Their homes are separated by an ocean, but the actress says one shared lifestyle makes the distance feel a whole lot smaller. Continue reading…

It’s not safe for work, and it’s definitely not safe for your grandma. This afternoon, Kacey Musgraves released the music video for her fan-favorite song “Mexico Honey,” which was included on her Middle Of Nowhere album that was released in May. While the idea of the record as a whole centered on her being single and fully embracing what it means to be content with being alone, there is at least one very steamy love song on the tracklist,” and “Mexico Honey” was written by Kacey with Luke Laird and Steph Jones. The production features a ton of Spanish influence, and the song’s tone is set from the first line, as Musgraves describes a sexy cowboy Casanova who has captured her heart. Instead of going out as the two intended, they turn the car around and get acquainted with one another in a different way, if you’re picking up what I’m putting down: “You’re goin’ down smooth like Mexico, honey Take my heart, take all my money I want you so bad, it ain’t even funny I mean for real, what the hell You got me shakin’ my a** in my hot-pink shorts You’re layin’ down laughin’ on the bathroom floor Oh, I dropped it down, you said you’ll stay We’re gonna ride this wave ’til it breaks, yeah.” The song is beyond catchy, a little saucy, and perfectly wraps up the self-discovery that Musgraves has throughout this record that it’s okay to be alone… but it’s also fun to have some pleasure in your life. Unlike “Dry Spell,” she’s embracing this area of her life and it very quickly became a fan-favorite on the Middle of Nowhere tracklist. The music video was filmed on location in Mexico, the video was directed by Running Bear (Alexa Stone and Stephen Kinigopoulos), as Kacey not only brings the song to life, but she also pays tribute to the captivatingly beautiful country of Mexico and the passion and experiences that have inspired her there, which is also a bit of a theme on the album as a whole. She really brought the feeling and essence of the song to life, and obviously, it has a ton of sultry edge and intimate scenes. I mean, she even bares it all while holding a parrot… which is just the most Kacey thing I’ve ever seen. Kacey and her music video co-star have some very natural chemistry, and while it’s definitely sexy and steamy it also feels tasteful and artistic, a fine line that they captured so perfectly here. But her grandma wasn’t so thrilled about the song, and she’s definitely not watching the video… which is definitely the right call. Of course, you’ll remember Kacey’s very popular reference to her grandma on her 2018 song “Slow Burn,” where she sings about her “grandma cried when I pierced my nose.” Kacey revealed during press before her album came out that Nana didn’t like the song “Dry Spell” either for the same reasons, and she never watched the video, and once again, that’s the right call. Kacey recalled a funny, yet scary moment, when filming the “Dry Spell” video, saying she knew her grandma would “hate it”: “She does — although she hasn’t seen the video yet. I don’t know if she’ll laugh. Actually, in the middle of filming the video, I got a text from my dad that Nana had to be rushed to the hospital: She had a really scary extreme high blood pressure incident. So I had to leave and I was on the call, crying, like, ‘If Nana lives, she’s gonna hate this video!’” Nana is doing great now, and Kacey has made other comments about how her grandma didn’t like the alternate cover of Deeper Well where she’s laying naked in a field, and it sounds like she certainly keeps Nana on her toes. But Kacey’s manager wanted to tease Nana a little bit, sending a link to the “Mexico Honey” video in a group chat, which Kacey knew would start something: “My manager trying to start s***.” I mean, that’s pretty funny… Her grandma replied, saying that it will “never” be on her favorite list,” and once again, I think that is completely understandable and how an grandma would probably feel if it were their granddaughter… some songs just aren’t for your family as an artist, and Nana should never, ever watch this video: “This song will never be on my favorite list!” Y’all leave Nana alone… If you haven’t seen it yet… now’s the time: The post “Will Never Be On My Favorite List!” — Kacey Musgraves’ Grandma Is NOT A Fan Of “Mexico Honey” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The Red Clay Strays continue to knock their social media content out of the park. Nowadays, modern artists and bands have two things to focus on: their actual music and their online presence. Things aren’t as simple as they used to be, and social media is a never-ending beast. If artists aren’t trying to use the platform to rocket themselves to stardom, they are making sure they stay consistent with posting to maintain the stardom they’ve already achieved. It can truly be a daunting task, but The Red Clays Strays make it look easy. After all, all they have to do is post a close up video of Brandon Coleman singing a Johnny Cash song and fans go wild. If you ask me, the Red Clay Strays – consisting of Drew Nix (electric guitar, vocals, harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), John Hall (drums), Sevans Henderson (keys), and frontman Brandon Coleman – are great ambassadors of country music. They are one of the genre’s brightest modern day acts… even though they insist they aren’t even making country music. The band has stated that one day, they’ll dive all the way into the country sound. That’s both confusing and exciting. I think the country music they’ve put forth already is exceptional, and if they don’t even consider it to be country… we’re all in for a real treat when the band from Alabama locks in and starts making some “actual country.” The Red Clay Strays may have even teased that era of their band with their latest social media post. At some point during their tour in 2026, they turned to a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” Covers are always tricky, just because the song that’s being covered is almost always beloved and well known. When you sing someone else’s song, you have to make it your own, and it’s safe to say the Red Clay Strays did that with this one. Coleman and his powerful vocals have a knack for making any song sound exceptional, and that was definitely the case with the song Johnny Cash released in 1963 that went on to be one of the defining tracks of his career. Though it must be noted that the Red Clay Strays changed up the pacing of “Ring of Fire” a bit, and it made for a very unique rendition. Check it out: How about that? Leave it Brandon Coleman and the Red Clay Strays to breathe new life into an old, all-time classic like “Ring of Fire.” The fanbase dove right to the comment section of this post to let them know that it was a great take on the Johnny Cash hit, and that the “Man in Black” himself would likely love what they did with his song: “I’d listen to him sing the dictionary.” “Love the raw emotion.” “I love this interpretation and everything else the Red Clay Strays do.” “That voice speaks to the soul.” “This man just knocked it out of our stratosphere.” “Johnny Cash would be proud.” No argument there.The post Red Clay Strays Share Soulful Cover Of The Johnny Cash Hit, “Ring Of Fire,” & The Fans Went WILD first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Referencing Childers’ “In Your Love” controversy? Out of all the success stories in country music over the past decade, there’s arguably none more fascinating than Oliver Anthony. Back in 2023, he’d catch fire with a video of his in-the-woods performance of “Rich Men North of Richmond,” which was originally uploaded to YouTube and quickly went viral, racking up millions upon millions of views before he was even able to release the song on streaming platforms. Once it was released on streaming, it became one of the most successful independent releases of all time. In addition to racking up millions upon millions of streams (363 million on Spotify alone), it would shockingly debut at #1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first artist in history to debut at #1 on the chart with their first song. Now, a couple of years and over 300 million streams later, Anthony is still navigating his way through the music industry, dropping his debut album, Hymnal of a Troubled Man’s Mind, in 2024 and singles such as “Scornful Woman” and “Only God Can Save Us Now” in 2025. Given the fact that he’s been clear that he doesn’t want to be a full-fledged music star, Anthony has been fairly quiet in 2026, only dropping live covers of classics such as “Ole Red” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. With that being said, the 34-year-old singer/songwriter has gotten back into the swing of things as of late. In a video posted to Facebook, Anthony first let everyone see how he was spending his 34th birthday, which took place on June 30. He expressed his thankfulness to make it to 34-years-old and stated that he never thought he would have made it that far. The Virginia native then told his followers that he’s doing well and that he had just bought a church in West Virginia. Though there’s still plenty of work to be done, he’s planning on doing a church service there in October. He then went on to talk about some upcoming shows that he’s doing at the end of August (Bluefield, West Virginia, on August 29, and Farmville at Longwood on August 30). And at the very end of the video, he shared that he’s got new music coming very soon: “I have new music coming out on July 21st. I love you all. I really appreciate you.” Though it was a day late on streaming, Anthony returned today with a brand new single, “Hank.” In addition to the studio version, Anthony would drop a live version of “Hank” recorded in a coal mine in West Virginia. According to Radio WV, it’s the first-ever song to be recorded live in an active coal mine, noting that they had to cut a 7-foot section in order for Oliver and Co. to perform for the miners. “The opening underneath the mountain was only 38 inches high so the miners cut a special 7ft high section just so Oliver Anthony could perform for them.”  As for the song itself, it’s bound to cause some controversy. For all intents and purposes, “Hank” starts out fairly innocuous. Backed by his standard slide guitar and fiddle, Anthony reminisces about his youth, recalling how he decided to pursue music after being “raised on the good words” of Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams. “I grew up on the back of a Piedmont pine stand, strumming on guitar strings Till one day I figured that I might ought to figure out how to play and sing I strummed three-chord songs all night long on the back of a farm pond bank I was raised on the good words of Waylon and brought up on Hank” The second verse, however, is bound to raise some eyebrows. Here, Anthony appears to take a thinly-veiled shot at Kentucky legend, Tyler Childers. “Them old songs about trotting lines and coal mines, and chewing on the hickory twig In this world that I despise, I’m just trying to live life the same way that my granddad did My songs might be missing two old boys kissing, but they ain’t going to miss that soul Of a young man living in a world that’s forgetting all the things that the good Lord told” The lyric “My songs might be missing two old boys kissing” paired directly with “Them old songs about trotting lines and coal mines” seems to point directly at the controversy surrounding Childers’ 2023 single, “In Your Love.”  Of course, this appears to be referencing the fact that, despite the song itself being written about Childers’ wife, Senora May, its music video depicted a love story between two male coal miners in the 1950s. Anthony first teased the song last year, debuting it at a live concert, and fans quickly saw the line as a jab directed at Tyler Childers. While it’s been made quite clear over the years that the song itself was written about his wife, the music video was dedicated to Childers’ cousin, who is a gay man, something Childers told NPR at the time of the video’s release. “[One] reason that I wanted to do this music video was my cousin growing up, who’s like my big brother, is gay. And he graduated from Northern Kentucky, went to Chicago and never came back. He taught me so much about singing; he was my first tough critic. And just thinking about him not having a music video on CMT that spoke to him.” Though the controversy seemed to die down over the years, it apparently didn’t sit well with Anthony, and he’s letting that be known here with the release of “Hank.” “Hank” The post Did Oliver Anthony Just Call Out Tyler Childers in His New Song “Hank”? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.