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Bucky Covington – “Gotta Be Somebody”
Songwriters: Chad Kroeger and Nickelback.
Nobody was more excited than Bucky Covington when Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger showed up as a co-writer on the lead single to what will likely be Tim McGraw’s last album for Curb Records. “Nickelback is country, Nickelback is country!” Covington shouted as he dashed out into the streets, embracing strangers and [...] -
Buddy Jewell – “Somebody Who Would Die For You”
Songwriters: Mark Narmore & Adam Wheeler.
As Roni Stoneman says, “When you’re hot, you’re hot. When you’re not, you can’t give it away.” Sad but true, and, unfortunately, that’s likely to be the fate of Buddy Jewell’s new single “Somebody Who Would Die For You.” Jewell is now 48 years old and hardly and example of [...]Continue reading "Buddy Jewell – “Somebody Who Would Die For You”"
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Aaron Watson – “The Road”
Songwriter: Elliot Park
There are umpteen “road” songs out there, but few are told from the road’s point of view. After all, what’s a slab of asphalt got to say? Turns out the road is full of tough love, telling its travelers “I offer many choices and places you can go/But you must choose/I’m just the [...] -
Trent Tomlinson – “Angels Like Her”
Songwriters: Aaron Barker, Arlos Smith and Trent Tomlinson.
The popular thematic contrast of “heaven and hell” has long been a way for songwriters to tie together the dichotomy of human life into one nicely alliterative phrase: While “heaven” covers small country churches, family time and blissful courtships, “hell” represents the bars, whiskey, heartbreak and regret that [...] -
Rodney Atkins – “Chasin’ Girls”
Songwriters: Rodney Atkins, Steven Dean and Owen Hewitt.
Somewhere, someplace, ex-Lonestar frontman Richie McDonald is banging his head against a wall in perfect rhythm with Rodney Atkins’ latest single “Chasin’ Girls.”
As one of the early pioneers of a the modern family-focused sub-genre of country music sometimes affectionately referred to as “sippy cup country,” McDonald is probably [...] -
Gretchen Wilson – “Work Hard, Play Harder”
Though she’s had pretty good album sales the past few years, it seems as though Gretchen Wilson’s may have worn out her welcome with country radio; her last two singles, “If I Could Do It All Again” and “The Earrings Song” failed to chart at all. But Wilson’s nothing if not a scrapper, so she’s [...]
Continue reading "Gretchen Wilson – “Work Hard, Play Harder”"
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Rascal Flatts – “Why”
It’s tempting to suggest overexposure to the Flatts’ own soulless brand of emo country as a possible reason “Why” the troubled character in this song (call it “How Do You Get That Lonely” redux) brought his life to an abrupt end. But that review has already been written countless times. At this point, the freshest [...]
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Jack Ingram with Patty Griffin – “Seeing Stars”
Songwriters: Jack Ingram and Chris Tompkins.
As Lennon and McCartney once famously said, sometimes all it takes is a little help from some friends. Such is the case for Texas singer/songwriter Jack Ingram on his latest single, “Seeing Stars.” Exactly which friend did he call upon for a little help on this number? The one and [...]Continue reading "Jack Ingram with Patty Griffin – “Seeing Stars”"
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Justin Moore – “Backwoods”
Songwriters: Justin Moore, Jeremy Stover and Jamie Paulin.
Justin Moore must be riding high after “Small Town USA” hit #1, so what a great time to capitalize on his growing name recognition and rising album sales! Or he could release “Backwoods,” one of the weakest songs on his debut album, as his third single.
Imagine you [...] -
Eric Church – “Hell On The Heart”
Songwriters: Eric Church, Deric Ruttan and Jeremy Spillman.
Once you get through the tongue-twisting opening lines of Eric Church’s latest single “Hell On The Heart,” the rest of the song can be boiled down to a string of romantic clichés pulled straight from its lyrics.
You see, there’s this girl who is “as pretty as a [...]
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