The 9513 - Country Music Blog

On Wednesday, CM Wilcox reviewed Joey + Rory’s Album Number Two. The husband and wife duo, who first made a splash on CMT’s singing competition Can You Duet, released its sophomore album to high expectations, after debut Life of a Song made many critics’ “Best Of” lists in 2008. According to CM, the aptly titled [...]

Continue reading "Your Take: The Road More Traveled"

This week, the buzz surrounding Jamey Johnson’s new album The Guitar Song reached a near-deafening (albeit great-sounding) roar. Everyone from the L.A. Times to the Washington Post (and our own Chris Neal) praised the album for its heft in today’s digital download world and commended the singer for his I Do What I Want! attitude. [...]

Continue reading "Your Take: Over and over and…"

This week, in light of the upcoming Labor Day holiday, The Boot looked at country stars’ past jobs, as well as more current labors of love: Alan Jackson’s songs are all about the working man. “I’ve always written songs and recorded songs, other people’s songs, about working people, and the working life because that’s where [...]

Continue reading "Your Take: Seasons Come, Seasons Go"

Tuesday on the blog, Brody linked to a Boston Globe review of Brad Paisley’s H20 Tour currently making its way around the country. The writer, Scott McLennan, highlighted some of the singer’s most popular songs and used the term “modern country classics” to describe them: Paisley not only had the sonic blend right, but also [...]

Continue reading "Your Take: Modern Country Classics"

Wednesday, Blake Boldt reviewed Little Big Town’s latest album, The Reason Why. Blake gave the album three and a half stars, and noted the group excelled when member Karen Fairchild took the lead: These tunes have their charms, but Little Big Town is strongest when they carry tougher ambitions. Karen Fairchild has grown into an [...]

Continue reading "Your Take: Taking the Lead"

Over on the CMT Blog this week, Alison Bonaguro linked to a recent Wall Street Journal article that took a closer look at the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s new single “Mine.” The WSJ article brought up an interesting concept of “reverse nostalgia,” which Alison examined in context of other country songs such as Trace Adkins’ [...]

Continue reading "Your Take: Back to the Future"

Over on The Boot this week, Alan Jackson answered 20 questions ranging from his favorite date night activities to the best car ever made. One question that stood out had the country legend-in-making naming tunes he enjoyed so much, he wished he had written them: What song did somebody else write that you wish you’d [...]

Continue reading "Your Take: I Wish…"

In his post $10 Ticket Specials, music industry insider and blogger Bob Lefsetz wondered if the current centralized concert structure is still relevant: Furthermore, one can ask whether Live Nation’s business model works at all. Does centralized buying of national tours deliver good results? Or do you need a local promoter, who knows the marketplace [...]

Continue reading "Your Take: Concert Crunch"

On Wednesday, Paul posted another edition of his Forgotten Artists series, focusing on country songbird Pam Tillis. Tillis, the daughter of country star Mel Tillis, drew references to other family performers in the country genre: Being related to a famous country entertainer can be a mixed blessing. Although the family ties can open doors for [...]

Continue reading "Your Take: Family Tradition"

Yesterday, Juli posted a profile on Hellbound Glory, a Reno-based band with a mash-up of sonic influences. The group characterizes its sound as “scumbag country,” the latest in a recent spurt of country and bluegrass sub-genres: Though the band’s lineup has changed often over the past five years, their sound, which Virgil describes as “scumbag [...]

Continue reading "Your Take: What’s In a Name?"