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Craig Morgan - “Love Remembers”
Morgan’s first single for BNA (after abruptly leaving Broken Bow earlier this year), “Love Remembers” is a slickly-produced radio track destined to impact the Country charts like no Morgan single before it. From top to bottom, this is not only a hit, but a gigantic, smash hit. It will undoubtedly be one of the handful […]
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Ashton Shepherd - “Sounds So Good”
Songwriter: Ashton Shepherd
“Sounds So Good,” Ashton Shepherd’s second single and the title track of her debut album, is best compared to the Randy Travis standard, “Deeper than the Holler.” Both songs address the dominant radio theme of the day – undying love in Travis’s classic and country living in Shepherd’s single – in […] -
Alan Jackson - “Good Time”
Songwriter: Alan Jackson
I’ve long thought that the preponderance of “list songs” on modern country radio is a consequence of the co-writing epidemic and the general talentlessness of too many Nashville hit-makers. Leave it to Alan Jackson, one of the genre’s greatest singer-songwriters, to shatter my assumptions by recording Good Time, an album composed […] -
Adam Hood - “Different Groove”
Songwriters: Adam Hood
Adam Hood is an Alabama native adopted by Texas’ Red Dirt scene and he recorded his last album in California. He travels all over the South, playing nearly 300 shows a year, making the road his actual home; a modern-day troubador if there ever was one. He doesn’t fit within the confines […] -
Chris Cagle - “No Love Songs”
Songwriters: George Teren and Craig Wiseman
You know that song by BJ Thomas “Another somebody done somebody wrong song?” Despite it being kind of cheesy and heavy-handed, I love that song. Chris Cagle’s new tune, “No Love Songs”–not so much.
The song kicks off with silly production featuring shakers and zany “ooooh” chants but I was […] -
Rodney Atkins - “Invisibly Shaken”
Songwriters: Rodney Atkins and Bill Kirsch
Rodney Atkins’ latest single from his blockbuster album If You’re Going Through Hell is the somber piano ballad “Invisibly Shaken,” which Atkins co-wrote with Bill Kirsch. It tells the tale of a guy who is pretending to be ok with a breakup, but is in fact, “invisibly shaken, quietly […] -
Bucky Covington - “I’ll Walk”
Songwriters: Lonnie Fowler and Brent Wilson
For a demonstration of the influence of American Idol, look no further than Bucky Covington, who has been able to place his first two singles inside the top 20 despite being a mediocre artist, but if there’s any sensibility left in this world, his next single, “I’ll Walk,” won’t […] -
Brandon Rhyder - “Before I Knew Your Name”
This song is currently #1 at the Texas Music Chart
This single by Brandon Rhyder, which I believe is his first #1, kicks off with a cool roadhouse twang vibe and when his smooth, melodic voice chimes in, it provides a very interesting contrast.
Things start to unravel shortly thereafter.
The first verse really illustrates the problem […]Continue reading "Brandon Rhyder - “Before I Knew Your Name”"
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Trent Willmon - “Broken In”
The title track from Trent Willmon’s Broken In is the second single to make it off the album. It’s a simple song, but it’s well constructed and Willmon’s rough vocal suits it just fine, giving it a refreshing sound and an air of authenticity.
“Broken In” conveys the cowboy character without the embellished romanticism and […] -
Kevin Fowler - “Best Mistake I Ever Made”
This single is currently #1 on the Texas Music Chart
Why, Kevin Fowler? Why did you write and sing this song?
Why, Texas Radio? Why did you spin this song 1,131 times last week, thus forcing me to review it?
Why, Red Dirt Music fans? Why have you established yourselves as an […]Continue reading "Kevin Fowler - “Best Mistake I Ever Made”"
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Forgotten Artists: Bradley Kincaid In a manner similar to Alan Lomax, William Bradley “The Kentucky Mountain Boy” Kincaid was one of the great American musicologists and collectors of American folk, country and parlor songs.
Forgotten Artists: Goldie Hill Had Carl Smith and Goldie Hill been born 30 or 40 years later, they might have been like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw–the dominant married couple in country music.
Miranda Lambert - “More Like Her” This kind of material, as opposed to her tough-chick-done-wrong romps like “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “Gunpowder and Lead,” is where her real promise lies
Joey Rory - “Cheater, Cheater” It’s actually downright frivolous, but that just makes it all the more fun. And really, are you allowed to say “ho” on country radio?
Josh Gracin - “Unbelievable (Ann Marie)” Despite initial marketing that touted the album as deep and personal, “Unbelievable (Ann Marie)” is anything but deep or personal.
Josh Turner - "Everything Is Fine" Turner is the rare example of an artist who records material that’s both quality and trademark.
Darryl Worley - "Tequila On Ice" A groovy mid-tempo that sways, a refreshing reprieve from the exhausting pace of a format that clamors for loud music and swelling choruses.
Blake Shelton - "She Wouldn't Be Gone" It’s all about nailing the melody rather than providing a legitimate interpretation that accentuates the lyrical content, although Shelton does do a pretty good job of injecting what limited emotion he can.
Don’t look now, but Darius Rucker, lead singer of 90s rock group Hootie & The Blowfish, has a country hit on his hands. What you probably haven’t heard is that Rucker is the first black artist to chart a single in the country top 20 since Charley Pride last did it in 1988.
News that former Sugarland member and co-founder Kristen Hall is suing her ex-mates, to the tune of $1.5 million, goes a long way towards providing a bit of context regarding the Atlanta singer/songwriter’s sudden departure from the group.
In Memory of Don Helms (1927 - 2008) Helms dated back to a time when an excellent four or five piece band and a good singer were all that were needed to make great country music. No drums, no light shows, no production tricks in the recording studio–just good music.Current Discussion
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- jana: That Susan Gibson album is pretty awesome....
- Rick: My favorite three cuts on "Heartbreakers Hall of Fame" are "Here Lately", "Laven...
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- dallas: Kenny Chesney.he sells out all his concert.so he must have a real big fan base i...
- Courtney: Is she aiming to be hard to understand? Most of the words I don't understand. Bu...
- J MacAulay: I think he should release "The longer the waiting" as his next single as there i...
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