Adorably, last year she wanted me to see if I could find a copy of the song about Roman Catholic choirs singing. Its not hard to find where I get my musical tastes from.

Amanda Shires makes me smile when she gets that big grin on her face at the end of her songs. Her quiet, quivering vocal style definitely lacks mass market appeal but it works just fine for me. Its a good thing she’s based in Texas where unique voices are not only accepted but embraced. Go Amanda!

Arty Hill is a fine retro honky-tonker and I hope he can make a living at it these days! If he’s not touring around Texas, he should be…

The Harters sound like they are trying to invade radio with a Little Big Town style sound when they should be following the lead of Gloriana instead with outright rock production. I like Leslie’s voice because she doesn’t sound like a pop diva, but that will work against them at radio. Since I like the sound of The Harters, I predict they will join Holly Williams as talented new artists who fail to get the Top 40 country radio airplay they deserve. Oh well…

Derek Hoke is alright but I don’t think the references to Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, or Lyle Lovett hold water. His folky, acoustic numbers are fine and his music is pleasant, but he’s nowhere near the league of those other artists. As a marketing gimmick though its a wise move as it gets people like me to listen to his music even though I have no desire to purchase it.