Luke Combs is launching into 2026 by issuing new music to preview his upcoming album, The Way I Am, out March 20. Meanwhile, Brit Taylor and Kenny Whitmire each turn in stellar performances on ’80s-country inspired tunes, while Megan Patrick offers a polished, soulful new track. This week’s picks also include two duets, courtesy of Brandon Lake with Cody Johnson, as well as Tyler Halverson with Wade Forster.
Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of some of the best country, bluegrass and/or Americana songs of the week below.
Luke Combs, “Sleepless in a Hotel Room”
One of country music’s mightiest voices returns with a rocking, slow-burn gripper of a song about being miles from home, enduring nights in a lonely hotel room and longing for a loved one. “All the walls are painted blue,” he sings, wresting the emotional ache from every word, while piles of guitars, drums and bass only heighten the song’s emotional stronghold.
Brit Taylor, “Warning You Whiskey”
Brit Taylor’s raw, Appalachian-steeped vocal rings bold and true on this musical warning shot from a woman hell bent on saving her lover from the throes of an alcohol addiction. She points the song’s lyrics of loathing straight at the bottle in a lived-in, sharp tone that harbors not an ounce of sugarcoating. “I’ll clench my fists around your long skinny neck,” she sings. “Warning You Whiskey” is from Taylor’s upcoming March 6 album, Land of the Forgotten.
Kenny Whitmire, “Me Being Me”
This Georgia native’s latest draws on ’80s-era country and his rich, wine-smooth vocal is steeped in timeless country sounds reminiscent of Randy Travis and Keith Whitley. Its warmth makes for a fine pairing with this everyman lyric about a guy who enjoys a simple life “out here mindin’ my biscuits and gravy.” He knows his uncomplicated lifestyle doesn’t suit everyone, but it suits him just fine. Whitmire wrote the track with Lee Starr and Sam Banks.
Brandon Lake and Cody Johnson, “When a Cowboy Prays”
Brandon Lake has already earned a CCM-country crossover hit with his Jelly Roll collaboration “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” and builds on that success by welcoming Texan Cody Johnson for a new rendition of Lake’s “When a Cowboy Prays.” Though Lake first released a solo version of this song, the track’s lyrics and undeniable country flavor are a supremely natural match for CoJo, right down to lines such as “Those stubborn horses break/ When a cowboy prays.” Each singer is known for powerful vocal performances, and their voices complement one another with a graceful concord, highlighting the song’s message of a cowboy’s straightforward, restorative and effective prayers.
Tyler Halverson & Wade Forster, “Like the Rodeo”
Tyler Halverson teams with Wade Forster for this acoustic-driven track about a musician who found a kindred spirit in a rodeo girl, as they each burn up the road pursuing their dreams. The song finds the musician mourning that there’s “nothin’ on this earth she found worth settin’ her saddle down.” Together, Halverson’s gritty voice and Forster’s full-bodied vocal capture the tensions between romance and ambition. Halverson will be on the road opening for Parker McCollum this year, while Forster is set to open shows for Treaty Oak Revival. Halverson wrote the track with Matt Daniel, with production from Ryan Youmans and Muscadine Bloodline’s Gary Stanton.
Meghan Patrick, “Safe Place to Break”
Patrick has been a mainstay on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart over the past year thanks to her single “Golden Child.” She just released her new project, Golden Child (The Final Chapter), which features among its six songs this bluesy, pop-leaning tribute to a selfless, patient love. Layers of silky, soulful vocals are stacked against expressive guitar and underpinned by tight percussion, as Patrick gives gratitude for a loved one’s patient, gentle care. Patrick will be highlighted during Country Radio Seminar’s annual New Faces of Country Music Show in March.