| Hixtape: Vol. 3: Difftape | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by Various artists | |
| Released | March 29, 2024 |
| Genre | Country |
| Length | 58:21 |
| Label | Big Loud |
| Producer |
|
Hixtape: Vol. 3: Difftape is a multi-artist tribute album released in March 2024. The album is a tribute to country music singer Joe Diffie, who died in 2020, and it incorporates previously unreleased recordings he made in 2006.
Singer Hardy announced in early 2024 that he would be releasing the third installment of his Hixtape series, a series of mixtapes featuring various collaborators. The album includes Hardy and various other musicians, primarily from within country music, participating in covers of Diffie's songs. The recordings incorporate previously unreleased vocal tracks which Diffie recorded in 2006. Also included is a previously unreleased Joe Diffie song "Life Had Plans for Me", featuring Diffie's son Parker. The album's rendition of "Ships That Don't Come In" features Toby Keith, and was his last studio recording before his death from stomach cancer in February 2024. [1] Other members of Diffie's family, credited as "the Difftones", provide backing vocals on "Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)". [1]
Prior to the album's release, two tracks were released in November 2023 as a "small batch". These were renditions of "John Deere Green" featuring Hardy and Morgan Wallen, and "Pickup Man" featuring Post Malone. [1] Post Malone, Hardy, and Wallen also performed "Pickup Man" at the 57th annual Country Music Association awards ceremony that same month. [2] The rendition of "Pickup Man" was released as the project's first single. The song marked Post Malone's first entry on the Billboard Country Airplay charts. [3]
James Daykin of Entertainment Focus called the album "a heartfelt and nostalgic homage to Joe Diffie, showcasing the timeless appeal of his music and the enduring influence he continues to have on the country genre." [4] Country Central writer Cam Greene gave the album 9 out of 10, praising most of the tracks for retaining the neotraditional country sound of the 1990s, but criticizing the "rough" nature of Hardy's and Post Malone's respective vocals on "John Deere Green" and "Pickup Man". [5]
Note: All tracks feature Joe Diffie.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Featured artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "John Deere Green" | Dennis Linde | 4:27 | |
| 2. | "Pickup Man" |
| Post Malone | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Ships That Don't Come In" |
| 3:44 | |
| 4. | "Third Rock from the Sun" |
|
| 2:50 |
| 5. | "Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)" |
|
| 3:48 |
| 6. | "Bigger Than the Beatles" |
| 3:57 | |
| 7. | "Honky Tonk Attitude" |
| 3:27 | |
| 8. | "Is It Cold in Here" |
| 3:50 | |
| 9. | "Texas Size Heartache" |
| 2:41 | |
| 10. | "Home" |
| 3:23 | |
| 11. | "C-O-U-N-T-R-Y" |
| 2:36 | |
| 12. | "So Help Me Girl" |
| 3:30 | |
| 13. | "New Way (To Light Up an Old Flame)" |
|
| 2:46 |
| 14. | "If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets)" |
| 2:47 | |
| 15. | "A Night to Remember" |
|
| 3:29 |
| 16. | "In Another World" | Chris Young | 3:42 | |
| 17. | "Life Had Plans for Me" |
|
| 3:50 |
| Total length: | 58:21 | |||
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums ( Billboard ) [6] | 41 |
Jackie Keith Whitley was an American country music singer and songwriter. During his career, he released only two albums but charted 12 singles on the Billboard country charts, and 7 more after his death.
Joe Logan Diffie was an American country music singer and songwriter. After working as a demo singer in the mid 1980s, he signed with Epic Records' Nashville division in 1990. Between then and 2004, Diffie charted 35 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, five of which peaked at number one: his debut release "Home", "If the Devil Danced ", "Third Rock from the Sun", "Pickup Man" and "Bigger Than the Beatles". In addition to these singles, he had 12 others reach the top 10 and ten more reach the top 40 on the same chart. He also co-wrote singles for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, and Jo Dee Messina, and recorded with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones, and Marty Stuart.
"Pickup Man" is a song written by Howard Perdew and Kerry Kurt Phillips, and recorded by American country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released in October 1994 as the second single from the album Third Rock from the Sun. The song was his longest-lasting number-one hit, having spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart between December 1994 and January 1995.
"So Help Me Girl" is a song written by Howard Perdew and Andy Spooner and recorded by American country music singer Joe Diffie. It was released in January 1995 as the third single from his fourth studio album, Third Rock from the Sun (1994). The song reached number two on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, where it debuted at number 59 for the week of February 4, 1995, and number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Joe Diffie was an American country music artist. His discography comprises 12 studio albums, six compilation albums and 38 singles. Among his albums, 1993's Honky Tonk Attitude and 1994's Third Rock from the Sun are his best-selling, having been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of one million copies. His singles include five Number Ones on the Hot Country Songs charts: "Home", as well as "If the Devil Danced ", "Third Rock from the Sun", "Pickup Man" and "Bigger Than the Beatles".
Third Rock from the Sun is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Joe Diffie. Diffie's breakthrough album, the first five tracks were all released as singles, and all charted on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. Of these five singles, "Pickup Man" and the title track were both Number One hits, "So Help Me Girl" reached #2, "I'm in Love with a Capital 'U'" reached #21, and "That Road Not Taken" peaked at #40. "Pickup Man" was also Diffie's longest-lasting number one, having held that position for four weeks.
"Bigger Than The Beatles" is a song written by Jeb Stuart Anderson and Steve Dukes, and recorded by American country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released in November 1995 as the lead single from the album, Life's So Funny. The song reached Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, becoming the fifth and final Number One single of Diffie's career. It also reached number-one on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
"Honky Tonk Attitude" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released in March 1993 as the lead single and title track from his album Honky Tonk Attitude. The song reached the top five of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and peaked at number 11 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The song was written by Diffie and Lee Bogan.
"Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox " is a song written by Kerry Kurt Phillips, Howard Perdew and Rick Blaylock, and recorded by American country music singer Joe Diffie. It was released in July 1993 as the second single from his CD Honky Tonk Attitude. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"Third Rock from the Sun" is a song written by Sterling Whipple, Tony Martin and John Greenebaum, and recorded by American country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released in July 1994 as the lead single and title track from his album Third Rock from the Sun. The song became Diffie's third Number One single on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The song also became his first number one hit since "If the Devil Danced " in 1991.
"Ships That Don't Come In" is a song recorded by American country music singer Joe Diffie that reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1992. It was released in April 1992 as the second single from his album Regular Joe. The song was written by Julian Williams, Paul Nelson and Dave Gibson the latter of whom was also recording for Epic as a member of the Gibson/Miller Band at the time.
"C-O-U-N-T-R-Y" is a song recorded by American country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released in March 1996 as the second single from the 1995 album Life's So Funny. It reached No. 23 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The song was written by Dusty Drake, Ed Hill and Ron Harbin.
"John Deere Green" is a song written by Dennis Linde, and recorded by American country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released in November 1993 as the third single from his album Honky Tonk Attitude. The song peaked at number 5 on the country charts.
"In Another World" is a song written by Tom Shapiro, Wally Wilson and Jimmy Yeary, and recorded by American country music singer Joe Diffie. It was released in July 2001 as the first single and title track from his album In Another World. The song became Diffie's twenty-sixth Top 40 country hit, as well as his seventeenth and last Top Ten hit as of 2016.
"1994" is a song written by Thomas Rhett, Luke Laird, and Barry Dean and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released in March 2013 as the third single from Aldean's 2012 album Night Train. A tribute to Joe Diffie referencing many of his songs, the song has received mixed reviews from music critics. The song peaked at numbers 10 and 14 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts respectively. It also reached number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over 500,000 units in that country. It garnered similar chart success in Canada, reaching number 18 on the Country chart and number 65 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.
Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album is a tribute album to American country music singer Keith Whitley. It was released in 1994 via BNA Records.
Morgan Cole Wallen is an American country pop singer. He competed in the sixth season of The Voice, originally as a member of Usher's team, but later as a member of Adam Levine's team. After being eliminated in the playoffs of that season, he signed to Panacea Records, releasing his debut EP, Stand Alone, in 2015.
Michael Wilson Hardy, known professionally as HARDY, is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has written songs for Florida Georgia Line, Chris Lane, Blake Shelton, Dallas Smith, Thomas Rhett, and Morgan Wallen. He released his debut album A Rock for Big Loud Records, as well as the mixtape Hixtape, Vol. 1. His singles "Give Heaven Some Hell", "One Beer", "Wait in the Truck" and "Truck Bed" charted in the US and Canada and he was featured on the Dallas Smith song "Some Things Never Change". His album, The Mockingbird & the Crow, topped the country music charts in early 2023.
Hixtape, Vol. 1 is a mixtape by American country music singer Hardy. It was released on September 13, 2019, via Big Loud Records.
F-1 Trillion is the sixth studio album by American rapper and singer Post Malone. It was released through Mercury and Republic Records on August 16, 2024. The album marks Malone's transition to country music and features guest appearances from Tim McGraw, Hank Williams Jr., Morgan Wallen, Blake Shelton, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Ernest, Sierra Ferrell, Chris Stapleton, Hardy, and Billy Strings. Production was handled by Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, and Hoskins. It serves as the follow-up to Malone's previous album, Austin (2023).