Ben's Country Music Show Week of the 23rd June 2025 – Mary Chapin Carpenter's 'Personal History', CMA Fest and More

On this week’s show, Ben and the team have returned from Nashville, and there are reflections from CMA Fest, including observations on audience dynamics at the festival. New releases are spotlighted, including Ella Langley’s reflective track “2020” and Cameron Marlowe’s “Sober as a Drunk,” both recommended by fellow country scholars at the International Country Music Conference. Ben introduces listeners to the newest country sensation, Zack Top. Plus, there’s Maddie & Tae’s “Drunk Girls in Bathrooms,” accompanied by candid insights into their touring experience as new mothers and the impact of their breakthrough single “Girl in a Country Song.” In new album news, listeners are introduced to the title track from Dierks Bentley’s latest release, Broken Branches. The Album of the Week is Mary Chapin Carpenter’s Personal History, lauded as a “career-defining” release and continuing its reign atop the UK Country Music Albums Chart.

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