The 9513 - Country Music Blog

Songwriters: Little Big Town, Wayne Kirkpatrick Little Big Town experienced a commercial resurgence in 2010 with “Little White Church,” the first single from their latest album The Reason Why. But that song’s Top 10 finish was followed by the limp chart performance of “Kiss Goodbye,” a subtle ballad that failed to score points with radio [...]

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And I thought Aaron Lewis had released the worst country song of the year. Eric church’s latest single, however, somehow manages the superhuman feat of lowering the bar even further. Whereas the Staind frontman’s “Country Boy” passively regurgitated every countrier-than-thou cliché without bothering with such niceties as melody, Church’s “Homeboy” is actively, even aggressively bad [...]

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Chris Young’s latest single, “Tomorrow,” might be the most traditional song you hear on country radio in 2011. One of the most promising young acts in the genre, the Middle Tennessee native and recent Grammy Award nominee has struggled at times to find songs worthy of his talent. “Tomorrow” then is an encouraging development as [...]

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Songwriters: Shane Minor and David Lee Murphy If you’re even remotely interested in Kenny Chesney’s new single, “Live a Little,” you’re already miles ahead of the singer himself. At least that’s how the country superstar’s performance sounds on his latest offering to radio from Hemingway’s Whiskey. After a punchy instrumental intro builds momentum, the song’s [...]

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Let’s get this out of the way first: Any new music from Charley Pride is cause for celebration. Country music’s biggest African-American star is also among the best pure singers the genre has ever known, one of the few guys to be fully trusted with the songs of either Hank Williams or Jim Reeves. Remarkably, [...]

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Songwriters: Dallas Davidson, Rob Hatch and Brett Jones Films, paintings and plays have always had somewhat of an advantage over less visual forms of art such as novels, poems and songs. Whereas actors, sets and brush strokes can have an immediate impact on audiences, the written word often requires greater participation from its reader or [...]

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Songwriters: Larry Cordle and Amanda Martin As a cut on Trace Adkins’ well-received X in 2008, “Sometimes a Man Takes a Drink” sounded like a brawny, neotraditional album highlight. In the hands of songwriter Larry Cordle, it sounds like a certifiable country-bluegrass classic, the rare modern composition that would have been right at home on [...]

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Songwriters: Dave Pahanish, Thomas Walker and Joe West “Without You,” the second single from Keith Urban’s pseudo EP Get Closer, gives a glimpse into fine-tuned domestic bliss. Against a lazy-day groove, Urban and producer Dann Huff have added little bursts of banjo to display his obvious joy for his home life. While a barrage of [...]

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After several years of misfires and unsuccessful singles, David Nail finally hit it big with “Red Light,” which took most of 2009 to climb the charts, but eventually cracked the Billboard Top 10. “Turning Home,” the follow-up single, only made it to #20, so for the lead single off his upcoming album, Nail is looking [...]

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Songwriters: Jacob Lyda and Paul Overstreet For all the emphasis put on the importance of storytelling in country music, it’s easy to forget that the intangible, indescribable vibe of a song can take hold of a listener just as strongly as any heartfelt lines of hillbilly poetry. Powerful lyrics can make us think, remember and [...]

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