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Nate Barnes: You Ain’t Pretty – EP Review

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Nate Barnes’ debut EP, “You Ain’t Pretty,” including the viral title track and others co-written by Steve Moakler, Jason Sellers, and more, is out now, June 4th. Take a look below as we dig a little deeper into the new music.

As the flagship artist on Quartz Hill Records, country newcomer Nate Barnes is off to a strong start. Following the late 2020 release of his acclaimed single “You Ain’t Pretty,” the singer/songwriter released his debut EP of the same name today, June 4th.

Featuring five new tracks, including songs co-written by Steve Moakler, Jason Sellers, Neil Thrasher, and more, the You Ain’t Pretty EP is a solid batch of music to introduce Barnes to the country music world. “This collection of songs is near and dear to my heart. There are some up-tempo barnburners as well as some soulful ballads. Whether I wrote them or not, each song tells a story that I can personally relate to and each song is a little piece of me,” says Barnes in a recent statement. “We had a lot of fun making this project and I feel so fortunate to have worked with some of the best songwriters and producers in the business to craft my first-ever EP!”

The EP is focused around the title track, which has garnered quite a bit of attention, including 15 million TikTok impressions and over 1.2 million streams since its release, and rightfully so. Co-written by Barnes, Jimmy Yeary, and Sellers, “You Ain’t Pretty” is a stirring romantic track celebrating a woman that’s always pretty in his eyes. “I ain’t ever seen you looking any less than a ten // Every time it’s like an angel walked in // Stealing my heart, again and again, baby,” he croons. “I’ve seen your hair up girl, and I’ve seen it fall // Makeup on, and makeup off // Inside out, I’ve seen it all, believe me // But I ain’t ever seen you girl // When you ain’t pretty.”

On the You Ain’t Pretty EP, the theme of “ain’t” carries through three of the five songs, including the collection’s opener, “Ain’t Got a Shot” and “If This Ain’t Heaven.” While the latter is a romping celebration of love for a beautiful place, the former puts a spin on the typical country breakup song. Written by Ron Hatch, Moakler, and Aaron Eshuis, “Ain’t Got a Shot,” opens with a bluesy guitar riff, Barnes’ soulful voice crooning of love lost. Like many country songs, he’s seeking solace at the bottom of the bottle to heal his broken heart, but even that’s not enough. “If Tennessee straight // Can’t make her memory fade // Tell me what kind of chance do I got,” He laments, “Even whiskey ain’t got a shot.”

One of the EP’s highlights is “Right About Me,” a catchy song about opposites attracting. Written by Michael Delaney, Thrasher, and Sellers, “Right About Me” celebrates the kind of love that may not make sense on paper, but somehow, works. The song is a throwback to early-2000s country with a perfect chorus crafted for a live show call out. “Right about me, wrong about you,” Barnes sings in a way that’s just begging for a microphone to be outstretched to an adoring audience. 

Although Nate Barnes may be a relative newcomer to the country music scene, the You Ain’t Pretty EP is a solid introduction to the rising star.  With over 15 million TikTok impressions on his first single, it’s clear that the singer-songwriter has hit a chord with country fans, and we expect even bigger things in his future.

You Ain’t Pretty EP Track List:

  1. Ain’t Got a Shot (Rob Hatch, Steve Moakler, Aaron Eshuis)
  2. Right About Me (Neil Thrasher, Michael Delaney, Jason Sellers)
  3. You Ain’t Pretty (Nate Barnes, Jimmy Yeary, Jason Sellers)
  4. If This Ain’t Heaven (Taylor Davis, Wendell Mobley, Jason Sellers)
  5. I Love You Too (Lance Miller, James McNair, Brandon Day, Jason Sellers)
Nate Barnes debut EP, 'You Ain't Pretty', is available now, June 4th, on all streaming platforms

Nate Barnes debut EP, ‘You Ain’t Pretty’, is available now, June 4th, on all streaming platforms

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Nate Barnes announcements and releases.

To keep up with Nate Barnes, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

You Ain’t Pretty is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

Who Is Nate Barnes? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

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Who is Nate Barnes? The Quartz Hill Records newcomer, whose debut single “You Ain’t Pretty” is currently climbing the charts, joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

Nate Barnes, Quartz Hill Records

Nate Barnes, Photo Credit: Justin Mayotte

For our latest Swag Spotlight artist, it was a total “God moment,” as he says that landed him a career in country music. Nate Barnes is a talented new artist, who has a knack for story-telling and an incredible voice to match.

Despite growing up in South Haven, Michigan, home of power plants and blueberry farms, Barnes always had a desire to be a musician. “My heart was set on music since I was a little kid because of my grandad,” he begins to tell us, “He instilled this dream in me by telling his stories and talking about musicians […] I knew I wanted to be a storyteller. I knew I wanted to tell the truth. I knew I wanted to inspire people through music.”

Although Barnes knew he wanted to be a musician, he did not exactly know his path. As a child, he played drums in numerous bands, only discovering his voice when he reached his teenage years. Barnes shared that he played in all different types of bands, showcasing his wide variety of musical influences. “I grew up with all sorts of music. I just had such an amazing family that loved all music,” he shared, adding later that country music was not the only genre in his household. “One of the main things we listened to was Motown, it was blues, just anything you could think of, I grew up listening to.” Barnes also shared a love for artists like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

The singer credits the deepening of his love for country music though, to his friend and mentor Dennis Hartman, who reintroduced him to country music at 21 years old. “He reintroduced country music in a way that I never heard before and I knew at that moment, I wanted to be a part of country music,” shared Barnes, “It spoke the truth in a way that I’ve been wanting. It felt like home, and I knew I had to be a part of it somehow.”

Continuing to gig whenever he could, Barnes settled into life in Michigan, working a full-time job unrelated to music. It was not until a trip to Tennessee that his life would flip on a dime. By happenstance, the singer met hit songwriter Jason Sellers, who after some introductions to people in Nashville convinced Barnes to take the risk and move out to Music City.

Flash forward to today, the entertainer is a bonafide artist. His debut single “You Ain’t Pretty” impacted country radio just a little over a month ago, as the most added debut song by an artist. Blowing up on radio and on social media, it is clear that Barnes is building a fanbase that will continue to support him. Calling the song, “The right song at the right time that men needed to say and women needed to hear. That all people need to hear,” it is clear that Barnes has an ear for music.

The singer wrote the song with Jason Sellers and Jimmy Yeary. Crediting Yeary for the inspiration, it was the three of them that really took the song to the place it is now. Their goal was to create a song to remind people that they are wonderful just the way they are. “

“So after we got done writing it, it was just this thing, like this is such an amazing thing to say to people and to myself, I needed to hear it [too],” explained Barnes.

As “You Ain’t Pretty” continues to gain traction on the charts, fans can look forward to more new music coming from Barnes sometime this year. The singer is ready for this journey and looking forward to sharing his passion and talent with the world.

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about future Nate Barnes releases.

To keep up with Nate Barnes, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Nate Barnes’ music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.