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Album Review: Sugarland – Gold and Green
Much like holiday movies and specials, Christmas albums bring out the children and the Scrooges in all of us with their chintzy production and forced cheeriness. Typically, they’re filled with the musical equivalent of switches and ashes: perfunctory run-throughs of the same old songs you hear every year and uninspired new compositions you won’t remember [...]
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Album Review: Mark Stuart and The Bastard Sons – Bend In The Road
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene ii, lines 47-48
That Shakespeare fella might have been on to something. They may have a new band name, but West Coast workhorses Mark Stuart and the Bastard Sons, formerly The Bastard Sons [...]Continue reading "Album Review: Mark Stuart and The Bastard Sons – Bend In The Road"
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Album Review: Terri Clark – The Long Way Home
In the mid-‘90s, she was the rare female hat act among a sea of young studs in Stetsons. Now, Grand Ole Opry member Terri Clark is standing out once again with The Long Way Home, her first self-released disc since leaving Mercury late last year. Unable to fit onto country radio’s rigid playlists (four American [...]
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Album Review: Steve Wariner – My Tribute To Chet Atkins
The new Chet Atkins tribute album is brought to you by Steve Wariner, c.g.p.
The acronym stands for “certified guitar player,” a designation given by Atkins to a select few musicians who he felt made significant contributions to the world of guitar–Wariner was one of only four to receive this honor (the others were Jerry Reed, [...]Continue reading "Album Review: Steve Wariner – My Tribute To Chet Atkins"
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Album Review: Lyle Lovett – Natural Forces
On paper, an album that leads with four original songs—two of those hot in groove and content—then enters a long stretch of languid, story-centric covers, before wrapping up with an all-out rock and roll cut and a string-band reprisal of one of those earlier bawdy numbers might come off as a tad fragmented. Whose album [...]
Continue reading "Album Review: Lyle Lovett – Natural Forces"
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Album Review: Carrie Underwood – Play On
Reality-show prodigy turned down-home diva, Carrie Underwood has earned little critical praise despite moving over 10 million albums since her 2005 American Idol win. Nashville’s now the stomping ground for ‘80s pop-rock refugees, and Underwood’s widely viewed as a key cog in the nouveau Music Row machine–with high-minded traditionalists blanching at her country bona fides.
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Album Review: Sam Bush – Circles Around Me
At 57, Sam Bush is only getting better with age. With Circles Around Me, he combines old and new sounds in an irresistible blend that ranks among some of his best solo work to date. Though he’s sharply dressed in a suit on the album cover (a far cry from earlier album covers like Glamour [...]
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Album Review: Dolly Parton – Dolly
No pun intended, but Dolly Parton cuts a striking figure in country music. Growing up destitute in the mountains of West Tennessee, she showed a strong musical talent as a child and cut her first record before she was a teenager. Since then, she has recorded frequently and adventurously, surveying a wide swath of American [...]
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Album Review: Drew Kennedy – An Audio Guide To Cross Country Travel
Road trip: Journey via automobile, often unplanned or impromptu.
An Audio Guide to Cross Country Travel: Thinking man’s soundtrack for said road trip.
Another explanation, of course, could be “Third album by Texas transplant and wordsmith Drew Kennedy;” however, since Kennedy’s musical aesthetic defies mainstream country molds somewhere between Americana and indie singer/songwriter, definitions aren’t nearly as [...]Continue reading "Album Review: Drew Kennedy – An Audio Guide To Cross Country Travel"
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Album Review: Toby Keith – American Ride
Say what you will about Toby Keith, but he’s nothing if not a hard worker. It’s been less than a year since That Don’t Make Me A Bad Guy was released (hell, the gold record probably isn’t even hung up in the Show Dog Nashville office) and here he is with another album, one that’s [...]
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While the voice of country’s future took home this year’s big honor, a legendary voice from country music’s past scored a win for Album Of The Year. Check out the winners in The 9513's 2nd Annual Country Music Awards now!
Josh Turner's fourth album, Haywire, furthers his reputation as one of the leading men in contemporary country, a true, traditional voice in an ever-changing Nashville scene.
Having played on more than 500 albums and toured with artists that range from Hank III to Dolly Parton, Randy Kohrs has become one of the go-to musicians when there’s a need for a resophonic guitar
Sammy Kershaw – “Better Than I Used To Be”
As the title track off his upcoming album, “Better Than I Used to Be” is a straight-up look back on the career of a country music staple.
Emily West Featuring Keith Urban – “Blue Sky” Emily West turns in a gorgeous performance on “Blue Sky,” hitting notes few of her contemporaries can reach.
What does Alan Jackson like on his eggs?
Cheese and corn; he still likes bologna; a load of salsa; hens? Answers to the questions you'd never dream of asking. (
In each and every instance, the best country albums of the past ten years were built on the backs of songs -- stories about you and me from birth to death and stories that paint landscapes rooted in every region of America and beyond. These are the top country albums of the decade.Current Discussion
- J.R. Journey: I think it's great that rural areas will have broadband access. I don't think wiring the nation up will ...
- Steve Harvey: Like the production on this a lot.
- Steve M.: Jon in a catwoman suit was an image I could do mentally without, lol.
- Thomas: ...careful with you comments steve m. - there's jon sitting on a high rise in black rubber suit with little ...
- Steve M.: That cracked me up Stormy.
- stormy: Wow, her fans even praise her in cliches.
- Dan E: No ripping from a website will ever tear her apart. Carrie is fine just the way she is, and she ...
- stormy: Carlie: Have faith. I'm sure Carrie can be ripped a lot more.
- Jon: What's the difference between "the vocal" and "her delivery?"
- Carlie: Why does it seem like even Carrie's biggest hits are never good according to the amateur, biased opinions on the ...
