1. "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy" – Big & Rich
With this song, the duo of Big Kenny and John Rich officially ushered in a new rock-oriented sub-genre of country music to the mainstream. Without them we wouldn’t have the big hard-rock riffs mixed with fiddles and steel guitars.
2. “Man of Me” – Gary Allan
Listen to this song and hear classic rock rhythms and hard rock guitars come together to create a modern country masterpiece.
3. “Smoke A Little Smoke” – Eric Church
Eric’s whole albums incorporate more hard rock into the melody than perhaps any other artist not named Aldean. “Smoke A Little Smoke” is a good example of this, where the ‘loud’ doesn’t really come until the end of the first verse and chorus.
4. “Boots On” – Randy Houser
From the very beginning of the tune the rock guitars and kick drum drive the song and Randy comes off like a country rocker in the tradition of Ronnie James Dio. Add an insanely fun music video and it’s easy to see how this was Randy’s breakthrough hit.
5. “She’s Country” – Jason Aldean
It’s quite possible that this song about southern women like a ‘bad mamajama from down in Alabama’ would’ve gotten big airplay on rock radio if recorded by a band like 3 Doors Down. That alone means this massive #1 hit deserves to be the mid-point in this list.
6. “Gunpowder & Lead” – Miranda Lambert
One thing’s for sure after listening to this one and “Kerosene” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfirend,” Miranda Lambert is country music’s resident bad-ass and she’s definitely not a woman you wanna double cross, something Blake Shelton certainly is aware of.
7. “Backwoods” – Justin Moore
This song is rockin and it’s an anthem for those down-home, party hard guys and girls everywhere. It may not have hit #1 but it makes for a great part of a party mix.
8. Country Must Be Country Wide – Brantley Gilbert
The writer of Jason Aldean’s #1 hits “My Kinda Party” and “Dirt Road Anthem”, Brantley Gilbert is one of country’s up-and-comin’ artists and certainly has his own style. He co-wrote this tune with “Dirt Road Anthem” co-writer Colt Ford and Mike Dekle.
9. Hillbilly Bone – Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins
Pure, unadulterated fun, “Hillbilly Bone” puts two of the biggest (and best) male vocalists together for the first time. These tall and handsome singers sing about the fun ‘hillbilly bone’ in us all, no matter where we live, a theme that’s’ similar to the Brantley Gilbert song above us.
10. Wildflower – The JaneDear Girls
Some people may have found something not to like about this new duo’s debut single but it fits in well with the modern country rock style of this playlist and it’s a pretty fun song to listen to.
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What are your thoughts on this list? What kind of lists would you like see in the coming days and months here? What songs would you add to our Modern Country Rock Favorites Volume II list?
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