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Taylor Swift - “Love Story”
Songwriter: Taylor Swift
An obvious criticism of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story,” the debut single from her upcoming sophomore effort Fearless, is that the song, muddled by its prominent and clunky Romeo and Juliet references, completely misses the point of one of the English language’s seminal literary works–thereby undermining its own effectiveness. After all, the syrupy, [...] -
Aaron Watson - “Love Makin’ Song”
Anything described as amped-up country is typically nothing more than rock with a dash of twang (usually contrived), but in the case of Aaron Watson’s latest single, “Love Makin’ Song,” amped-up country is an apt moniker. At the same time, it can’t be described as anything other than honest to goodness country. The first [...]
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Alan Jackson - “Country Boy”
That little white flag flapping in the wind when “Country Boy” comes on the radio is Alan Jackson surrendering to the mediocrity of contemporary country music. It’s four minutes of triviality that declines to say anything more significant than “I’m a country boy, I’ve got a 4 wheel drive.” How does a song like [...]
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Sunny Sweeney - “East Texas Pines”
Songwriters: Libbi Bosworth and Gary Griffin
The third single from Sunny Sweeney’s debut album, Heartbreaker’s Hall Of Fame, is a cover of “East Texas Pines,” a song originally performed in a more straight-laced country manner by writer Libbi Bosworth. Sweeney dresses it with rocking elements, but her interpretation is just as straight forward and doesn’t [...] -
Ricochet - “I Had To Be Me”
If you ever find yourself in the precarious position of needing to show your girlfriend/fiancé/wife that you are, in fact, “the man she really needs,” I would suggest you look to Ricochet’s latest single for examples of what not to do.
Point: I’m guessing that said female companion will probably not appreciate you forcing your [...] -
Sugarland - “Already Gone”
Songwriters: Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles, and Bobby Pinson
I gotta hand it to Sugarland and their management for knowing how to build up and maintain the hype for their latest album release, Love On The Inside. The first single, “All I Want To Do” was debuted in front of a large audience on the ACM [...] -
Joey + Rory - “Cheater, Cheater”
Songwriters: Rory Feek, Joey Martin, Kristy Osmunson, and Wynn Varble
Having not watched one minute of CMT’s Can You Duet, I assumed that a new duo named “Joey + Rory” — really, “Joey + Rory” — would be some MySpace-loving aspiring Disney stars from the likes of Nashville Star’s Laura & Sophie or Pearl Heart. [...] -
Miranda Lambert - “More Like Her”
Songwriters: Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert sheds her renegade persona and exposes her vulnerable side in her latest single, “More Like Her,” the fourth from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and the first solo-penned track to be released from the album.
It’s interesting to note that upon the release of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the marketing and chatter centered around Lambert’s cultivated [...] -
Josh Gracin - “Unbelievable (Ann Marie)”
Songwriters: Josh Gracin
The fourth single from Josh Gracin’s sophmore album, We Weren’t Crazy, falters in the same way that so many of today’s love songs do. It’s generic and devoid of imagination.
Despite initial marketing that touted the album as deep and personal, “Unbelievable (Ann Marie)” is anything but deep or personal. Sure, the name [...] -
Josh Turner - “Everything is Fine”
Songwriter: Josh Turner
When a country artist decides to make a song by stringing together a bunch of examples of how great his life is, it’s usually bad news. Josh Turner’s new single, “Everything is Fine,” trods the same ground that has been traversed ad nauseam by new artists of dubious heritage looking to score a [...]
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In this exclusive interview for The 9513, Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook talks about life with the band, as well as A Place to Land, the group’s current album, which has charted in the top 10 of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart on two separate occasions
Honeyhoney isn’t country. That’s what lead singer Suzanne Santo, one half of the Venice, California, duo will tell you. But the sultry-voiced Santo and her musical partner Ben Jaffe have together created a sound that if not technically country, nonetheless boasts considerably country undertones.
In an attempt to discover and highlight the best music every month, We'll be publishing a list of the best songs released throughout that period. Here's Brady Vercher's picks for September.
Toby Keith - “God Love Her” Solid, though neither life-changing nor earth-moving; “God Love Her” fits well beside Keith’s better material, an uptempo romp that, for better or worse, has no intention of even pretending to be your grandpa’s country music.
Hank Williams III - “Six Pack of Beer” It’s hard not to love “Six Pack of Beer” for its style—Williams remains one of the most unique artists of his generation, and the musicianship and arrangements utilized on his records can elicit truly euphoric reactions.
Kenny Chesney & Mac McAnally - “Down The Road” There is a somberness in Chesney’s delivery that perfectly matches McAnally’s; this understated vocal performance is his best in years.
Jason Michael Carroll - “Where I’m From” In a format already oversaturated with songs about celebrating rural roots, “Where I’m From” begins a step behind and never catches up.
Emerson Drive - "Belongs To You" It's a song as well-constructed as could be expected (considering that it is made up almost entirely of clichés), but which nonetheless feels like an exercise in mediocrity.
Becky Schlegel - "Jenny" It's a study in interpretation and supportive arrangement that maximize the emotional significance of the lyric, reflecting artistry without becoming inaccessible.
For 23 year-old Jeannie C. Riley, the top of the mountain was reached in August 1968, when “Harper Valley PTA” jumped from No. 81 to No. 1 on the Billboard (all-genres) Singles Chart.Current Discussion
- diver: This morning "I'll Walk" moved up one to #10 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart. The Top 10 hit, ...
- Rick: I've purchased a few used CDX DJ CDs off of ebay and I was amazed at the number of unknown ...
- Aljid: Chris N. said, "Haven’t you heard, Jim? The rule is that you must be fiercely devoted to one young blonde ...
- kamron: i really like this song!!! i guess you just have to be from the kinda place hes talkin about ...
- Zach: Here's Trace Adkin's "music video" of Can't Outrun You off of his new album.. http://www.cmt.com/videos/trace-adkins/319911/i-cant-outrun-you.jhtml?id=1599712 I don't know if it's ...
- Chris N.: Haven't you heard, Jim? The rule is that you must be fiercely devoted to one young blonde female artist and ...
- Nicolas: ^ Ummm, she already did get the top spot on Billboard
- Razor X: '90s neotraditional country sounds pretty good compared to the crap currently polluting the airwaves, CMW.
- CMW: This definitely is textbook '90s neotraditional country, but it's a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of the ...
- Drew: Never heard of this guy, but definitely a fan of the song... great backbeat from the get-go and pretty decent ...
