Country trio Lonestar broke through in 1995 and went on to a decade of radio success, and a retrospective by American Songwriter highlights three early singles it argues would still fit comfortably on country radio playlists today. The piece underscores how the band's songwriting and vocal style from their formative years has aged well, even as country radio trends have shifted considerably since the mid-1990s.

The three songs singled out are "Tequila Talkin'", the band's 1995 debut single about deflecting true feelings onto alcohol; "Come Cryin' To Me", a number one hit from their second album Crazy Nights, co-written by then-member John Rich before he was fired ahead of the follow-up record Lonely Grill; and "Amazed", a crossover love song that topped the country charts for eight weeks and was later covered by Bonnie Tyler in 2003.