Album Reviews – Page 30 – Country Universe

Patty Loveless, Only What I Feel

January 18, 2009 Guest Contributor 1

Just months after career-threatening throat surgery, Patty Loveless returned to the studio with husband-producer, Emory Gordy, Jr., to record her debut for Epic Records. Only What I Feel juggles commercial demands with her own artistic desires

Dierks Bentley, Greatest Hits: Every Mile a Memory, 2003-2008

December 15, 2008 Guest Contributor 1

Dierks Bentley Greatest Hits: Every Mile a Memory, 2003-2008 Bentley’s resume’ reads likes a wish list for rising country stars. Schooled in the classic sounds of Jones and Jennings, Bentley first burst onto radio airwaves

Charlie Louvin, Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs

December 14, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 6

Charlie Louvin Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs This has been quite the year for the historically themed country album. Two of the year’s best releases have come from veteran singers exploring their roots, with

Various Artists, Ultimate Grammy Collection: Classic Country and Contemporary Country

December 13, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 1

Various Artists Ultimate Grammy Collection: Classic Country Contemporary Country Earlier this year, the Grammys celebrated their fiftieth anniversary with a series of compilations focusing on winners in different fields. Two of the best entries in

Hayes Carll, Trouble in Mind

December 10, 2008 Guest Contributor 6

Hayes Carll Trouble in Mind The first couplet of Hayes Carll’s Trouble in Mind is a fitting introduction to a common man’s intellectual. On the arresting “Drunken Poet’s Dream,” he croons, “I’ve got a woman,

Steve Azar, Indianola

December 9, 2008 Guest Contributor 5

Steve Azar Indianola Almost twenty years after he first started touring in the Southeast, Azar signed his first major label record deal with Mercury in 2001. The resulting album Waitin’ on Joe, included a top five

Shelby Lynne, Just a Little Lovin’

December 5, 2008 Guest Contributor 5

Shelby Lynne Just a Little Lovin’ Dusty Springfield portrayed sexual longing and soulful intensity in a thrilling manner. Her nakedly honest songs seemed to be a survival mechanism. If she couldn’t speak her candid truths,

Allison Moorer, Mockingbird

December 4, 2008 Guest Contributor 6

Allison Moorer Mockingbird Allison Moorer’s latest album is an exercise in splendid restraint. Excepting the title track, a Moorer original, Mockingbird is a collection of songs written and performed by the women who serve as her musical idols. Moorer shows an overt dedication to

George Strait, Troubadour

December 3, 2008 Guest Contributor 9

George Strait Troubadour A paragon of consistency, George Strait debuted in 1981, just as the Urban Cowboy fad was fading. But Strait, a true-to-life Texas buckaroo, is no fad, and judging by his newest album, Troubadour, he’s surely not fading. Strait

Rebecca Lynn Howard, No Rules

December 2, 2008 Guest Contributor 13

Rebecca Lynn Howard No Rules Patty Loveless has proclaimed her as a thrilling voice in modern-day country. Trisha Yearwood covered two of her gorgeously sad ballads on 2001’s Inside Out. And yet, Rebecca Lynn Howard