One reason pop superstar Taylor Swift is loved, adored and admired all over the world is her ability to write songs that mirror our own lives and make us feel seen and heard. Another reason is her versatility as an artist.

Swift does not "play it safe." She began her career in country music and then transitioned to pop. She also went into the indie folk genre with 2020's folklore and evermore. It is very impressive that she is 19 years into her career and just had the biggest debut week for any artist in the United States with her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. The album sold a staggering 4 million units in its first week. Most singers enjoy that kind of success early in their career, only to see their numbers decline over time. I think the main reason Swift continues to dominate with her album releases is for those two reasons. She manages to put words to situations in our lives that we cannot find. She also creates art across different genres, connecting her with even more fans. 

While I’ve adored every album Swift creates, her pop albums speak to me more than the others. That is why I was excited to hear that her newest album had Max Martin and Shellback attached as producers. Her frequent collaborator, Jack Antonoff, is not part of this album, and while I adore their work together, it was exciting to know she is working with producers who seem to always make massive hits.
The Life of a Showgirl gives us a look behind the curtain, showing us what Swift has been dealing with when she is not on stage. It was released on October 3, and it has been on repeat ever since.

The album begins with the one-two-three punch of "The Fate of Ophelia," "Elizabeth Taylor," and "Opalite." These three songs are so energetic and catchy that if you find yourself not listening to the rest of the album because you're replaying these three over and over again, you are not alone. "The Fate of Ophelia" and "Opalite," especially, are some of the best pop songs in recent years.

"The Fate of Ophelia" has Swift rewriting Shakespearean history again ("Love Story" was the first time). She is saved from the fate of Ophelia, who sadly drowned.

"Opalite" has one of the catchiest beats I have ever heard. My family members, who are not even Swift fans, found themselves vibing to it. 

The rest of the album is great, too, though. Other favorites of mine are "Wi$h Li$t,” "Father Figure" and the title track featuring Sabrina Carpenter.

"Wi$h Li$t" finds Swift singing about how everyone in the world can have what they want, but all she wants is her man. It is one of her sweetest and most romantic songs to date. 

"Father Figure" is the best-written song. It tells the story of Swift as a boss who takes a young prodigy under her wing, but they decide to try to get rid of her. The bridge to this song is epic. 

Finally, "The Life of a Showgirl," featuring Sabrina Carpenter, tells the story of Kitty, a showgirl, who meets a fan who wants her life, but Kitty lets her know that it is not all it is cracked up to be. 

The Life of a Showgirl explores many subjects Swift has written about throughout her career: love, fame, betrayal, public scrutiny and the pitfalls of the music industry. What is astonishing, though, is how she manages to make it all feel fresh and current. She is proving that she is one of the best artists of our generation. There is no doubt Swift will continue to tell us stories that touch our hearts and she will continue to try new things creatively. I cannot wait to see what she does next.

by Julian Spivey

Joe Stamm Band brought their heartland country music to Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack in Little Rock, Ark., on Saturday, November 8.

Stamm has written some of my favorite Americana/country songs over the last couple of years, with “Flower of the Everglades” and “When the Lilacs Bloom” from last year’s Allegheny EP among them. The band’s most recent album, Little Crosses, released in July, has been one of my most listened to of 2025.

There were many great songs performed by Stamm and his talented band – Bruce Moser on bass, Dave Glover on guitar and Tim Kramp on drums – on Saturday night, but unfortunately, the sound system wasn’t great for the entirety of the show, drowning out much of Stamm’s low baritone vocals and making it hard to decipher lyrics. This is really a disservice to Stamm’s voice and lyrics, both of which are tremendous. I’m not an expert on such things, and am not sure what the issue was, but I heard Joe Stamm Band do a short set at the outdoor Peacemaker Festival in Fort Smith, Ark., in October of last year, and they sounded perfect.

It wasn’t until late in the show, when the band took a break and Stamm got to play a couple of solo songs, including the incredible “Grandma’s Bible,” that you could really make out all of what he was singing.

It was nice to hear some of the songs from Little Crosses that I had been jamming to since the album’s release, like “Territory Town” and “How to Quit” — probably my two favorites on the album —live. Knowing them by heart, it wasn’t so much of an issue with the sound – just sing along.

Stamm can really pen a great story song and got to show off his more literary style of songwriting with songs like “Dollar General Sign” and “Grandma’s Bible.” It was a pleasure hearing “When the Lilacs Bloom,” an audience request he did during his encore, that told the story of a soldier writing letters back home to the woman he loves during World War II.

Among the audience favorites of the evening were “Ahold of My Heart” and “Bottle You Up,” love songs that got some in the packed Stickyz club swinging each other around on the dance floor.

While Stamm’s more literary songs have proven to be my favorites from his repertoire, he certainly has a handful of fun, party-hard Saturday night rockers like “Beer, Mushrooms, Whiskey and Weed” and “Drink Enough (For the Town to Talk)” that gave the crowd the chance to get a little rowdy.

Joe Stamm Band is one of the best country-rock acts touring the country right now, and I’d recommend checking them out when they’re near your hometown. I just hope their sound is better than it was on Saturday night at Stickyz.
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"Mayhem" by Lady Gaga for Album of the Year
Lady Gaga's first three albums were all nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys: The Fame, The Fame Monster and Born This Way. After this, though, the only time she has been able to get into this coveted category was in 2022 for her jazz album with Tony Bennett: Love For Sale. Joanne and Chromatica were both fantastic albums that deserved to be in the category as well, so it made my heart so happy to see Lady Gaga return to the category for arguably her best album: Mayhem. The album had already won a Grammy before the nominations were announced this morning because its lead single: "Die With A Smile," with Bruno Mars, won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the Grammys last year. It was also exciting to see the now-iconic "Abracadabra" nominated for Record and Song of the Year. This album really was a return to the Gaga we all fell in love with from her first three albums. TG

"Man's Best Friend" by Sabrina Carpenter for Album of the Year
Sabrina Carpenter’s Man's Best Friend was such an impressive album to me. Carpenter won her first two Grammys last year for Pop Solo Performance for "Espresso" and her album, Short n' Sweet, won Best Pop Vocal Album. It was also nominated for Album of the Year but lost to Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, who FINALLY got an Album of the Year win. Short n' Sweet was such a fantastic pop album and showcased Carpenter's incredible skills as a songwriter and a performer. With Man's Best Friend released so soon after, many worried about the album's overall quality. Had Carpenter had enough time to really make another solid album? It turned out that while ‘MBF’ wasn't as great as Short n' Sweet, it was pretty dang close. I was so excited to see her nominated for her massive hit, "Manchild," in Record and Song of the Year. TG

"Golden" by HUNTR/X for Song of the Year
Even though “KPOP Demon Hunters” has become a cultural phenomenon, I was still skeptical it could get its hit song, "Golden," into Song of the Year. After all, "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from 2022's "Encanto" enjoyed similar success but was left off the list on Grammy nominations morning. I was late to the game in watching “KPOP Demon Hunters,” but I became obsessed with all of the film's music. "Golden" was my favorite song from the movie, so one of my biggest Grammy wishes was to see it nominated for Song of the Year. I was so incredibly happy to see "Golden," written by EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick, nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Song Written For Visual Media. TG

"The Subway" by Chappell Roan for Record of the Year 
One of my biggest Grammy wishes was for "The Subway" by Chappell Roan to be nominated for Record and Song of the Year. Chappell Roan is one of the most exciting new artists of the last few years, and her win for Best New Artist last year was so well-deserved. I feel she should have won Song of the Year for "Good Luck, Babe!" but Kendrick Lamar was a deserving winner for "Not Like Us." While Chappell Roan did not get into Song of the Year for "The Subway," she did get into (arguably) the biggest category of the night. The song captures the very sad moments of a breakup, when everyday things remind us of the one we lost. It is such a sad and moving song with a top-notch production. TG

Who Believes in Angels? by Elton John & Brandi Carlile for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
I truly don’t know what the Elton John & Brandi Carlile album Who Believes in Angels?, filled with a bunch of different sounds from rock to soaring pop, is doing in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album alongside multiple Christmas albums and a Barbra Streisand duets album, but I’m happy it’s nominated – and it might be the favorite to win the category. Carlile has gotten to live out her wildest dreams over the last few years, becoming close to and recording with her idols like Elton John and Joni Mitchell, and while the album may not be the best of either Elton John or Carlile, it’s still better than much of what’s nominated annually by the Grammys. JS

Foxes in the Snow by Jason Isbell for Best Folk Album
My favorite album of any of the Grammy-nominated ones in any genre this year is Jason Isbell’s Foxes in the Snow. Isbell, my favorite singer-songwriter over the last decade-plus, has always been an emotional lyricist, mixing real-life moments with fiction to great success and six Grammy wins. Foxes in the Snow is his first release after both a divorce and finding new love, so there are a lot of feelings and emotions on what amounts to Isbell’s most stripped-down album yet. He’s been a winner of Best Americana Album before, but this is his first try at Best Folk Album, with Foxes in the Snow being just him and his guitar. JS
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"I Never Lie" by Zach Top for Best Country Song
Zach Top’s “I Never Lie” is a classic country song in today’s modern world. One of my favorite songs of 2024, it has a great throwback sound to ‘90s country, where it certainly would’ve been a smash hit. It’s too country for today’s mainstream. Written by Top, Carson Chamberlain, and Tim Nichols, it uses sarcasm effectively to answer the question of how the narrator has been doing since a breakup. It should’ve been in the general field, Song of the Year, too, but the Grammys have left country music behind. JS
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"Defying Gravity" by Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
"Wicked" has always been my favorite Broadway musical. When I heard it was getting the cinematic treatment, I was worried because it was the kind of film that they simply could not get wrong. The stakes were way too high, and it was so beloved worldwide. One of the BIGGEST decisions director Jon M. Chu and his casting team had to make was who would play the main roles of Elphaba and Galinda. After watching the first film, it was very clear that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were BORN to play Elphie and Glinda. Since the film was split into two, the first ends with the Act 1 finale, the iconic song  "Defying Gravity." Grande and especially Cynthia Erivo simply could not have sung the song any better. There was not a dry eye in the theater after their performance of "Defying Gravity." When the Grammy nominations came out this morning, my heart was instantly happy when I saw Erivo and Grande nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. TG
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​"Bad As I Used to Be" by Chris Stapleton for Best Country Solo Performance
From the first time I heard Chris Stapleton’s “Bad As I Used to Be,” written for the Brad Pitt Summer blockbuster “F1,” I was hooked. It instantly became one of the most badass tracks of Stapleton’s career, and fit Pitt’s character in the film perfectly. The scene in the film featuring the song is actually the movie's highlight. Stapleton’s performance, vocally and with his guitar, drives this propulsive country-rocker and will keep it stuck in your head. JS   
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"Lonely Avenue" by Jon Batiste & Randy Newman for Best American Roots Performance
Jon Batiste & Randy Newman together on “Lonely Avenue,” off Batiste’s Big Money, is like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker on the same track – I suppose, I’m not really a “Star Wars” guy. The modern American roots superstar and living legend mix perfectly on this old Doc Pomus-written song recorded by Ray Charles, and they sound like they’re having a blast doing so. JS

It was evident all Wednesday evening (November 5) at the White Water Tavern in Little Rock, Ark., that everyone in attendance for Mark Currey’s Only Sky record release show, from those on stage to those in the audience, was having a helluva good time.

Currey, a singer-songwriter originally from Fort Worth, Texas, who now calls Little Rock home, recorded Only Sky, a six-song EP, at Fellowship Hall Sound in Little Rock with producer Jason Weinheimer earlier this year. The EP was the result of a crowdfunding campaign, and Currey thanked many of those in attendance on Wednesday for taking part. I should say now that I pitched in a few bucks toward the effort myself – so, yeah, I kind of dig what Currey has going on.

The entire show had a friends-and-family feel, which added to the venue's magical ambiance, and I got the sense it was truly a special night for Currey.

All six of the tracks on Only Sky were featured on Wednesday night, along with much of Currey’s debut album, Tarrant County, which was released in 2017.

Currey’s band for the evening consisted of local musicians with whom he had performed in bands over the years: Daniel Schoultz on bass, Matt Stone on guitar, Tommy Priakos on keys and David Bishop on drums. All performed terrifically and truly showcased what great musicians can do in such a short time. As Bishop told me afterward, there had only been two rehearsals prior to the show.  

Two sets of talented backing vocalists also joined Currey throughout the show: The Delta Soul Singers (Crystal Hayes, Michael Dotson, and Kenbria Robinson) and his daughter, Eleanor Currey.

The Delta Soul Singers appear on a couple of tracks on Only Sky: “Saving Grace” and “Too Much,” and were live in person with Currey for those numbers and a few others on Wednesday night. Eleanor joined Currey for pretty much every other song during the evening.

Currey, a multiple-time Arkansas Country Music Awards nominee, opened the evening’s set with “Saving Grace,” a nice rocker from the EP about all the things one could want, but most importantly, the one thing he needs, “his saving grace.” In the liner notes for the EP, he refers to his wife, Kim, as his “Saving Grace.”

“Too Much,” which Currey told the crowd kind of began as a “sad bastard” song before a Nashville songwriter friend of his gave him some advice, which turned it into a more up-tempo number. The song does a great job of getting into the head of someone who's too often in their own head, exploring the insecurities we all face in life.

Having spent some time with Only Sky, one of my favorite tracks has certainly been “You and Birmingham,” which sounds like it could’ve been released at any time period, with its classic theme of faltering relationships and a killer chorus. On the EP, Currey and Jaimee Harris harmonize beautifully, but it was a real treat seeing father and daughter duet on the number at the live show.

As with any true songwriter, Currey isn’t afraid to get deep and open with his songs, as we see in “Looked For God,” in which he ponders whether or not questions are more important than answers when it comes to topics such as religion and the afterlife.

“Madeline” is likely the most personal track on Only Sky, with its inspiration coming from finding a photograph of his father and his father’s new wife when he was a teenager in Fort Worth, with an emotional inscription written on the back about not being able to get over his previous wife, Currey’s mother. It was such an incredible moment seeing the songwriter get that personal and emotional – baring his soul – in front of the audience.

I’ve been listening to Only Sky since its streaming debut in September. But I had never had the opportunity to familiarize myself with his debut album, Tarrant County. So, Wednesday’s show was the first time (or maybe the second – I did see Currey open for Robert Earl Keen in 2019) performing some of these songs. That album, which has a primary theme of leaving home, is just as impressive as the newest release. Currey performed six of that album’s 11 tracks on Wednesday night, including the title track, a fun number called “Mid-Life Crisis” and “Come Sunday Morning,” which he recorded with Bonnie Montgomery, but performed at the White Water Tavern with his songwriter friend Abbye West Pates, who came in from Memphis to open the show.

Pates performed a handful of her own songs, like the impressive “To Be Well” and “Stairs,” and was joined on stage by Currey for her song “Sad Woman, Sad Man.” Pates also did a fun cover of the Cyndi Lauper classic “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

And speaking to the friends-and-family vibe of the show, another great moment – one that seemed especially big to Currey – came when his dear friend and former bandmate, Nathaniel Greer, joined the group on stage for the encore, playing guitar.

Currey finished his set at the White Water Tavern with a song that I hope becomes his set closer for many years to come, “Talking Hindu Monkey Blues, Approximately,” which ends Only Sky. Musically, the song doesn’t really have anything in common with the rest of the EP, but when you have a story song – and one that’s mostly true (about 98 percent, according to Currey) – this strong, you don’t pass up the chance to get it out there. It’s the tale of his father, who once worked in Indonesia, and a run-in he had with the local wildlife. I won’t say anymore, so as not to spoil it, but it does end with a great sing-along chorus, which is exactly how a show like Wednesday’s should end.  

Currey has one upcoming show on his calendar – at Moody Brews in Little Rock, Ark., on Sunday, November 9 at 5 p.m. Keep an eye on markcurrey.com or his socials (Facebook and Instagram) for future shows as they pop up.

I recommend buying Only Sky on CD from his website; it’s the best way to ensure the money ends up in an artist’s pocket, but it's also available for streaming on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and other platforms if that’s your only way to listen to new music.

If you would like to hear Currey’s own words on the creation of Only Sky, be sure to check out the episode of The Word on Pop Culture podcast he did with us in September.