Kevin John Coyne

Retro Single Review: Shania Twain, “The Woman in Me (Needs the Man in You)”

August 8, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 8

1995 | Peak: #14

There are some majestic ballads on The Woman in Me, but the title track isn’t one of them.

Retro Single Review: Tim McGraw, “Not a Moment Too Soon”

August 5, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 4

1994 | Peak: #1

The intense heat of McGraw’s record sales helped propel a handful of middling songs to the upper rungs of the chart.

Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “In the Ghetto”

August 4, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 3

1969 | Peak: #50

As with her take on “Imagine” decades later, Parton’s cover of the now-classic Elvis Presley single “In the Ghetto” is fatally flawed.

Retro Single Review: Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, “Always, Always”

August 4, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 0

1969 | Peak: #11

Far too polite and matronly to make for an interesting country record.

CU Roundtable Review: Martina McBride, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”

August 3, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 12

Written by Ben Hayslip, Sonya Isaacs, and Jimmy Yeary

Leeann Ward:

After changing record labels and subsequently releasing the refreshingly sassy “Teenage Daughters”, not to mention interviews that hinted that she hadn’t been completely happy with the direction that her music had taken in recent years, it seemed that blessedly gone might be the days of overwrought, cloying power ballads with generic productions for Martina McBride. The release of “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”, however, laid that hope to rest for those of us who had tired of such songs a zillion Martina songs ago

Retro Single Review: George Strait, “Amarillo By Morning”

August 2, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 2

1983 | Peak: #4

Arguably his signature song, “Amarillo By Morning” officially announced Strait as a distinctive artist of substance and merit.

Listening to it 28 years after its original release, it’s amazing how much this sounds like George Strait, like he’s finally found his niche as a performer.

Retro Single Review: Tim McGraw, “Down on the Farm”

August 1, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 9

1994 | Peak: #2

How refreshing as it is to hear a country pride anthem that actually has country instrumentation and twangy singing.

Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “Daddy”

August 1, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 1

1969| Peak: #40

“Daddy” is the first in a string of provocative Parton singles that absolutely bewildered country radio.

Here, a daughter addresses her cheating father, who is leaving her mother behind for a woman who is younger than 23, the age of our unhappy narrator here.

Retro Single Review: Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, “Yours Love”

July 28, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 5

1969 | Peak: #9

Perhaps the least satisfying Wagoner & Parton singles are the ones that fall in the “let’s pledge our true love” category.

This shouldn’t be a surprise. Stop and think about the very best solo songs by Parton and by Wagoner. How many of them are sweet love songs?

Retro Single Review: George Strait, “Marina Del Rey”

July 27, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 4

1982 | Peak: #6

“Marina Del Rey” was an early attempt by George Strait at recording a pensive and thoughtful ballad.

He wasn’t quite ready for it, yet. The lyrics are appropriately longing and sentimental for times gone by, but Strait hasn’t yet developed enough as a vocalist to pull off the mature performance required.