The 9513 - Country Music Blog

Songwriters: Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell and Ed Hill After the disastrous chart performance of his suggestive “Brown Chicken, Brown Cow,” Trace Adkins makes a quick turnaround with a more family-friendly track, the first single from his upcoming studio album. “Just Fishin’” follows in the same form as previous hits “Then They Do” and “You’re Gonna [...]

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Songwriter: Taylor Swift This review is a critic’s critique of a critique of a critic’s critiques – and a damn catchy song at that. That sonic sparkle is exactly where Taylor Swift’s new single “Mean” excels leaps and bounds over most mainstream country offerings on radio right now. Swift, a worldwide superstar who made a [...]

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Songwriters: by Chris DuBois, Brad Paisley, Randy Owen and Dave Turnbull With the second single from his forthcoming studio album This Is Country Music, Brad Paisley honors Country Music Hall of Famers Alabama with what will surely be a summertime staple at barbeques and beach parties. “Old Alabama,” a lite country-rock anthem of warm weather [...]

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Here’s the backstory as I imagine it: Sensing radio’s inborn prejudice against gray hair, Travis Tritt hires some kid from Alabama to be the face of his new music in a homegrown Milli Vanilli style stunt, the details of which aren’t revealed until several months (or years!) later, by which time Tritt’s voice has again [...]

Continue reading "Bradley Gaskin – “Mr. Bartender”"

Songwriters: Martina McBride and the Warren Brothers “Teenage Daughters,” the first single from Martina McBride’s forthcoming studio album, is her gutsiest career move in years. The four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year hasn’t had as much commercial success since Timeless, her 2005 album of classic country songs. With her debut for Republic Nashville, McBride [...]

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Is there still room on country radio for a great bar band? The radio gods briefly smiled on a ragtag Georgia gang called Confederate Railroad in the early ’90s, but the leather-and-denim ensemble’s run of hits (highlighted by popular recurrent “Trashy Women”) lasted only about two years. By the time they released a fart joke [...]

Continue reading "The Dirt Drifters – “Something Better”"

Songwriters: Clint Daniels, Don Cook and Ryan Tyndell Just call Clay Walker the comeback kid. High on alliteration but low on probability, that title makes Walker the country music equivalent of Betty White. The nineties mainstay made a surprisingly impressive run up the charts in 2009, pushing “She Won’t Be Lonely Long,” the first single [...]

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Songwriter: Chris Martin The motion picture Country Strong bombed at the box office upon release, but its companion soundtrack produced impressive tracks from Faith Hill, Lee Ann Womack and Chris Young (with Patty Loveless). Two Top 30 country hits are also featured on the project: Sara Evans’ “A Little Bit Stronger” and the debut country [...]

Continue reading "Tim McGraw featuring Gwyneth Paltrow – “Me and Tennessee”"

Songwriters: Toby Keith and Bobby Pinson The first two singles from Toby Keith’s latest album, Bullets in the Gun, have landed short of the Top Ten (“Trailerhood” and the title track). It’s a rare double miss for the ACM Entertainer of the Year nominee after nearly 20 years of chart success. He returns to radio [...]

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Songwriters: Leslie Harter, Michael Harter and Rachel Williams Brothers and sisters, unite! That seems to be the current rallying cry in Nashville, as a flurry of sibling-only trios make a go at the popular boy/girl/boy harmonies of country music’s reigning super-group Lady Antebellum. The Band Perry kicked off the trend, and even chose a song [...]

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