Essie Country’s Song of the Week

Greetings to fans of real country  music, and welcome to this week’s  Essie Country’s 21st Century Real  Country Music Song of the Week, for the week of 11/30/25 - 12/06/25 Watching it Rain by Jesse Raub Jr Released 05/24/2024 Intro by Gene Johns Who would have thought that repeating the phrase “watching it rain” fifteen times in a song would make it a great song? Yes, I counted them. I’m retired, so I have the time to investigate such trivial things.   “Watching it Rain” is a catchy song written by singer-songwriter Joel Shewmake and performed by a real country artist, Jesse Raub Jr. I challenge you to listen to this song a second time and not sing along with “watching it rain.”   Jesse sings about lying in a river and watching it rain. I can relate to this song a little. It reminds me of the time I went whitewater rafting in eastern Tennessee.    When we started our six-mile river rafting adventure down the Pigeon River near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, we...

Greetings to fans of real country  music, and welcome to this week’s  Essie Country’s 21st Century Real  Country Music Song of the Week, for the week of 11/23/25 - 11/29/25   Jack and Jill Daniel’s Cowritten & Performed  by Emily Ann Roberts Released 09/05/2025 Intro by Gene Johns   I’m sure you recall the nursery rhyme “Jack and Jill.” You know, it begins like this:  Jack and Jill went up the hill To fetch a pail of water Jack fell down and broke his crown And Jill came tumbling after   There are several claims about how the nursery rhyme originated, including one theory that suggests “Jack and Jill" satirizes King Charles I's attempt to raise taxes by lowering the volume of a "Jack" (1/8 pint) while keeping the tax rate the same, causing the "Gill" (1/4 pint) to "tumble after." But maybe, just maybe, “Jack and Jill” is about the story that Emily Ann Roberts sings about in this week’s Essie Country’s 21st Century Real Country Music Song of th...

Greetings to fans of real country   music, and welcome to this week’s  Essie Country’s 21st Century Real  Country Music Song of the Week, for the week of    11/16/25 - 11/22/25 Baby You Do By Braxton Keith Released 09/26/25 Intro by Gene Johns  Braxton Keith’s unique country voice and style bring to life a well-crafted, complex song that easily earns a spot on this week’s Essie Country’s 21st Century Real Country Music Song of the Week. It’s an excellent song and a standout performance by Braxton.   Cowritten by Braxton, along with Brandon Kinney, Josh Thompson, and Wynn Varble, “Baby You Do” is an up-tempo song that deals with the haunting memories and the sad goodbyes of a lost love that follow him wherever he goes. It captures the mental anguish that comes with a breakup of someone you still love.    Braxton describes himself as trying to revive traditional values of old-school country music with a modern twist. His “about the artist” info...

The Battle of Little Bighorn by Gene Johns 11/11/2025 It was June 20, 2023, and I stood there, mesmerized, looking out across the historic battlefield of Little Bighorn. It had been nearly one hundred forty-seven years since 268 soldiers of the US 7th Cavalry lost their lives, under the command of then Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer.  There are no official figures on how many of the 1500 to 2500 Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors died in the attack on the US 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25th and 26th, 1876. The best estimates suggest between 31 and 100 deaths.   Was it the romantic battlefield idealism of my youth that I felt as a teenager when I learned about the Battle of the Little Bighorn, or the overwhelming sorrow of an adult imagining the senseless slaughter of American soldiers on that now sacred battlefield that suddenly took over my senses and emotions? Whatever the reason may be, it was a sobering experience I will...

Greetings to fans of real country   music, and welcome to this week’s  Essie Country’s 21st Century Real  Country Music Song of the Week, for the week of    11/09/25 - 11/15/25 Barbershop Cowritten & Performed by Bernie Nelson Released 04/05/2024 Intro by Gene Johns Country music and storytelling are synonymous. No other genre comes close to presenting a story to its audience as well as traditional country music songwriters and artists.  Bernie Nelson, who cowrote and performs “Barbershop,” offers an excellent example of how to engage the listener’s imagination while also delivering a believable, entertaining, and memorable performance. Bernie accomplishes this with this week’s Essie Country’s 21st Century Real Country Music Song of the Week, “Barbershop.”  With his easy-going style and relaxing voice, Bernie guides you on a believable journey to a barbershop where he introduces you to a group of patrons who are also friends, despite their differen...

Essie Country Reflections  This is something new I want to try. It will be commentary’s about country music and about my song of the week. I’m not sure how often I will do this. In part, it will depend how well it’s received.  My first Essie Country Reflections commentary is about a comment posted about this week’s song of the week, “Jupiter.” I hope you enjoy it. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you for your time. Jupiter and Karaoke by Gene Johns 11/06/25 My recent posting of Essie Country’s 21st Century Real Country Music Song of the Week, “Jupiter,” received a comment that  caused me to  weigh in my mind; to view with deliberation; to examine carefully; to consider attentively. That’s the definition for “ponder,”    as defined by Marriam-Webster. What caused me to ponder that comment regarding “Jupiter?” The comment was from an anonymous poster; I’m not going to say it was my daughter April who commented on the song “Jupiter,” by C...

A special message to subscribers and visitors to Essie Country’s 21st Century Real Country Music Song of the Week series.  I want to thank everyone for allowing me the privilege of sharing with you two of my passions: contemporary, real country music, and writing.  I really enjoy sharing what I consider to be some of the best, authentic country songs and artists of the 21st century, and writing about them. What enhances that enjoyment is your acceptance of my efforts. Thank you.                     Sincerely, Gene Johns               Essie Country Administrator PS If you no longer desire to receive my weekly Essie Country Song of the Week notice just reply with the word “remove.” I will remove you from my list of subscribers with no ill will toward you. Thank you. Additionally, if you know of anyone who may enjoy receiving the Essie Country Song of the Week, please have them contact me at gene...