Hardy’s ‘Country! Country!’: All 20 Tracks Ranked

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How volition this state lad past betwixt hating the large metropolis and contemplating his ain mortality?

9/26/2025

In August, Eric Church declared HARDY “one of the top songwriters Nashville has.” That’s precocious praise coming from a singer-songwriter who astir everyone successful Music City would state the same.

For sure, successful little than a decade, the talented HARDY has go a apical go-to songwriter successful Nashville, liable for co-writing large songs for different artists that basal retired among the champion cuts successful their catalogs, including “God’s Country” for Blake Shelton and “Sand successful My Boots” and “I’m a Little Crazy” for Morgan Wallen. HARDY, who conscionable headlined Madison Square Garden for the archetypal time, has besides written songs for himself that person resonated greatly for their affectional heft, among them “Wait successful the Truck” (featuring Lainey Wilson) and “Give Heaven Some Hell.”

For Country! Country!, HARDY’s archetypal medium since stone album, Quit!! a twelvemonth and a fractional ago, arsenic the rubric indicates helium leans heavy into his state country roots increasing up successful Philadelphia, Mississippi (population: 6,900). The medium celebrates his tremendous emotion for what it means to beryllium raised hunting and sportfishing and distant from metropolis life, which helium seems to thoroughly disdain.

As helium celebrates Hank, George, Waylon and different bully aged boys, his slavish, unwavering devotion to state comes much done the often-heavy-handed lyrical contented than the philharmonic styles: HARDY is much of the hunting-fishing-outdoorsy state purist alternatively than the benignant that sings astir the miss successful cutoffs successful the beforehand spot of the motortruck that dominated the Bro Country movement. Many of the songs premix state with a brushed popular tilt oregon a stone sheen, though determination are capable tunes present that bring the twang.

HARDY could person conscionable arsenic easy called the medium Death! Death! His different obsession connected the medium is dying, and sometimes helium adjacent combines the 2 subjects successful the aforesaid song. He jokes astir it successful medium closer, “Everybody Dies.”

At 20 tracks, the Joey Moi-produced medium occasionally feels overstuffed and redundant, particularly erstwhile helium takes the aforesaid topic, arsenic with “Gun to My Head” and the acold superior “Take the Country and Run” and drives it into the ground. But for each opus that feels similar it could beryllium cut, there’s a tune that touches a nerve, similar “Goodbye,” oregon that takes a astonishing twist connected a taxable specified arsenic “I’d Go Crazy Too.” Vocally, he’s ne'er sounded better, particularly erstwhile helium takes connected his haters connected the humorous and pointed “Y’all Need Jesus,” evangelizes state beingness connected “Favorite Country Song,” oregon writes his ain eulogy connected “Bottomland.”

Below is an aboriginal instrumentality connected Country! Country!