Vote For Your Favorite Track In This Week's Music Battle

Battle Of The Bangers

There's a plethora of music being released every single day. As a radio station, we can't play them all. I've put together a collection of some of my favorite tunes that either haven't made it, haven't been discovered, or haven't been heard. There may be artists you know, superstars you love, or names you've never heard of. I'll provide some backstory on the artist and my personal favorite lyrics from the song. You decide which one is the banger of the bunch to move on to next week's battle. Tim McGraw's 1995 B-side is riding the wave, as it keeps chugging along! This week, McGraw takes on cowboy country troubadour Shane Smith & The Saints.

Tim McGraw - Don't Mention Memphis

You're probably wondering why you've never heard of this Tim McGraw song, right? It's ok, you're not crazy, it's just a really old song, but possibly my favorite of Tim McGraw's of all time! Honestly, I would have never known about this song if it weren't for our old cohort, Eric Cornish, who introduced me to it many years ago when we worked together at WKDQ. According to Eric, this song used to be Tim McGraw's vocal warm-up song, or rehearsal song they sing on stage to make sure all the audio levels are where they want them. An artist has to really like a song for it to be a consistent go-to for warm-ups. From his third studio album, All I Want, released in 1995, the song "Don't Mention Memphis" was never released as a radio single, to my knowledge, but it is a true hidden gem, in my opinion. McGraw had some of the best storytelling songs of the 90's, and this is no exception.

Lori's Favorite Lyrics:

"And we can talk about your family
Politics, music, and philosophy
Any ol' subject's alright with me
Just don't mention Memphis
Or blue eyes and light brown hair
An angel waving to me from the top of the stairs
The hardest thing I did was leave her standing there
So don't mention Memphis."

Shane Smith & The Saints - All I See Is You

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Shane Smith & The Saints are a group of red dirt, Texas music crooners who are putting a fresh twist on an old sound. Formed in 2011, the group has released four studio albums. However, their true rise to prominence came when Taylor Sheridan shared his love for the band via his hit television show, Yellowstone. There were a couple of scenes where Taylor Sheridan openly endorses the band, but due to language, I will not include the clip here. If you'd like to watch it, here ya go. The band was so popular on the show that an entire episode was named after it (Season 4, Episode 3). These guys do an excellent job of twisting Americana, classic country, and electric music into their red dirt, Texas sound. Check them out and place your vote below!

Lori's Favorite Lyrics:

"And I remember our first night abroad
As the sun traded ships with the moon
It was a lot to take in for some eyes from east Texas
But all I could see was you
'Cause all I ever see is you."