Rolling Stone music writer Marissa R. Moss argues that Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" is the clear Song of the Summer for 2026, yet has been largely overlooked by critics and list-makers compiling their own rankings. The piece suggests this snub may stem from the track's overtly country sound, at a time when previous country-flavoured summer hits have leaned more heavily on pop influences, and when no woman has ever had a country song named Song of the Summer since Billboard began tracking in 1958.

The article cites the song's Number One run on the Hot 100 as potentially the longest by a woman with a non-holiday song in over 15 weeks, surpassing marks set by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and notes it also leads Billboard's Summer Songs Chart ahead of Drake and Taylor Swift. It points to the track's continued virality on TikTok, its crossover appeal across country radio and club settings, and endorsements such as Drake playing it during a DJ set, as evidence of its dominance, while lamenting its absence from several prominent "Song of the Summer" lists.