Over the weekend, I had the good fortune to attend a “game night” party that actually started in the afternoon. Thank to an Xbox game called Lips, we sang some serious karaoke, and while we were rocking, a friend asked if there was a modern-day equivalent to the 80s soft-rock genre that gave us soaring ballads like “I Want to Know What Love Is.”

My first thought? Contemporary country. I’ve written about this before, and  it remains true: Though the genre still contains plenty of twang and songs about tractors, it also has welcomed  rock-and-pop-leaning artists who once might’ve been played alongside Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Hootie and the Blowfish, and Bon Jovi. (And as you may know, Hootie’s Darius Rucker and Bon Jovi have both topped the country chart in the last few years.)

If you read this site, then you know that I love Sugarland, the Dixie Chicks, and Miranda Lambert, and after the jump, I’ll recommend a few more contemporary country acts who mix rock and pop into their banjo jamboree. These songs are  recent or current hits, and they’re all worth a listen if you find yourself hankering for a tuneful anthem or a foot-tapping jam.

(1) “Runaway” by Love and Theft

Stephen Barker Liles, Love and Theft’s chief songwriter and co-lead vocalist, came to dubiousprominence in 2008 when Taylor Swift wrote a song about their breakup.  Eww. Since then, however, his band has asserted itself with their windows-rolled-down, ten-miles-over-the-speed-limit style of country-rock. My favorite thing about “Runaway,” which hit the  top ten late last year, is that gets is more complicated as it goes. The addition of harmonies and drums gives the song a driving pulse (which is appropriate for a song called “Runaway”), and the vocal effects on the chorus make me feel like maybe it’s the early 90s, and I’m at a show at the Peach Pit.

(2) “Hell on the Heart” by Eric Church

I agree… this does sound like Matchbox 20 with more mandolin. Oh, and with less pretentious lyrics. So basically, you get all the hooky pleasure of a song like “3 AM,” but with words that don’t sound like they came from my eighth grade “poetry journal.”

(3) “Keep On Loving You” by Steel Magnolia

A current top ten hit, “Keep On Loving You” is riding the wave of co-ed country acts that was started by Sugarland and advanced by Lady Antebellum. Steel Magnolia may have cheesy name, but singers Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones have incredible pipes. The bluesy edge on this ode to good lovin’—check out Linsey’s gravelly wail at 2:39— makes it especially entertaining.

Oh, and in researching this post, I found out that Steel Magnolia won the second season of a CMT reality show called  Can You Duet, which scouts for the next great country music duo. I’d say they give the series some serious cred.

(4) “Wrong Baby Wrong Baby Wrong” by Martina McBride

I have loved Martina McBride for a minute—since I first heard “Independence Day” in 1994, to be exact—but her recent albums have turned me off with their syrupy odes to the eyes of children and the way God lives in puppies or shiny buttons or whatever.

This single, however, is back in Martina’s sweet spot, using bright production and clever lyrics to showcase her gorgeous voice. I’d rank this with “Happy Girl,” which is my favorite uptempo track she’s ever recorded. (Fun fact: Stephen Barker Liles of Love and Theft co-wrote this little ditty.)

(5) “Hip to My Heart” by The Band Perry

This song is dumb as hell, but I love it. You like my lips like you like your Coca-Cola? Really? Okay, girl. But you know what? If you’re going to sing with this much playful energy and your bandmates are going to rock out with the laid-back confidence of my favorite bar band, then you can sing whatever you want.