It’s all coming together. It’s safe to say there have been a plethora of surprising trends within country music in 2025. Between the seemingly never-ending drama involving the likes of Gavin Adcock, Zach Bryan, Charley Crockett, Benjamin Tod and more, the continued push towards traditional country spearheaded by Zach Top’s rise to superstardom or Morgan Wallen’s continued chokehold on the genre, which resulted in him owning the most-listened-to album (I’m The Problem) in the U.S. on both Apple Music and Spotify this year, there’s been plenty to digest. For my money, however, one of the most interesting things to note in 2025 was the rise of Christian music, and in turn, its continued push into mainstream country music. It should go without saying that Christian/worship music has had one of the best years in recent history. Spearheaded by the likes of Brandon Lake and Forrest Frank, back in May, there were two Christian songs that made the Hot 100 chart – the first time that’s happened in over a decade. One was Frank’s viral smash “Your Way’s Better,” and the other just so happened to be the Christian-country crossover that you’ve probably heard: “Hard Fought Hallelujah” with Lake and rapper-turned-country-singer, Jelly Roll. Obviously, “Hard Fought Hallelujah” was nothing short of a smash hit for Lake and Jelly Roll, not only claiming a #1 on both of Billboard’s religious charts, Hot Christian and Christian Airplay but also being crowned the #1 Christian song of 2025 by Billboard this week. It seems like Lake isn’t done making major crossovers into country, however. In addition to his surprise appearance with Cole Swindell when the pair teamed up to perform his latest single inspired by the assassination of Charlie Kirk, “Make Heaven Crowded,” Lake has not only teased a brand-new song co-written with reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson, but also announced that Cody Johnson will be featured on a re-release of his recent single, “When A Cowboy Prays.” In case you missed it, at a show in Columbus, Ohio, back in October, Lake would officially let fans know that the “‘Til You Can’t” singer would officially be featured on the track after weeks of fans pleading for the Texas native. “I’m not telling anybody except for those who showed up for my tour, but you can’t post about it ’cause it’s a secret. This song I’m about to sing, I just recorded with Cody Johnson. And we’re gonna come out with it. I heard all of your comments. I wrote this song, and you’re like, ‘This sounds like CoJo. You gotta get CoJo.’ I was like, ‘Honey, already on it.’” Of course, this sent fans into a frenzy… The only problem is, the pair have been radio-silent about it since. That all changed earlier this week when Lake took to Instagram to share photos from the studio. Though the first slide is pretty mundane, simply being a picture of Lake near his microphone, the second one officially confirmed that the pair are OFFICIALLY in the working on “When A Cowboy Prays” together. View this post on Instagram Taking a look at the lyric sheet posted by Lake in the second slide, it seems as if Johnson will be appearing later in the song and taking over the track’s third and fourth verses independently. In turn, it looks like the “Gratitude” singer and CoJo will be swapping lines in the final two choruses. Interestingly, this comes just weeks after Lake took to Instagram after his big night at the ASCAP Awards, which crowned him Christian Music Songwriter of the Year and Christian Music Song of the Year (“Hard Fought Hallelujah”), and noted that there were even more Christian-Country crossovers planned for 2026: “Christian x Country Collision incoming 2026. To God be the glory!” As of now, there is still no release date set for Johnson’s duet on “When A Cowboy Prays.” With that being said, however, it should be safe to say that it (along with potentially even more country-crossovers) should be coming early in 2026. While you’re here, listen to Lake’s original version. Cody Johnson Tour Dates February 6-7 – Birmingham, Alabama – Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex February 13 – Champaign, Illinois – State Farm Center February 14 – Louisville, Kentucky – KFC Yum! Center February 27 – Winston-Salem, North Carolina – LJVM Coliseum February 28 – Columbia, South Carolina – Colonial Life Arena March 6 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – PPG Paints Arena March 7 – Baltimore, Maryland – CGF Bank Arena March 22 – Houston, Texas – Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo March 28 – Little Rock, Arkansas – Simmons Bank Arena April 10 – Bossier City, Louisiana – Brookshire Grocery Arena April 24 – Indio, California – Stagecoach May 2 – Clemson, South Carolina – Death Valley (Clemson Stadium) May 9 – Des Moines, Iowa – Casey’s Corner May 30 – Rosemont, Illinois – Allstate Center July 11 – Cavendish, Prince Edward Island – Cavendish Beach Music Festival July 17-18 – Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide ArenaThe post Cody Johnson & Brandon Lake Are Officially In The Studio Working On “When A Cowboy Prays” Duet first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Has the subject matter of country music steered off course? Larry Fleet joined the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast to talk new music, faith, sobriety, and to dive into some downright wild stories. He shared how he connects with fans around the world, and why he still writes drinking songs despite stepping away from alcohol. Larry also opened up about the role God plays in his music… and tells us about the UFO he saw, his ghost encounter, and why he believes in Bigfoot (it gets really interesting at the end of the episode). One thing that fans always want to know more about from Larry Fleet is his sobriety journey. He told us that there wasn’t a singular moment that made him stop drinking. Rather, his circumstances slowly made it hard for him to fit it into his schedule, and he came to realize that he didn’t really need to drink alcohol anymore: “My path on sobriety was different. I didn’t go to rehab. Mine was I’d get a little rowdy at times, a little too rowdy. Mine was a little different, because it was a challenge to myself. It started back before I had buses. I had a Winnebago, and me and the band would be piled up in that thing. I was like, ‘I don’t need to be drinking, and then try to drive everyone in the band wherever we had to get.'” The “Where I Find God” singer went to to elaborate that he and his band would leave the venue immediately after a gig, he’d drive until he couldn’t any longer, pull over and sleep for a couple of hours, and then make coffee to keep on trucking. While they traveled to and from shows, Larry Fleet never had the time to partake in the alcohol. It was around that same time that Larry and his wife’s kids were being born, so that also played a role into his eventual, intentional choice of sobriety: “That honestly kind of helped me quit. Then I was like, ‘Well I haven’t really drank much in a while.’ I told my wife, ‘I’m gonna see if I can go an entire year without drinking.'” @whiskeyriff Check out the full Whiskey Riff Raff podcast out NOW. @Larry Fleet #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff #sobriety ♬ Things I Take For Granted – Larry Fleet In other words, Larry Fleet wasn’t necessarily trying to go sober… it just kind of happened naturally. He says that he made it through his first year and felt great, so he wanted to see if we he could do another trip around the sun. Sure enough, he’s now four years into his sobriety journey, and he’s not looking back. Though he’s penned a couple of drinking songs here and there, and even wrote an anti-drinking song called “Daddy Don’t Drink” to speak those people out there who might be struggling, he’s perfectly fine with leaving that part of his life behind. That being said, he doesn’t mind seeing his fans letting loose with a drink when he’s up on stage. Larry is still going to sing his fans songs that allow them to kick back and have a good time, but he’s also trying to do his part to move the genre into a more family-friendly place. In his eyes, modern country music as a whole has somewhat glorified drinking and partying, and Fleet believes artists could easily get back to singing about things that really matter: “We still write drinking songs because I drank for a lot of years. It was a time of my life, and I can write about it. But now I think I write about drinking as more of a nostalgia thing. With country music, the drinking and the partying and hell raising has been glorified. Where you don’t glorify God or glorify these other things. So I try to write to write the opposite of that. I think that radio and country music and everything else has really glorified the partying and the drinking. That’s not really country music. What country music was back in the day was very much gospel influence and it was on family and love on all these different things. We’ve kind of steered away from things that actually mean something. It’s more about who wants to get drunk and who can get drunker.” Yep… that’s about all that you hear on the radio nowadays. Larry Fleet makes a convincing argument there, and if you want to hear more from the country singer on the matter, make sure to download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or by clicking here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video The post Larry Fleet Says Modern Country Music Has Glorified Drinking & Partying: “Steered Away From Things That Actually Mean Something” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Coming to a city near you. Last week, Treaty Oak Revival released their highly-anticipated third studio album West Texas Degenerate, which they’re taking on tour in the form of their extensive 2026 headlining tour named for the album. Announced this morning, the five-piece powerhouse band will hit the road in February staring in Worcester, Massachusetts, and hit venues across the country including massive venues like Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. It’s incredible to think that they’ve exploded enough to be playing arenas and amphitheaters, but their music speaks for itself and it’s exciting to see just how big the west Texas boys really are. The band says this tour is a way to “pay back” the fans for all of their support over the years: “Our fans have shown up for us in ways we never expected, and this tour feels like the best way to pay that back. We’re still the same degenerates, just a whole lot louder, and we’re ready to raise hell with everyone who walks through those doors.” I have a feeling many of, if not all, of these shows are going to sell out, so it’s smart to be ready as soon as tickets go on sale, which will be next Friday, December 12th. They’re bringing along Wade Forster, William Clark Green, Laredo, Huser Brothers, Gannon Fremin & CCREV, and Parker Ryan, as openers, and I know each show is going to be absolutely incredible, and if they’re still on your concert bucket list like they are mine, you’re in luck, because they’ll certainly be coming to a city near you at some point next year. The full list of dates, as well as openers for each city, is available below. Treaty Oak Revival 2025-2026 Tour Dates Newly announced dates in bold Dec. 5, 2025 – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas Dec. 11, 2025 – Odessa, TX – Ector County Coliseum Dec. 12, 2025 – Ardmore, OK – Heritage Hall Dec. 13, 2025 – Lubbock, TX – Cook’s Garage Dec. 14, 2025 – Lubbock, TX – Cook’s Garage Dec. 19, 2025 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center Dec. 20, 2025 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena Dec. 31, 2025 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center Feb. 5, 2026 – Worcester, MA – DCU Center ! Feb. 6, 2026 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena ! Feb. 7, 2026 – State College, PA – Bryce Jordan Center ! Feb. 12, 2026 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena ! Feb. 13, 2026 – Charleston, WV – Charleston Coliseum ! Feb. 14, 2026 – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena ! Feb. 19, 2026 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center ! Feb. 20, 2026 – Evansville, IN – Ford Center ! Feb. 21, 2026 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena ! Mar. 12, 2026 – Springfield, MO – Great Southern Bank Arena ! Mar. 13, 2026 – North Little Rock, AR – Simmons Bank Arena ! Mar. 14, 2026 – Bossier City, LA – Brookshire Grocery Arena ! Mar. 26, 2026 – Greensboro, NC – First Horizon Coliseum ! Mar. 27, 2026 – Knoxville, TN – Food City Center ! Mar. 28, 2026 – Opelika, AL – Auburn Rodeo ^ Apr. 11, 2026 – Gonzales, TX – Cattle Country Festival ^ Apr. 25, 2026 – Indio, CA – Stagecoach 2026 ^ Apr. 26, 2026 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center ! Apr. 30, 2026 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater ! May 1, 2026 – Spokane, WA – Numerica Veterans Arena ! May 2, 2026 – Portland, OR – Veterans Memorial Coliseum ! May 14, 2026 – Southaven, MS – BankPlus Amphitheater ! May 15, 2026 – Birmingham, AL – Coca-Cola Amphitheater * May 16, 2026 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena ! May 28, 2026 – Panama City Beach, FL – Gulf Coast Jam 2026 ^ May 29, 2026 – Macon, GA – Atrium Health Amphitheatre ! June 18, 2026 – North Lawrence, OH – The Country Fest 2026 ^ June 19, 2026 – Bloomington, IL – Tailgate N’ Tallboys 2026 ^ June 25, 2026 – Bonner Springs, KS – Country Stampede ^ June 26, 2026 – North Platte, NE – NEBRASKAland Days ^ July 1, 2026 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre ! July 8, 2026 – Chicago, IL – Windy City Smokeout ^ July 11, 2026 – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena ! July 17, 2026 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Frontier Days ^ July 18, 2026 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre * Aug. 8, 2026 – Oshkosh, WI – xRoads41 ^ ^ festival * Live Nation ! AEG West Texas Degenerate is an incredible project, full of that signature rocking sound, Texas twang and pop-punk influence, with features from Muscadine Bloodline, William Clark Green and more, and the tracklist consists of 14 tracks, including the previously released singles “Bad State of Mind” and “Happy Face.” They put out a great, very late-90s and pop punk inspired music video for “Blue Star” earlier this week, which features tons of their fellow Texas musicians, including Koe Wetzel, Belmont, Dexter & The Moonrocks, Gannon Fremin, William Clark Green and more. “Blue Star” The post Treaty Oak Revival Announces Extensive 2026 Headlining Tour first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Border Czar Tom Homan was at a TPUSA event in El Paso, Texas, last night and was heckled by some leftist college student in the audience, calling him a ‘traitor’. Here’s how . . .

Vice President JD Vance warned the EU not to go forward with any massive fines against Elon Musk and his American social media company X for not complying with their censorship demands. . . .

The American military carried out an air strike Thursday on a drug boat in the Pacific. U.S. Southern Command announced the results of the attack on social media, adding that the strike killed four men and destroyed the vessel. The Trump administration has made destroying drug transportation networks in the western hemisphere a priority, including by destroying boats that U.S. intelligence has determined are involved in narcotrafficking. Most of the attacks have taken place in the waters off the coast of Venezuela as part of the Trump administration’s campaign to pressure the government of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro has denounced the buildup of American military assets in the region as preparation for an American military intervention in the country. The administration’s choice to counter drug boats with lethal force is a deviation from normal U.S. anti-narcotics operations, which have traditionally employed non-lethal interdiction methods. The latest strike comes shortly after a major controversy in Washington erupted over the legality of the administration’s attacks on such small craft. The Washington Post revealed last week that the U.S. used a second airstrike to kill the survivors of a drug boat destroyed by American munitions in early September, prompting accusations from Democratic lawmakers such as Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated the laws of war. The post U.S. Strikes Another Alleged Narco Boat appeared first on The American Conservative.

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