Crown and Coke

Essie Country’s 21st Century Real Country Music Song of the Week, for the week of 04/12/26 thru 04/18/26:

Crown and Coke
Written and Performed 
by Kristen Foreman
Released 05/26/2021
(Source: Spotify)
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https://youtu.be/33odU2kMcoQ?si=-_hxNDeSzuh2CP-m

Review by Gene Johns

This week’s Essie Country Song of the Week is a song of self-awareness, but not redemption. From the opening lines, she paints a picture of her own life as scattered and off track—going the wrong direction, running late, and living in a mess she doesn’t try to hide.

She admits she’s no “queen,” “she’s not royalty and doesn’t need a crown on her head, just pour it into her coke instead.” Crown and coke becomes her answer—not to fix anything, but to cope with it.

Musically, the song matches that mood. A laid-back mid-tempo groove gives it an easy, almost drifting feel—like someone going through the motions without changing direction. In the background, the pedal steel guitar quietly weaves through the track, adding that unmistakable real country sound with a subtle, lonesome edge.

In today’s country music, where many songs are about beer, partying, and having fun, “Crown and Coke” does something different—it tells the truth about a flawed life without dressing it up. 

This song doesn’t fit in with the sounds and subject matter of today’s mainstream country music, but it fits perfectly with Essie Country’s criteria for Essie Country’s Song of the Week. 

Essie Country—keeping real country music alive.