In honor of this occasion, we’ve decided to dedicate some of our favorite songs on that subject to the birthday guy.

Leeann:

I don’t drink, but I do love me a good drinking song. In fact, I love so many drinking songs that it’s impossible for me to narrow it down to just one favorite. So, I decided to put my iPod on shuffle and discuss/recommend the first one that popped up, which happens to be “I Drink”, recorded by both Blake Shelton and Bill Chambers and co-written and also recorded by Americana favorite, Mary Gauthier.

If people know “I Drink”, it’s likely due to Blake Shelton’s version from Barn and Grill. It’s a good version, but I prefer the versions from Bill Chambers and/or Mary Gauthier, because they provide the grittiness and moroseness that properly conveys the quiet resignation that the song requires. Therefore, this one’s not a party anthem.

From a grown child’s perspective, the act of drinking is passed down like a tradition. Just as “fish swim, birds fly, daddy’s yell, mama’s cry, old men sit and think”, the grown child proclaims, “I drink.” And that’s just that.

Kevin:

I’m going to go all meta and recommend two songs that are as much about getting older as they are about drinking. Kenny Chesney’s “Beer in Mexico”, which has him pondering why he’s not happy with where is in his life so far. And Rodney Crowell’s “Song For the Life”, which finds him not drinking as much as he used to, perhaps because he’s very happy with where he is in his life so far!

Recommend your favorite drinking song for Dan in the comments. Oh, and wish him a happy birthday too, if you like!

One of the fascinating patterns of mainstream country in 2009 was that, as the sound moved further and further away from country music as we traditionally know it, the lyrics tried and harder and harder to pick up the slack. Seemingly every other song shipped to radio these days is about the singer’s inherent “country-ness,” either explicitly (“She’s Country,” “That’s How Country Boys Roll,” “I’m a Little More Country Than That”) or implicitly (“Small Town U.S.A.,” “Bonfire,” “Backwoods,” “Whistlin’ Dixie”). There’s a palpable self-consciousness to the trend, as though songwriters, labels and artists know they’re stamping out a large part of the genre’s core identity, but really, really hope you won’t notice.

It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: We’re proud of you, Dan. Great work!

It’s a project I started with Blake Boldt at the end of 2008. We were looking for a new way to archive the site’s content, along with providing additional information that wasn’t currently included on the site.

There is an Artist Page for every single act that has been the subject of a feature, interview, or review throughout the past five years. As of this posting, there are 317 artist profiles. Also included are Industry Honors (Hall of Fame inductions, Grammys, CMAs and ACMs) and complete RIAA Certifications for albums and singles for each artist.

Just like all of our other pages, these Artist Pages will be updated whenever new content is posted. Enjoy!

Hi all! It is such a thrill to step foot into this community of talented and well-versed writers. I am humbled and can’t thank the staff enough for so graciously taking me in.

I graduated about a year ago from the University of Texas with a degree in journalism, and I am currently residing in Houston and working in corporate communications. Writing and music are two of my greatest joys in life, so the opportunity to use this site as a medium to interlace the two is an absolute blessing.

When I tell people that I live and breathe country music, I’m almost always met with surprise. Some are better at hiding it than others, but I typically receive an inquisitive stare, a “Really?” or a confused smile. It leads to about 20 seconds of awkwardness, with me trying to sum up my passion for the genre in an eloquent explanation, and generally failing. Because quite frankly, how do you prove to a near stranger that yes, an Indian-American can love country music from the depths of her soul?

I suppose I’m not the typical Indian-American. Both my parents are of Indian descent, but while my dad moved to the U.S. as a teenager, my mom moved here as a toddler – making my sister and I “second-and-a-half” generation Indian-Americans. My mom was a country fan herself growing up in the U.S., and she in turn filled our home with all sorts of country music when I was a child. I have the sweetest memories of the two of us singing along to The Judds “Why Not Me” album on repeat, day after day. My mom never made me feel like it was anything but normal to adore country music from the inside out. She never made me feel like my skin color had to match the skin color of the country artists I idolized. And why should it?

You see, to me, as much as country music seems to be about traditionalism, it’s more so about universal truths – about love and family, heartache and despair, faith and persistence. You don’t necessarily have to relate to the story to relate to the raw emotion of a country song. The best country songs are sung with such conviction and such honesty that you just get it. The most poignant country songs stop me dead in my tracks every time I hear them, because I can’t seem to disconnect my emotions from the songs.

And to be honest, I couldn’t feel out of place in country music even if I tried, as there are few things in this world that are more intrinsic to me. I remember the first time I heard Vince Gill’s “If You Ever Have Forever in Mind,” thinking that it immediately felt like “home”. Like I had found an extension of myself in the song. It sounds melodramatic, but it’s so true, and it is this very intimate, personal quality of country music that keeps me coming back for more.

My taste in country music ranges from traditional to mainstream, from George Jones and Johnny Cash to Lady Antebellum and Keith Urban. I have a deep respect for the country greats, but I have a particular soft spot for artists who can skillfully walk the balance beam between traditional and mainstream, like the older (but never forgotten!) Dixie Chicks.

And I even enjoy many of the genre-stretching contemporary artists who haven’t quite mastered this balancing act. I’m in the minority of people who see the fusion of old and new in the country music industry as intriguing and, well…fabulous. Artistic integrity comes in many forms, and I firmly believe that it can even come in the form of commercially successful artists.

Because if there’s anything I’ve learned from the inquisitive stares, “Really?”s and confused smiles I receive on occasion, it’s that, in this world so rich with contradiction, you have to learn to scrap assumptions. It’s so important to savor every piece of music by searching not for its definition but for its unique contribution, or you’ll prevent yourself from catching moments of artistic brilliance (Reba McEntire’s 2007 collaboration with Justin Timberlake? Stunning.).

This goes all ways, of course, but what I think I have an ear for, and what I hope to bring to this site, are the “gems” of mainstream country music. I’m going to humbly strive to bring a fresh perspective, one that you might not always agree with, but that comes from a place of sincerity.

Which brings me to my greatest hope for my journey with Country Universe – that I stay true to who I am. I spent much of my college career feeling that I needed to think a certain way in order to fit the music journalist mold, but I can’t pretend to be someone I’m not. I don’t hate country radio. I appreciate pop culture. I’m an award show junkie. And I’ll tell you right now, with no shame, that my favorite song is “Bless the Broken Road” (I’ll take it in any form, by any artist). I want to offer this site unapologetic authenticity, because that’s what good country music never fails to offer me.

So with that said, a huge, heartfelt thank you goes out once again to Kevin and the staff for welcoming me with open arms. More than anything, and I can’t stress this enough, I am looking forward to learning from this astute community of writers and readers. To steal liberally from Ms. Carrie Underwood: “It is my belief that country music makes the world a better place.” And ain’t that the truth?

Thanks to Lynn, Country Universe is now on Twitter and we’d like to invite all of our readers to join us there for quick and easy updates. You can follow Country Universe at Twitter to learn about what reviews we are writing, find out what grades our latest single or album reviews received, or just to receive links to our latest blog entries.

If you are fans of the Country Universe mini-feature Recommend a Track, stop by for our Twitter specific content, which will include updates of what Country Universe writers are listening to along with track and album recommendations.

https://twitter.com/CountryUniverse

William Ward has been a regular contributor to discussions on this site since his wife and CU editor Leeann Ward became a lead writer in early 2008. He is joining Country Universe in a special capacity. As Online Marketing and Publicity Director, he will be primarily responsible for promoting and publicizing Country Universe through various online outlets, including social networking sites.

Please join me in welcoming William Ward to Country Universe. Here is his bio:

William Ward is an Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the Maine Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired. He has earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in English and a Bachelor’s of Liberal Studies in Cultural Studies from the University of Maine, Presque Isle; he also completed a Master’s of Arts in Orientation and Mobility from Western Michigan University. William became Online Marketing and Publicity Director at Country Universe in March 2009.

Things may get a little wonky as the kinks are worked out, so bear with us. The end result will be more than worth it!

1.  Stick to the topic. Discussion on each post should remain relevant to its content.

2.  Speak respectfully. Do not insult, antagonize or otherwise disrespect the authors or other commenters.  Disagreement can be expressed without being disrespectful.

3.  Keep it clean. Any comment that contains profanity or bigotry of any kind will be deleted.

Commenters who violate the first two rules will be warned by a site administrator; future violating comments will be deleted.   Comments violating rule #3 will automatically be deleted.   Repeated violators will be banned from commenting at Country Universe.

These simple guidelines exist to build the Country Universe community and ensure that our readers feel comfortable expressing their ideas and opinions.    Because of this, we will be strictly enforcing them.

Please also note that our spam filter will automatically submit any comment with two or more links for moderation.   If your comment does not appear immediately and it includes two or more links, it will be cleared for posting by a site administrator.

If there are any questions or concerns regarding this policy, you can e-mail me at kevin@countryuniverse.net or leave a comment below.    You can review the policy at any time by following the link above the banner or on the sidebar.

Hello everyone! I have been asked to make contributions to Country Universe, which I find to be such a wonderfully thoughtful and engaging (and female friendly!) site on country music.  I’m incredibly excited by the prospect of introducing you to new songs and artists, as well as helping you discover or re-discover older ones.

I don’t have a formal degree or pedigree in the subject; I simply love and am addicted to music – from the Boss to the Dixie Chicks; from Joni Mitchell to Willie Nelson; from Louis Armstrong to Loretta Lynn; and from The Clancy Brothers to Steve Earle.  I adore lyrics that that read like your favorite book, fast picking that energizes the blood, the perfect steel guitar solo, and the sound of an acoustic guitar being plucked by a master.

I was born and raised in Southern California, and currently call it home, but I have lived all over the U.S. (including Nashville) and spent a number of years living overseas.  Both music and traveling have been my passions for years.  In many ways, for me, each defines the other.  Everywhere I have traveled, I have found my music spot – the cozy cavern in Spain, the friendly pub in Scotland, the smoky bar in Ireland, the dark basement in Prague.

Music has an amazing ability to define the moment and connect you to a new culture.  I fully believe it is that grounding, yet transcendental quality to music that has enabled me to shelter my undying love for Latin, Irish, jazz, blues and folk under the same umbrella as my undying love for country.  Each of those genres has a story to tell – of a people or of a generation.  Hopefully through this site I’ll be able to help you sift through the morass of shallow nothingness that frequents the airwaves and makes the news and find those stories that should come to light!

Kevin has asked if I would like to generally focus on so-called Americana, Alt-country, Bluegrass and Texas country artists. I leapt at the opportunity.  About five years ago or so I stopped listening to country radio on a regular basis, after having been a die-hard listener for years.  I still loved country music, but I no longer really connected to the artists, their songs and the messages they were sending. Therefore, I took cues from some of my favorite artists and began to branch out.

Through the Dixie Chicks, for example, I discovered (or began paying attention to) Patty Griffin, Charlie and Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis, Jack Ingram, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Emmylou Harris, Jim Lauderdale, Darrell Scott, Steve Earle, Tim O’Brien, Reckless Kelly, Lucinda Williams, Wilco, Jesse Dayton, Ricky Skaggs, Willie Nelson, Marty Stuart, Terri Hendrix, Lyle Lovett and Miranda Lambert, among others.  Since then, I’ve discovered so many other great artists with the above labels through the country blogs (partially thanks to the Texas boys at the 9513!).

Through this exploration, I renewed my great love for country music and it is now stronger than ever. So, although I’ll probably be the odd (wo)man out on occasion, as I’m more excited about Darrell Scott’s new album than Carrie Underwood’s.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to introduce some of you to great new music you love by artists you’ve never heard of or previously given a chance.

Dan’s mixture of knowledge, humor and personal reflection, along with his strong writing voice, make him a perfect fit here. I know that all of you will enjoy his contributions as much as we will! – Kevin

Hey there, everybody! My name’s Dan, and I’m pleased to be formally making all of your cyber-acquaintances. I currently live in Nashville, Tennessee, where I’m working toward my Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Music Business, and I like to spend my non-blogging free time working out, vegging with a good video game, or trying not to suck at guitar. Sometimes I go outside, too.

Kevin originally contacted me to design a banner for the newly pimped-out site layout, and at some point in that conversation I rather cleverly bamboozled him into letting me join up as a writer, as well. Poor guy.

But in all seriousness, I’m thrilled to have been offered this opportunity to share my thoughts on what I consider the greatest music on Earth, and humbled to be doing so for this community, which I happen to hold in similarly high regard. Kevin’s incisive work has already taught me more about the breadth and history of country music than I ever knew I wanted to know, and the site has only flourished in depth and personality thanks to the brilliant additions of Leeann and Blake. Throw in the passionate, diverse readership, and it all amounts to a very addictive experience for the burgeoning country fan like myself!

Country Universe is also personally meaningful to me in that its stellar example was part of what inspired me to revive my own blogging habit. My personal site, Squinty Dan’s, is the fruit of that decison, and I’ve loved packing it with country music content from the get-go. Ultimately, though, I felt that the blog needed a bit more topical balance, and was already looking for someplace else to dump my country music spillage when Kevin mentioned the possibility of my contributing here. So the timing of the offer really couldn’t have been better.

But enough about blogplay. This entry is supposed to be about my personal connection to country music, though frankly there are few topics I find harder to discuss. My “thing” with country music is almost too intrinsic for me to really describe it as a “connection,” hokey as that might sound. I don’t appreciate country music from a distance, as some sort of entertainment-hungry spectator looking for some excuse to have an opinion; I appreciate country music from the inside-out, because I see myself in it.

That’s what gives merit to any art form, I think. There’s no difference between the post-grunge fan and me, except that we happen to prefer different mediums, different sonic windows on the world and our places in it. I prefer my window rusty and raw, I prefer it with vocal trimmings that sound dead-tired from heat or heartache, that slur words and speak only in simple poetry because they can’t afford to waste breath on B.S. Because that’s what makes sense to me.

I appreciate country music because it’s terse, witty, honest, all of those other adjectives people throw around all the time. I appreciate country music because, at its best, it reminds me of who I am and who I’d like to be. And most of all, I appreciate country music because it appreciates me back, even when the rest of the world doesn’t.

But that’s putting it all very broadly, and like anyone else, the way I arrived at these sentiments was more concrete. I’ve debated with myself as to how in-depth (and long) I really want to make this post, given that this is a public forum, but ultimately I don’t think there’s any other way I can really explain myself. I have to start at the beginning.

When I think back on my childhood, I frankly remember feeling alone a lot of the time. I was terribly eccentric as a young boy, and had difficulty making friends. My parents spent the first eight years of my life fighting before they finally divorced. I took to walking alone outside their respective houses, singing to myself, enjoying nature, sort of living in my own imagination. I became very attached to the environment of Hawaii (it lends itself to that, really), where we lived for ten years thanks to my father’s military assignment.

Then we moved, and it was like the last bit of carpet had been pulled out from under me. I recall the ensuing few years as a collective haze of unpleasantness. I cared about nothing, I did poorly in school, I still struggled to maintain any sort of relationship with anyone – and worst of all, I was acutely aware of all that, which just made me feel even more hopeless about it all.

Country music finally found me the summer before I began high school. I remember downloading Garth Brooks’ “The Dance” off of some illegal Peer-to-Peer file-sharing network out of curiosity and being intrigued by the voice and the sentiment, but the song that really hooked me was Keith Urban’s then-hit “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me.”

It was those first few lines: “I got no money in my pockets / And I got a hole in my jeans / I had a job and I lost it / But it won’t get to me.” It was that idea that you could have nothing going for you and still be happy. I didn’t notice it at the time, but I think it really struck a big chord in me.

And as I delved deeper into country music, backwards in time and forwards in traditionalism, I discovered that it was full of such ideas. The music so seemed to originate from a place of loneliness, and yet, there was always this sense of progress about it. Country music may frequently consist of bemoaning that something is wrong or missing, but I see a lot of courage and strength in the mere willingness to do so. Some people spend their lives running from life’s difficult truths; country music is about about calling them out, swallowing pride, dealing with circumstances honestly, if not always amicably. It’s about real people dealing with real stuff. And that’s what I really needed: to learn how to deal.

When all is said and done, I think country music is a lot of what restored my faith in everything I felt was wrong or missing in my own life. It taught me to believe in home, in family, in lasting truths, in real friendships, in finding humor in sadness, in straight-up honesty. And it taught me to believe in myself. And that’s why I’m here; that’s why I’ve decided to try my hand at writing about the music.

When I think about the bulk of today’s mainstream country, it’s not just the un-country sound that bugs me; it’s the lack of emotional desperation, the lack of reckless creativity. The radio is wonderful if you want to chill out and listen to whole human lives get compressed into a string of easygoing cliches, but I want to hear about people who actually have things going on and aren’t afraid to talk about them. It’s not about drama; it’s about honesty.

And that’s what I’m going to be humbly shooting for in my contributions here – and more importantly, that’s what I’m looking forward to hearing from all you. Once again, I’d like to thank the staff for advocating my efforts thus far and for welcoming me aboard here. Let’s get crackin’, y’all!