Even Elon Musk agrees it was too generic.

If there is one thing that can be said, it is that the appointment and confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have been polarizing. The vaccine, big government, “Nanny” state cult ideologues despise him, while the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA), limited government, medical …

My new book, Lions and Scavengers, is OUT TODAY!!

Who could blame him? Morgan Wallen is the biggest thing in country, and one of the biggest acts in all of music right now, and he has certainly found a knack for putting out record-breaking albums that don’t run short on a variety of songs on the tracklist. His most recent album I’m The Problem featured 37-songs, and definitely leaned into his pop sensibilities and tendencies, but also featured some more hip hop and rap-style songs, as well as a few more traditional sounding country tunes. One of the biggest criticisms he gets is that he’s pop country, or just purely pop in many cases, and I think there’s a lot of truth in that. But Morgan has talked before about how other styles of music have influenced him, and he doesn’t shy away from embracing that in his music now. Obviously, there’s tons of people that love it, but plenty that hate it, too. But as an artist, he has to make what speaks to him, and in a YouTube video filmed during a hunting trip with Mark Drury for Drury Outdoors, Morgan opened up about why he keeps the variety in his music and what he likes about the process in general. In addition to being extremely busy touring and fulfilling all the other obligations that come with being a star of his caliber, Morgan says there’s days where he thinks he “hates” the whole process, because it can be a frustrating ordeal to create the music and try to make it exactly how he wants: “Yeah, I do. I mean, it’s just like anything else. There’s days when I think I hate it, just because it’s hard. Some days…it just happens like it’s supposed to, and the plan is coming together. It’s just fun when it’s like that. It’s challenging, definitely. It’s challenging, especially when you get 100 songs in, you know, or however many songs I’ve got out, but I don’t want to say the exact same thing.” He explained that he knows there’s people who want everything he does to “sound the exact same,” but he has to be the one to go out and sing the songs night after night, and so switching it up makes that much more enjoyable for him: “Some people might want me to sound the exact same, but for me I gotta go out and sing it. I try not to sound the exact same It’s been nice so far, we’ve been good at keeping things with variety. So when I go play a show, it’s actually enjoyable. No songs are alike, so it makes it much more enjoyable for me.” I mean, even if it’s your favorite song on Earth, I imagine any song could get old at a certain point, especially when you’re doing it every single night for years on end. I admit I don’t always like the “variety” in his music when it comes to the trap beats and pop stylings, but I can certainly understand why Morgan does make it a point to change it up so much and have so many different types of songs. And when you have almost 40 songs you’re putting on an album, it’s really easy for tracks to get lost in the process if they don’t have some variety. Zach Bryan’s 34-song American Heartbreak album, released in 2022, is a phenomenal album, but one of the largest criticism of the project is that the songs sound too similar. After listening for a while, they sorta start to blend together, and that’s seemingly what Morgan is trying to avoid. Check it out: View this post on Instagram A post shared by findingmorgan (@findingmorgan_wallen) The full video is available below. The post Morgan Wallen Says Making A New Record Is Incredibly Challenging At Times: “There’s Days When I Think I Hate It” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

If you thought Lainey Wilson was all over the place already, just wait until she’s featured in over 30 different corn mazes across the country this Fall. I don’t know about you, but I love a good corn maze. There’s nothing like burning a Saturday paying someone to get lost in crops. And this year, there are Lainey Wilson corn mazes everywhere for those with eyes to see (and for those interested in checking off a traditional Fall activity). In previous years, The Maize has opted to go country and featured the likes of Reba McEntire and Luke Bryan in their corn mazes designs. This year, they are proudly going all in on the reigning “Entertainer of the Year,” and shared this message about why they felt it was only right to go with Lainey corn designs all across the country: “The MAiZE is excited to partner with country music’s current Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson, for an exclusive 2025 corn maze campaign, available to all MAiZE-designed farms! With her ‘Whirlwind Deluxe Album’ being released on August 22 and a tour across the U.S. and Canada this fall, we couldn’t be more excited to pay tribute to this country music icon at our farms this fall. Lainey and her team are actively involved in all aspects of the campaign.” That’s gotta be something you never think you’d do as an artist, right? Obviously you expect some glitz and glamor when you “make it,” but you know you’ve really reached the mountain top when you’re giving opinions and feedback on corn mazes that are designed to look like you. Though it might seem like a silly achievement, Lainey Wilson is taking the opportunity very seriously. She’s excited to be a part of over 30 corn mazes across the country, and hopes that it helps to familiarize people with their local farms: “Growing up in a fifth-generation farm family from Louisiana, my country roots run deep and I love being involved in anything that helps bring people a little bit closer to the farm. I was blessed to be raised playing in the dirt, riding in the tractor, and helping my daddy grow corn. I could never have imagined I’d be carved into a corn maze one day myself.” And in case you were interested in seeing some of the locations where you’ll find the Lainey Wilson mazes, we’ve got you covered. The mazes will feature Lainey Wilson trivia within them to help corn maze goers find their way throughout the maze: Still with me? I know that’s a lot of Lainey Wilson corn mazes to scroll through. As you can see, the location of these country music corn designs stretch from Florida all the way to California, and there’s even one in Canada (Kitscoty, Alberta). Just as Wilson’s popularity and music has spread all across the country, the corn mazes paying tribute to the country star cover much of the United States. Safe to say that Lainey Wilson has really monopolized the corn maze design industry… at least in 2025.The post There Will Be Over 30 Lainey Wilson-Themed Corn Mazes All Across The Country This Fall first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Undoubtedly one of the most underrated artists in the genre today, Colby Acuff has been nothing short of a musical powerhouse since his debut in 2020. Releasing an album each and every year since then, the “If I Were the Devil” singer has somehow just gotten better with time. After releasing the beautiful ode to his home state of Idaho in 2023 on Western White Pines, Acuff followed it up last year with arguably his best work to date on American Son, a record chalked full of important tracks touching on everything from anxiety, depression and, as the title suggests, the fear of war in the current state of our country. This year, the Idaho native has been relatively quiet release-wise, dropping the timely “Average American” on the 4th of July and following that up with the nostalgia-filled “Love Was Just a Feeling” back on August 8th. The limited amount of releases was for good reason, however. Minutes ago, Acuff announced that his sixth studio album, Enjoy the Ride, is being released on October 3rd, and it looks to be his most ambitious project to date: “I’m so happy to announce my new record Enjoy the Ride, an 11-song project that was made by you. After interviewing 40 random strangers off the street from three different cities, I wrote an 11-song concept record that hopefully lets you know that you’re not alone. This album taught me that everyone wants the same outcome, even if we don’t agree on the path. Life isn’t always perfect, but you only have one so enjoy the ride.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Colby Acuff (@colby_acuff) It should go without saying that any time an artist like Acuff announces a new album, there should be an immense amount of hype surrounding the release. With “Enjoy the Ride,” however, it has all the makings of being one of the most unique and ultimately moving country albums of all time. If you recall, back in November, Acuff took to X to announce that the next record would be a concept project revolving around interviewing average Americans throughout the country, learning about their perspectives and turning their stories into songs. “I have decided that my next record will be a concept project. I will be traveling the country taking interviews of people and turn their story’s into songs. The adventure begins next week. destination, Western North Carolina.” I have decided that my next record will be a concept project. I will be traveling the country taking interviews of people and turn their story’s into songs. The adventure begins next week. destination, Western North Carolina. — Colby Acuff (@ColbyAcuff) November 30, 2024 Flash forward to today, and he’s completed 40 separate interviews with folks across the country to complete the upcoming 11-track record. In his Instagram caption announcing the album, he noted he completed the interviews with his producer, Eddie Spear, before sitting down to write the songs afterward: “I recorded 40 interviews with strangers while on a road trip with my producer, and then went in and wrote a record with all of their perspectives, pains and principles sewed throughout it. More to come on all of this, but hope you’re as excited as I am, and be sure to presave the album! Being a human is hard, but you’re not alone. Life is beautiful, Enjoy the Ride” In a video attached to the album announcement, he would dive deeper into his perspective on making an album like this. Noting the response many had to American Son, the 28-year-old singer/songwriter wanted to give listeners a record that truly reflected their lived experiences: “After we made ‘American Son,’ I set out on a writing journey where I really wanted to write songs that every single song gave people a ton of agency. And I wanted to write songs truly just for you, the listener. And I wanted to make a record for you, the listener. And I found that the best way I knew how to do it with 100% to make sure I knew it was for you, was I needed to go out and talk to people.” I don’t think I can properly state just how rich of a concept this is for an album. Sure, there have been plenty of concept albums throughout country music history, from Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger to Ashley McBryde’s Lindeville. However, there truly hasn’t been a record centered around the interviewing average Americans and subsequently creating songs and stories based on their experiences. In what can only be described as a wholly unique intersection of art and journalism, Acuff is set to deliver one of the most unique albums written and recorded. This concept itself also exists as a stark contrast between the independent country scene and the Nashville machine. As mainstream country continues to grow larger-than-life with the prominence of pop-elements and artists such as Morgan Wallen becoming megastars, Colby Acuff is trying to remind us that country music, at its core, is about the average person with this record. In addition to Enjoy the Ride releasing on October 3, Acuff announced that two new songs, “His Song (What’s a Man Supposed to Be) and “Her Song (Numb to Everything),” will be releasing this Friday, September 5 as a teaser to what’s yet to come.The post Colby Acuff Announces New Album, “Enjoy The Ride,” & It Looks To Be One Of The Most Ambitious Country Records Ever Written first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

President Trump will be making an announcement from the Oval Office at 2pm (or probably later since these things always start late), and if the reporting is true, it will be about . . .

Pumpkin spice can contain more than 300 flavors—and no actual pumpkin. Here’s what’s really in the fall favorite.