard is people they want their best songs to be shown whenever somebody searches them on a streaming service, So you put a collection like that, but mostly though that happens by the most streamed. That's interesting. I wonder why they did that. I'm sure there's something to it. Drive By Truckers have the new Okay previously released digitally physical formats only. I don't know what that means. Maybe they're they've put it out only where you can now buy it with your hand, got it? Maggie Rodgers two thousand sixteen it's a lot of best of stuff, huh, and then sting duets Vinyl Lonely previously out on CD and digital there he go. So not a lot. I really don't see anything new except Haley Williams about it, music News, the most search concerts Google's year end report number five, BTS online number four Travis Scott Fortnite. I love those Fortnite performances. I don't watch them, but I think it's just genius. Do you still play Fortnight Nope, I haven't been on it months, but the Marshmallow one to me was the first one they ever did on there. I know he made a ton of money and he just did it at his house basically, and you take your character up to write the concert and watch it, but listen to it live. And there's a lot of kids now that only know Travis Scott because of that, because of the Fortnight concert. Yeah, just so smart. Garth Brooks drive in concerts, which he was the first kind of do that, but he wasn't playing. It was a concert video Firefight Australia. I don't know what that is. It was a fundraiser show in Australia. I'm not sure who played it and then Together at Home, which was I think one of those early COVID benefit shows, one of the first ones. Yeah, the concert industry lost thirty billion dollars this year. I have a lot of friends in that industry, not just artists, but also friends who are managers, promoters. And you talk about jobs that just shut down there's nothing to do, that's them. I mean they got hit hard. Is there a comeback for Adele at the Grammys? Could have? They'll launch our new album with the Grammy Awards on January. That's the rumor from Hits Daily Double, which also says that Taylor Swift, Harry Styles Duelipa will be on the show as well, and that the guy's booking it has made nice with Beyonce, so we'll look forward to the Grammys. Megan the Stallion is TikTok's most listen to artist, which is just I'm a Savage. Yeah, that's that song, right, that's it. Scott Staff from Creed will play Frank Sinatra in a movie. It's a movie about Ronald Reagan, and there will be a scene where he gets to perform as Frank. Dennis Quait is playing Ronald Reagan, so Okay, I guess I have real actors, and I thought when I first saw this it was gonna be like celebrity rehab, you know, those kind of celebrities. But Scott stafform good for him, good gig coming back. Mariah Carey's all up for Christmas. You as returned to number one. Police Navida by jose Feliciano has hit the top ten for the first time ever. A lot of people are saying that haven't because Eddie played on our show. That's what. And here the American Honors and Awards winners, Artist of the Year, John Prime, Album of the Year, the High Women, Song of the Year, Crowded Table by the High Women, Emerging Actor, You're the Black Pumas. Finally Runaway June's Naomi Cook is engaged to Martin Johnson. There's your music news, there's your new music. We'll come back talking beost new albums of the year, We'll talk to new artists, actually Cook, we will do movies and which Christmas songs are in the most movies of all time? All that on the way, thank you, on right now. Ashley Cook, Hey, Ashley, Hello, how are you? I'm pretty good? How are you doing today? Doing good. Just packing up for the holidays. What's that? Where are you going? D C? Actually my parents just moved there, so it's gonna be a cold Christmas for sure. Your parents live in d C. Now, I was just reading about you and how you grew up in a list like four different places where you California, Florida, Tennessee and now d C. What's up with that? Yeah? I moved around a lot growing up between my dad's job and being in music. When I was a kid, they moved around to all the time. But they just moved to d C about gosh, like two months ago from Florida, so we kind of like somewhat dune or no, I'm kidding, but Florida is amazing. But do see is gonna be cool to have a white Christmas? So you moved around because you were in music or because your parents were Um, I was in music. My dad's job, he's in corporate, Um, but I was in music when I was a kid. I started playing guitar and singing when I was eleven. My sister and I were got to duo together for a little while, and I've been around music for pretty much my whole life. It feels like, interesting, I didn't know that part. Well. So here's how I found Ashley Cook is that I just literally was stumbling through Instagram and I follow a site country Now, which I think is pretty great side and sometimes I'll look through them, sometimes I won't, but you were doing I think maybe a country Now take over on their Instagram? Is that right? I was, yeah, it was for a lyric video that I put out, and I was like, okay, well, let me see it actually cooks about because really the only way I find music now is sometimes on Instagram, a lot of times on TikTok, but other than that, there's just so much just coming at me. I just don't pay attention to much anymore. And so I was like, let me see what she's about, and I'm like wow. So I look you up and I listen to your music stream it and I'm like, dank, she's pretty good. And then I clicked back through and it's like, who is the one person you'd like to be and be interviewed by? And you said me, and I was like, well, I probably make that happen. And the fact that I thinks she's pretty good works out in both of our favor so dude, that's how I randomly found to you. I'm so happy. And then I didn't talk to you, but I picked all the songs for the women and um Country national show that we do. Amy host it, but I program it, and I and and Mike Be helped me produce it too, And I said, hey, Mike, let's get this actually Ashley cooked song on there. And so who calls you and tells you that you you've been picked for that show? I think it was Mike. Mike, Oh did you mind? Yeah? Oh that's cool? And then what do you think about that? I mean, I was like, are you kidding me? Right now? This is insane? Because the Country Now thing happened like two days before that. I think. I was like, this is so quick, Like what the heck? It wasn't my coincidence. I literally just saw you on there and thought I would add it, so um be and said, I want to find some more out about you. Okay, you cool with talking for a little bit? Hell yeah, let's do it. Hey, let me play a couple of clips here. Here is the song that we play called Jealous of the Sky. You get to the boat sea change all the time. The other day, let the rain out when you feel like you wan't to cry and you'll get to say hello. Well, I gotta say good bye. I'm jealous of the sky. I want to play another clip here. This is Ashley Cook doing Chasing You from Morgan Wallen. Cheers the shot of Bullsky going down, chasing you like a goodbye. So, actually, when you moved to Nashville officially when I was eighteen, I went to Belmont University here in town. Um, so, yeah, I've been here officially about like five years. Now. Did you do it all the Bellmont music stuff? Oh? Hell yeah? I did the Country Showcase? I won that in nineteen You won the showcase I did. Did you go to it? No? I didn't, but I have other friends who have been in it and it's a big deal. Wait, tell our listeners what the country showcases that Belmont? Yeah? So basically they highlight students at Belmont that I love to do music. They have different kinds of genres, so they have like the Country Showcase, they have the Rock Showcase, they have the Pop Showcase. But they do four students compete each year and if you win, you're amongst other alumni like Florida Georgia Line and Brad Paisley that have also won a showcase. So you play in front of like three thousand people at the Curb Event Center. It's it's nuts, it's so much fun and it's all student ran um and it's it's one of the best ways to like cap off your senior year. And you won that. Huh. I did what would you play? What? Um? Actually? Yeah, the so you do two original songs and a cover. At the time, I was like trying to figure out if I even really wanted to do music full time because I've been in it my whole life, um, And so I picked two songs out of nowhere because I don't even think I was going to be able to make it into the showcase. And when I did, it was like, you have two weeks to figure out what songs you're gonna do. So I did too songs that I had written when I was like fifteen that I was like, well, I guess this is something I can do. And then I did the cover of Marion Morris is the Middle and it was dope. The entire crowd was like jumping up and down to It was so much fun, and you competed against three other folks, are any of them you know in town still trying to make it in music? Actually, yeah, f'n fact. So one of them is Patrick Murphy who is now signed to Sony atv Um. One of them to Listen Newton, who was on song Land, the TV show. And then the other act was Tiger Lily, who's also in the six one five House now, which is another like TikTok thing that I do. So we all met through the showcase and now we're still working together with that, so which is interesting because I'll see that pop across my TikTok feed sometimes. So the six one five House, tell everybody what that is before I ask you a bunch of questions about it. Yeah. So the six one five House is basically a country music hype house that I started with my friend Chris Rudiger about three months ago, when it's already at six hundred thousand followers are almost ex hundred thousand followers, and so basically we all get together at a house here in Nashville and just make TikTok's and just make content to cross collaborate, and we saw people loving country music, people collaborate on TikTok and figured we'd make a whole or deal out of it, so that that was a six five house. That's how I was born. Now, whose house is it in? It's the same house every time. It's called the East Ivy Mansion. It's in East Nashville. Um, it's not our house, but they let us use it because they're awesome and people the same house every time. No nobody lives there. I promised you didn't say that, because I think people think that we lived there, but no nobody lives there. Do you act like you lived there, because I would. I mean, we kind of just like don't talk about it because I think want people to assume when we live there, but people we don't live there. So I think that in the new year, we're hoping to like actually get a house so we can all live at and hang in. What is this house's benefit to let you guys come and hang out and make videos? Are you paying them at all? Um? I mean I think we started to recently, um. But to start out, I think it was just during COVID. It was a wedding venue and they just really weren't getting much business because of COVID because obviously nobody could gather, and so they were like, hey, you know, we love the entrepreneurial minds behind this idea, and we'd love to post y'all for a few months to let you guys kind of get on your feet with this idea. And they were, I mean, they were awesome about it. But now I think because I think wedding season is kind of taken back up and people are more leaning on everything. Um, we're having to pay to be in there, but you can follow it on to talk at Is there any jealousy in the group whenever someone's featured a little more than others, Not at all weirdly enough, and not even just like the politically correct answer, like genuinely everybody is so supportive and hyped each other up. And if we put out original stuff on TikTok, or if we put out cool videos like doet me videos, we text in the group chat and everybody's like, hey, yeah, I'll hop on there and duet with you. And I think because Chris and I just take such a diverse group of people that we didn't really want that competitive nature. But everybody's genuinely so supportive of everybody in the house, so it's we got lucky. I've met a couple of folks I think in the house, like a before Priscilla Block got a record deal. She was up here. Is she part of the six House? Was she? Yeah? Yeah she was. Yeah. We're kind of just grabbing a bunch of different artists to try like different things with um. But she was. Yeah. I think she was a part of one of the first weekends that we did it, which was super fun. She actually was at the house filming with us the night before just aboutever you drop so cool what Thomas Mack wrote a song with him once, I believe. Yeah, he's awesome. He's crushing it on TikTok To. He's like super funny. Oh he's such a good bul He's definitely like the house like hype man, like funny guy. Okay, okay, let me see here, let me see what um. Let's see Cooper Allen. If you know Cooper Allen. No, I'm looking at the list here. I don't really know anybody else, but I'm sure I will. Hell yeah, are you the boss? I mean Chris and I are technically the bosses. What we like to think it was as a collaborative project but of all the country music artists that have deals that are known, who do you think is killing it on TikTok right now? Oh gosh, that's such a hard question. Um. I mean my friend Lily Rose is crushing at her something. Oh, come on, we're talking about artists that people like Morgan Wall and like artists that have that are already have mass appeal. Tiger maybe a big deal eventually, but right now we're waiting on her. However, who is the big ones? You see and go Dan. They're doing a good job even though they're not really as on it as they should be. Man, that's a hard question. I mean, Morgan always presses it. He's just great with that stuff. But I know, like Luke Bryan's on on TikTok quite a bit doing like dances and stuff, Thomas Rasman crushing it, um, just to name a few. Yeah, so like that's a struggle. I don't know either. I asked you because I didn't know, and I'm on it. Luke, Luke does some okay stuff. Actually showed Luke the first time we were doing American I altogether. I was like here TikTok. He's like, what is that? I was like, look, I'm putting on you. He's like, what the crap? But okay, and I know Kelsa Kelsey killed it too. Yeah, Kelsey does good. That's a good one, Mike. When you agree Kelsey's good, over, there's a good one. Who else would you say, Mike? I mean Morgan Wall and he popped on there every now and I popped off on TikTok. That's how, you know, Seven Summers launched on Instagram right with the work tape and then really thrived on TikTok TikTok yep. Yeah, yeah. Well actually it's crazy that to see, like how the country music community has just been blowing up on siktok, Like different songs like Villain and like just about over You and songs like that have just completely blown up because of that app So it's really cool. Okay, Well what's happening with so much new music? It's crazy. Um. Actually I'm still unsigned. I'm waiting just for the right deal, but I'm in the studio. Just finished up a couple of songs with c M A Song of the Year winner Jimmy Robbins, who did like the Bones for Mary Morris and pretty much like so many songs in the country music community, so I'm blessed to get to work with him. But I'm putting my first song out in February and I'm pumped. It's gonna be a cool year. I don't know how it's really gonna talk to any twenty. I mean, it's been a rough, interesting but also really cool year with music, and I'm like, what just sucks? We'll see, Oh yes, the attitude of an artist. What if it gets worse? Um at the Ashley Cook on TikTok and Instagram that's Ashley and then Cook with an e at the end the Ashley Cook with an e A s l e y A lot of extra ease here have throwing me off at the Ashley A s h l e y Cook CEO. Kay, alright, Ashley, we'll go to talk to you. Congratulations on pretty solid end of the year and best of luck to you. And I'm feeling that I'll be talking to you again probably pretty soon. That means the real Thank you so much for supporting me, Bobby. I really appreciate it. She is all right, Ashley, have a good day you too. For now is Lauren Joe Black from Country Now You may know her from such things as our show and our podcast or Country Now, hil Hey are you I'm good? I'm good. Are you're good? I'm good? Well, I have you on because I saw an article on Country now dot com, which I'm a you know, I'm such a big fan of Hey, Michael, you put in the Ashley interview before after this before it. Okay, So here's what happened, Lauren, we have We had Ashley Cook on talking a minute ago. You familiar with her? Yes, yeah, we premiered her lyric video recently boom. That's how I know who she is. That's how she got on this podcast. I was on Country Now she was doing that lyric video premiere, but she was also answering questions and I was flipping through and I was like, huh, And then I went to check out our music. We added to the Female National show just interviewed her for this. Look at what you're doing, Lauren, You're changing lives. That's amazing. I have clout now like I can say that you discovered someone on our Instagram and that's absolutely true, and it got national airplay because of your Instagram. So yeah, Anyway, what you wanted to share that. But you're good. Everything's good. Everything's good. Just try to survive through the rest of waiting on hopefully better days ahead. So, yeah, I got the vaccine today. If you got yours yet? No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. We all got it. Yeah, you mean you mean they didn't come to you. They said they were getting everybody up, just a normal person. I'm you know, I'm just kidding. We don't have it. But since we are talking about the end of the year. Uh, you guys put out an article. Heck you may have written this yourself, but the top ten best country albums? Now, how does this list? You can give me some insight on how it came together? Is this you, Lauren Joe Black putting this list together? Is it a mixture of folks? How's that going? Well? This one was a mixture. So I run country now pretty much a one woman band, as I like to say, But every now and then for things that take a little bit more time and research, I have some freelancers that I use, um, just some writers here in Nashville. So this one was actually written by Karina, who's one of our freelancers. She and I spoke back and forth and kind of came up with the list, and then she wrote all the blurbs to kind of describe the albums and why they made the cut for this list. Very good. We're gonna go ten through one at a moderately rapid pace, not extremely rapid, but ten through one at Number ten best country albums according to Country Now is Luke Bryan's Born Here, Live Here, Die Here. I believe that's number one. Well, these weren't necessarily ranked ten to one. You can kind of just look at the list and these are just ten that we think are didn't necessarily rank them. So can she rank them now? Yeah, I'm gonna need her rank at least the top three. She's going to do a negative answer. Okay, So Coarena sent them to me ranked ten to one. So if you start in her opinion, Luke Bryan's was number ten. No, what on my list? Luke Bryan's number one? Well, I guess you guys don't see eye to eye know that here is the list, the list I got from your site. The list, but we didn't rank them. I'm so confused. Okay, we're gonna do Okay, do you see all them there? Lauren in front of you. Which one did you like the least at number ten? You're really putting me on the spot here. They're all great albums, and people like to hear what you really really think. We didn't put you on to read us something from a side. We put you on because you have wonderful insights and opinions. Okay, Well, my personal favorite is Luke's just because I've always been a huge fan of his and I like that, you know, his stuff is radio friendly but also just stuff that I would want to listen to, So there's like a good mixture, whereas some of the albums are more like like Brett Eldert is Sunday Drive, like it's not necessarily like radio super radio friendly, but artistically it's a really good album, a number one. So it just kind of depends on how you look at it. Know, we're looking at it your way. I'm tired of all in my way. Luke Bryan's number one of her of these top ten for her. All right, there you go. What's next up, Lauren? You're really putting me on the spot, Bob, Yeah, that's what I do. Okay, So next up, I would say Kip More because again this album is artistically Kip more Wild World is so good, and I just I have so much respect for him because he's just one of those people that I think of is like a true artist, like he lives and breathes music, and I think that that would be my number two. Hey, Mike, turn it up. What song is this? She's Mine? Here is She's Mine? From this album? I tell you Hammer on the head of the Nail with Kip, that guy is all music. And you know, Kip and I are buds. But Kevin Eddie, You're good bud dude. We text all the time and he's intense about his music. That's the only fights we've ever gotten into. Correct, not about personal life stuff for our opinions about it's just music. Yeah. My favorite from that album is South Paul. I love that song so much and I feel like it's just it's who he is in that song, and I just I love it. Your number three album, Lauren, Goodness, come on, you got you got this? Okay? Um. I'm good to put Gabby Barrett in there because I think that for being a new artist and what she came up with on this album was really good. And it kind of teetered between country music and Christian music because she you know, it's real big about her faith and she included that on the album and I applaud her for that because I feel like as a debut album, a lot of people wouldn't have done that. And so I'll put I'll put Gabby there. You know, this song massive maybe once Charlie Pooth got on. It was already a big country song, but then when it crossed over to Poppa got all those extra pop streams and became I think the biggest stream song of the year. Um as her first single, what is that might be trying to play with the Charlie pooper, Well, I started screaming from home, we got a phone in our house, um, you know, So that was that. That was massive. But then she came with that second song that's out now, which is Caitlin's favorite song. That's that one the good Ones. He's one of the Good Ones, which is a really strong follow up. And I think she would have gotten more praise and acclaim if it wasn't her first song and she wasn't for American Idol, Like if it was her second song, it had been winning every award period, but the fact that it was our first song. When people still like, who is she? What's she doing? Oh, she's an American idol. You know that whole thing. I wouldn'tay it was held against her, but it was definitely something that affected the impact of people going dank. She just crushed because she did crush it. She annihilated it. So, okay, there you go. What's next, Lauren, I'm gonna go with Hardy a rock. You know what I do is I I just talked for a while to give Lauren a chance to pick her next one. So that's why I did a whole little little talk to I go ahead, a party, go ahead. Okay. Well, you know it's like Hardy was a songwriter first, and I don't know that people really knew what to expect from this album, but I think it goes pretty deep, like before, deeper than I imagined that it would. I mean, of course, like we have one beer and um. The other song that I really love from that project is the Ashland Craft collaboration. I love her, I think she's amazing. I love that he has her on there, and then the title track two is just so good. Um, So I think that that was kind of like a surprise for me how much I liked that album all right, and this one beer song caught me. It's so catchy. It's so catchy. Ye okay, next up? Oh goodness, Um well, I guess you can't. Really, it would be wrong to put Stapleton anywhere else, like any below this, So we're going with Chris Stapleton. I know you love dogs. I have to know if you cried when you heard is it Maggie? Yes? I did, I did. I cried multiple times on that record, but the emotional, most emotional one was Maggie song. Because I'm a big dog guy. That one's so good. And you know what's crazy to me is is like when I first heard the title track starting Over, I thought that he had written it about but it's just crazy because I feel like it has this message that can be applied to right now. But he actually wrote it before the pandemic even started, and I just think that's a little bit crazy that he was able to come up with something that's so fitting for right now. But um, I love that song and I feel like it's just a message that everyone can use during these times. It is the chance, it's how about the song of the Vegas shooter. That's another one that made me emotional, but in a different way. Yeah, yeah, a little angry. Yeah, alright, Next on, Lauren, Okay, next one, I'm looking at my list. Okay, Ashley McBride. Um. I love what she did leading into the album, how she did the like trilogy of music videos and kind of told this cool story. And you know, she had a lot to live up to. I feel like, you know, with her second album, and she definitely delivered um without a doubt. And I just think she's the person everyone loves, you know, she's just like the best friend, Like she's the girl you want to hang out with, you know. And this album, UM definitely like took her to the next level. I would say I agree with that. Let's play a clip as Laura picks our next record. There's only four left. These are all the ten biggest, though according to Country Now, we made her read ranked the ten biggas unfairly, but she started at one, right. Yeah. The whole thing has been a little off, however, because we unfairly did this to her as well. But that's what we like to do. The Laurens. We put her on you always put me on the spot. That's right, Okay, next up, Um, next, I'll go with Brothers Osborne. This just these guys are just amazing and I feel like, you know, we didn't have live shows this year. This album, like Karenna put it perfectly when she wrote about this, is that it was basically a live show in an album. And I don't think I could say it any better than that. So I'll put Brothers Osborne in that spot. All right, there you go. It's Skeleton three left, Lauren's Top ten, Lauren, what's next? Okay, I'm looking at the list here, trying to rank them in my head. Okay, Um, I'll bu Ingrid Ingrid and dressed uh lady like Um. I will say I wasn't sure what to expect from her. I saw her live in February for the first time before everything shut down, and I really liked I'm so glad I had that chance because seeing her personality kind of come out in a live show made me like her even more. And um, the way that she writes songs like I wouldn't necessarily say this is like super super country music some of it whatever people's definition of that is these days. But I'll put Ingrid there in that spot you have to less you have number nine? What's coming to a number nine? Number nine? Brett Eldredge Sunday Drive. I feel like he definitely took a risk with this because this isn't full of like radio hits, like radio friendly, at least in my opinion. But you know, we had heard kind of like similar songs from Brett again and again on the radio, and he really, I don't know, like I said, he took a risk with this. It's not really what fans were used to hearing from him. So I applaud him for that and not creating like the same music again and again just for the sake of getting radio hits. And the number ten record is Lee Bryce Hey World, And I feel like Lee is one of those artists that I feel like Billy Currington is kind of like this too, Like they have a lot of hits and you don't really realize until you sit down and look at their catalog and you're like, wow, they have so many songs that I know, you know, and um Lee has continued that. I feel like with this album, he definitely again took some risks. Some things are a little bit different sounding than what people are used to, but it's a really good project and the title track, um Hey World definitely made me cry, and the video to it made me cry. And when music moved you like that, I feel like it needs to be recognized. So Lee will come in number ten. Now I'm going to ask you, aside from this list, what was your favorite record of the year period? You mean not on this list at all? I mean, listen, it can be on the list. We'll do that even if it is. And then what's one that the list missed? Do you think that was hard? I mean, I love sdam Hunt and south Side. I just feel like that was such a difficult album to go into because there was already, like you already knew most of the songs, you know, because it had been so long since his first album, and I think there was like half of the track list was already released by the time the album came out, So I kind of feel like that went against him in a sense. But I am obsessed with the song two thousand sixteen. I listened to it all the time, and um, I just think south Side is a good album that didn't make the cut, But that'll be my choice. And I'm gonna get to mind later on, and that's one of my favorites of the year. That's on my list me too. I mean I would have put it on my top ten for sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I listened to two thousand sixteen more times than I'm willing to publicly admit, because I just I'm obsessed with that song. I just think it's so good and I feel like people have kind of pinned him into being this like pop country guy in that song. Just I don't think people would expect that from him, you know. So how about this, because I don't want toybody to steal anybody's answer, And we'll wrap up this part of the the interview with this. I want to say who had the best? And on the count of three, I'll go one to three. Everybody say the artist, me, Lauren, and Eddie who we think had the best. Doesn't want to influence anybody else because there have to be someone who released like a mainstream album or just there are no rules, are no less I'm ready except you're ready except country music, county music. Oh I'm ready, Okay, Eddie, let me know when you're ready. Oh my goodness. The best? Which artists had the best twenty. Just let me when you're ready, all right, one, two, three? I mean I would have gotten Morgan, and I thought a little harder about it. Okay, you go first, why Dolly Parton? Okay, Well, first of all, this woman is about to turn seventy five years old and she's everywhere. I have literally seen her on every podcast, magazine cover everything. She helped fund the vaccines that is going to save the world, and she sends my children books every month in the mail. I mean, there's no one better than her. And I don't know how she is. I mean what she started out the year with that viral meme and basically has this Christmas album. Oh the meme where it was like this is me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yes, it's pretty amazing and on that a lot of people didn't realize she teased her Christmas album that hadn't even been announced yet because she was wearing a sweater that said Holly Dolly Christmas and yes it's I'm just saying, Dolly wins because the vaccine. She's been everywhere, She's getting more press than any artist anywhere, and um, she released her Christmas album and everyone loves it so I'm not going to disagree. I think it's a great I'm gonna go Morgan Wallen because first of all, he has blown up. Him and Luke Combs arguably are dominating the format and streaming. Not arguably they are, but it's which one do you like the best? Now? Of those two, people are comparing them all the time. They're not the same. Love both of them equally, like to say that on record. Um, he had controversy, but where nobody got hurt, which is the best controversy because he blew up. I saw him on an E News Instagram feed and I was like, that's how you know people are hearing about you whenever you're he is a hardcore country music artist and he's popping up on the feed because of making our girls on TikTok, having to get kicked off stut in that live, getting to go back, but putting out great music. People love them, extremely talented. I'm going Morgan Wallen Best twenty twenty. And he made up with all those girls and didn't get COVID either. He didn't get killed that yeah, that's true. And he had a baby and its right, yeah and I listen, Yeah, And he had a hell of a year he did. I got a big eddie. Oh mine stupid now I say old Dominion because of Meal Mix me. I mean he started off with that pretty dumb. But still, guys, it's in the middle of a pandemic and you had a meal Mix song come out and do pretty good, like people actually bought that. Not bad and then awards shows were really weird, but man, they dominated award shows. They were still I remember specifically there's but when they came out and think it was the c M a's early pandemic and and they came out was it a c MS, It doesn't matter, but they came out first and it was one of the first, like you know, they did a mash up of all their hits and I thought, man, like this is it hits me hard because we miss music oh much. In the mix of their songs like really got me. Got me really sad that we're not able to watch live music at that point. And I just feel like they had a really good year that they took on the pandemic pretty good and they stayed on top. A pretty dumb though, but yeah, still pretty good. They did have a good year. They did have a good year. They also wrote an entire album in the middle of this. Yeah, they went to a studio in North Carolina and just lived. Yeah yeah cool. Didn't know that. But thank you at Lauren Joe Black. Right, that's your personal at Lauren Joe Black, that's my personal Yes, go to a follow Country Now on Instagram. Go to country Now dot com. Lauren, thank you for your time. As always, we love talking to you. You may be our most frequent guest. Mike is she almost frequent guests? I think at this point, yes, her, maybe Hambridge. Yes, I get the award for the most frequent guest. There's no word. Okay, don't be checking your mail, all right, Lauren goo to talk to you. Happy holiday's Merry Christmas and we'll see Thank you everyone. Merry Christmas. There she is Lauren Joe Black. Bye bye. Let's roll down our top five albums quick stupid. I'll do mine at number five. We can just do five five. I have five, yes, and I think Mike d said that we had maybe one or two the same or whatever. This one on at number five. It's Bobby Bones and the Raging Gideo. It's live and Little Rock. Come on, it's our comedy record. This says the Target song pancing a Red shirt on, don't go shopping at Target with Khaki pancing a red polo shirt on. I guess you're right in an age where we don't really listen to a lot of album albums. You know, I did listen to this one quite a bunch. You're on it right, Why number five? There you go at number four, I put, oh, year five, go ahead, Oh my five is going to be the weekend after hours. I did not expect to like the weekend, but I do like blinding lights. So I did a little bit of research when this came out, and I said, let me just listen to this whole album. Dude. The guy has a phenomenal voice. The music has a similar kind of just chill feel to the whole album, and I love it, just his background music while I'm doing stuff, cooking the kitchen whatever. I really like this album. It's funny you bring up the weekend because we were in the car and in California. We're out there a few days, I guess two weeks working on a couple of shows, and I asked Mike d and Caitlyn said, you think the weekend has just die hard fans say, because I don't ever hear anybody lists The Weekend as a favorite artist and there, and I was like, yeah, of course, Mike, what did you say. I'm sure he does. He does. I mean he was really big underground before he got super famous, so he has die hard fans. I'm sure he does at the level he is. I just don't I don't ever meet anybody that's like, you know who my favorite artist is The Weekend. To me, it feels like he's just a guy got a bunch of hits on the radio. I couldn't tell you what he looks like. All right, Number four, I have Caitlyn Smith's Supernova and here's the song. Well, our boss is looking at me right as the freaking window. What do you want? We'll be done in like five minutes. We're sorry, We're making We're sorry, making you look good, trying to make the company money. Was he distracting you? He's staying there staring me in the window. Was a coffee cup? Alright? Number four, Caitlin Smith's Supernova. This is I can't with old dominion on the deluxe version. Is that popping you guys? Yes? That clip is right? Yeah, you can shut that down, but it's really good. Check it out, Eddie. Number My Number four is Kane Brown mix Tape number Volume one. Uh, dude, that whole album is really really good. It's it's a side of cane that I just really didn't. I love this song. I mean this song is a jam, but they all are really good. Like he didn't put out bad songs? No, And is this considered the greatest hits because there are a few songs in there, I don't know. I mean they're obviously greatest hits, the great se songs you all on that well, I know, but it's mix tapes, so I don't know what that just He put new songs the mix tapes, not greatest hits. Okay. I didn't know what that meant. So I was like, I don't know if I just missed all these songs like unplugged Dude, the instruments like Drinker. I like it's number four. At number three for me is Sam Hunts Outside. This is my favorite song on it called let It Down, Come On Baby, let it Down, let it Down, let it This record is so good that it came out peak early pandemic when we were like, are we dying, but we didn't only pay attention to music, and then I didn't even start listening to it until three or four months later. I put it on the basketball court and I was like, wow, every song is good. Let me go back and here again it's great. But like Lauren Joe said, yes, we had already known kin Folks and all that, like early early on, and then it's on the album again. I don't think that hurt the album. I thought that was even better. That's what made me go back and listen to the album. Yeah, what do you have at three number three? Oh my gosh, this is so good and no one's gonna like it except me. But Jimmy Buffett put out song I'm kidding, I just kidd's stop it. So back in the day, like when Jimmy was at his prime, he released his greatest hits called Songs You Know by Heart, and it had Margueritaville and you know Volcano and fins and changes in Latitudes, all the really big songs that Jimmy had. And now he released Songs you Don't Know by Heart and it's a bunch of songs really that got no love. And the reason I love this album is because if you follow him on Instagram, his daughter would interview him every week and it's just amazing. He sat, he sat in his little office with his acoustic guitar, and his daughter will be like, okay, Dad, here's a song called tin Cup Chalice, like what was this about it? And he goes off and tells it's like Grandpa telling the story of like, oh man, when I lived in Key West and they were so these stories are so intriguing, and that was Jimmy. He lived these stories and then turn him into a three minute song. And that's what this whole album is, all these songs that he grew up that got no love back in the Day's pretty cool. That's pretty cool. Thank you man. My number two and my number one they were so close. I would have been one in one, but I don't want to be a loser like that because I get irritating people do that. I know I know which one one of them is. What Chris Stables, Yeah, for sure, I'll just put it at two since you've already revealed that one, even though I'm so torn even now, and I know that's on your list because when I go to your house sometimes it's just plain. It's such a good records like is anyone Home? No, but Chris is on the speaker just so good. Okay, I'll put this in to Chris Stapleton's starting over. This is that Jam Maggie song which Lauren talked about. It's great, this is all good time. I love that guy too. All right. Number two for you, Sam Hunt, It's outside we already talked about. Uh So this one, I think, I mean just out of all of them. Again, dude, all these songs to me are the there the background music that I play at my house, and I just if I liked the way it all sounds, I love the album, and so to me, this whole album is just I think it's one of the best that Sam's put out, the best that Sam's put out so far. Give me number one. All right, you're gonna hate me on this one, but Folklore Taylor Swift gonna hate you. I love this album. Why would I hate Because I feel like, oh, I think this is but I think this is a Taylor record that I would probably like the most of all of her because it's chill, because it's kind of music I like. Well, that's what I like about it. I feel I find defending yourself. No one is said, Mike, what's wrong with him? I don't know. No, Neither one of us said he's so defensive? Are you guys? Deep inside? You guys hate that? I love this this album Okay, good A lot of people do. I love it, and I love that she collaborated with Bonnet Bonnever how do you pronounce that dude's name? Okay, so there's a collaboration with Air with him on there. I just feel like for years Taylor was forced in some kind of way to make music, which I'm sure she liked. But this, to me, I think this is what Taylor's always wanted to put out, this kind of music. And I guess she is this Taylor label now like she this is just she has all control for her songs. But I think she had that for a while. You think she's under label now too, is she? I feel like I feel like now Taylor is making music the way she would love to make it, because it's because kind of like Lauren Joe said about I don't know who she said, who wasn't really not a lot of oh Brett Eldridge about not a lot of radio hits. This isn't radio friendly music, but that's why I love it. This is satellite, do you Mike? Yeah? So yes, this is my number one. I can't get enough of it. Good. I don't defend your I see the way you're looking at I'm not looking at Mike. I don't don't look at me like that. Finally, my number one. Do you have a guess? Um? You're number one? No? The Food Fighters put an album what Brett Eldridge Sunday? This is called the One You Need. This is Brett m oh No. He's been doing that forever, dude, But this music is different than any of his other music. I love this record. It's my most listened to of the year. I stampled it came out later, so that's why it kind of differentiated to me. It's great, great record. Do you listen to music in your shower? You know there's a radio on my shower? Do you use it? Here's what happens though, every time I turn it off, it's resets itself with like eighty one point one or that jazz music. No, it's the first number on the spectrum, So then I got to go find a station every time. And it's not digital digital. So you don't take your phone or anything in the shower. Will you shower or anything? Oh dude, that's my favorite time to listen to music while a shower. Also, have the dumbest shower. Have you seen my shower? It's black and it's like a space machine. Oh that's your shower. I thought that was like a tanning bed or something. That's what it looks like. The guy that built the house that we live in now just a weirdo. It's a weirdo. You've been spending the last eight months trying to unwird the place. But the mirrors in your bedroom no, okay, because that would be weird. No, I got a ceiling. Yes, you know what. My dad bought a house one time. The side note, my dad bought a house one time with a two way mirror, you know the ones where like somebody in the other room can watch and he's just like, this is crazy. Why would someone have this? Why did they? And what do you do with it? Who knows? My dad would just flip houses. So you bought a house and you gotta check this out, like, oh my goodness, who had that? That's creepy? I know. Weird people, man, all right, there you go, Eddie, thank you. Hey. Eddie's on a podcast called The Sore Losers Man. It's sports podcast, but three dudes talking about our lives, me raying lunchbox and we love doing it and check it out if you like it. Funny thing about that, and a fun fact is they do when you guys do that show. People don't know this. You're all three nude, yes, but naked, and that's what we feel more comfortable that way. It's just like all out there, all right, there you go. It's not true. When we recorded this part of the episode, it is December seventeen, so we're getting close to Christmas. I mean, if you hear this after Christmas, probably won't be that exciting to you because it's a very Christmas centric segment on the Bodycast. But what I'm gonna do is talk about the Christmas songs and the number of movie's they've been in. For example, at number ten in fifty six movies according to IMDb is have yourself, I'm married a little Christmas. Here you go your soul, O merry little Christmas. You gotta think too. Let's your that the songs that aren't public domain, the songs that are still making money if they're at all these movies, these people are still getting paid. If I say one of them that this public domain, let me know, because isn't the law the rule, like eighty years. I'm not sure the exactly years. I can look it up. Yeah, look it up. If someone were to ask me on the spot, I would say it's around eighty years once it's published, meaning this is a song we wrote, we are submitting it as a song to be compensated for. After eighty years or so, what's the number years? Yeah, Okay, after ninety five years, it becomes free. Everybody can have it. Yeah, I'd be curious to know what songs were written nine years ago though, So it's everything from nine three to nineteen seventy seven. But it doesn't make sense. Seven. It makes sense as we listened to Christmas music, so it had to be something in before years ago and before. But there really weren't big songs written, like popular songs that were on the radio until you know, around the time now. So at number ten, have Yourself a Better Christmas? Fifty six movies. At number nine, The Dance of the Sugar Plump Ferry, The Nutcracker Sweet at fifty seven movies. That this thing could have written a hundred years ago. No, no, no no, I know this melody, but I don't know. If you played it, I would know for sure that was the Nutcracker. There are certain songs you just know because you hear them, and the ones without words the hardest to find out because you can't really google. What's the one that goes done? Dune Dune, Dune, Dune, Mind Mind at number eight, Hark to Harold Angels Sing sixty eight movies, Hark the Hair Dan Jessing, Glory to the Newborn Kids. That one's got to be over a hundred years old. And Mercy number seven. We Wish You a Merry Christmas eighty four movies. We Wish you a Merry Christmas. We Wish You Christmas. Now we're getting to the part where pretty much every Christmas movie has to have the song in it or it's not a real Christmas movie at number six. Joy to the World at nine different movies, To the World the Lordest and that is Nat King called. Now that we're about to get into number five, I think to yourself, if you're listening to this, have the little quiz competition. What do you think the number one most used Christmas songs in movies? Think about movies? You know what? For me? I think of Home Alone. I think at the Santa Claus and White Christmas. But I'm gonna tell you right now, didn't he make the top five in the Home Alone in Santa Claus? Also that same version by up up uh yeah. Number five, appearing in one hundred and thirty one movies, the Christmas song Deck the Halls, Deck falls with bottles of holly falla la la la la la la la kiss the season to be jolly Fallo la la la la, la la la la. We Now I gave one of these I have a big disagreement with, and I'll tell you why. Coming up in a second, because the category is here are the Christmas songs? One of these songs, I'll thinks Christmas song the same thing. Number four Ava Maria or Ave Marie. I don't know how to say that is it's girl. Ava. Number three is Silent Night, appearing in two hundred and fifty four movies, Ohly Night, Oh Cold. Number two is to want to have a problem with, because it's in two hundred and nine movies. A very significant number. But again the category is Christmas Songs by year, and at number two they had that New Year's Eve song allD lengths in in Shuli be Pine, stupid and shoot, I don't even know this version of it. Here we go. That's some of them. Melia know that's not a Christmas song. That's three to be I pull that garbage down again, not be da. And then there's TV says Happy New Year, except when you're in Central time zone, it happen an hour earlier, and they're just playing a replay back for you again. And now your friends are like yeah, and you're all like, man, that's kind of fine, but not as fun as we thought, unless it's you're like, damn, we can't even have a party, unless we had a secret party that we didn't tell anybody about, and we said don't post anything on Instagram because we don't want to get all the social social on social media. Heat. All right, that's number two. Your number one Christmas song has appeared in three hundred and seventy three movies. A few songs ago, I said, what do you think it is? Hopefully if you pick Santa Claus is Coming to Town, you would be wrong because it wasn't even close. It is jingle bells through the snow, all the fields we go. I've been all the bells, Megan Spirits BRD. What fun it is to run sing the slam song to jingle bells? What do you think is the most Christmas song? The most in your mind? What's the most Christmas song? I mean, I think it has to have Santa Claus. And when it comes to mind, is Santa Claus is coming to town? To you? That's the most makes me think of Christmas? Is it? Um? It's a couple of versions. There's said Claus is coming, like like the Jackson five versus. So when I think of, yeah, that specific, very specific one about you. I think it has to have the word Christmas in the title. For me, And at first I think a white Christmas. But I think we wish you a merry Christmas more so than white Christmas. I feel like we wish your merry Christmas been around for a hundred years. I feel like white Christmas is probably six year seventy. I have no idea, but I feel like that we wish you and marry Christmas was saying by people in goofy old and colonial clothes. So for me, I would say the most Christmas song ever is we Wish Him? Yeah, we wish you good Tidings made brand. Yeah. What's this that Trans Siberian Orchestra. I saw them once a concert. They were awesome. People hate on them too. Do you ever see transporting orchestra? Ever been to a Christmas concert? Never been to a Christmas con. I've been to two transsepparting orchestra, which is fantastic. And I went to watch Harry Conna junior do Christmas songs and I was living in Austin. What do you think my review of that will be terrible? Because I've never heard you talk about it. It was so freaking good. Is awesome? Yeah? He said it was him and a piano. It was like, um, but the Performing Arts Center on the UTU campus, uh, frank growin as a smaller theater. But it was amazing. And I think I just thought it was a Harry Conna junior concert at first, and then it was all Christmas songs. Yeah. I went to Brett Eldridge's Christmas show. It was great last year. Brett's a friend and I just went up because he was like, hey, I'm playing here, and I was off on vacation by myself, and I was like, I'll just fly over and went and watched Joe. We hung out that night and flew back home. But that's a good concert too. I mean, he is the guy that is setting himself up for work at Christmas for the next twenty five years. If he keeps on with the hits or doesn't, he can continue touring that Christmas show and glow. His Christmas record is maybe my favorite contemporary Christmas music. All right, enough Christmas for you here on this side. But we put this in the end of the show for a reason. Some people may not even wanted to hear this if they're listen to this in January or February. But there you go. Those are the Christmas songs by year, and robbe not the year, but the number of movie appearances. There you go. Thank you,