Country Universe

Rodney Atkins, “15 Minutes”

July 22, 2009 Tara Seetharam 3

Atkins’ latest single is pure, straight-up fun without being hokey or over-the-top – a tricky thing to do in country music. Against a pleasing, honky-tonk arrangement, Atkins delivers a clever hook about a misguided attempt at giving up smoking, women and drinking, resulting in the worst 15 minutes of his life. It’s simply a well-crafted bar sing-a-long that doesn’t take itself too seriously:

“Well you could get hit by a truck tomorrow
So you might as well raise a little hell tonight.”

Diamond Rio, “God is There”

July 22, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 10

I’ve never been a fan of Contemporary Christian music, mostly because of the bombastic arrangements. I like my religious songs Emmylou or Willie style, with organic production and, if I’m really lucky, a bit of struggle before the redemption.

So it was with great enthusiasm that I dove in to Diamond Rio’s “God is There.” I’ve always loved the sound of this band’s records, even when the material was slight. When the material was solid, like the back-porch bliss of “Meet in the Middle” or tongue-twisting charm of “How Your Love Makes Me Feel”, nothing sounded better.

“God is There” opens promisingly, with a sparse piano accompanying Marty Roe’s voice. It sounds so similar to their best single ever, “You’re Gone”, that it got my hopes up. The opening verse tells of a young girl struggling with an unplanned pregnancy, feeling abandoned and alone.

Billy Ray Cyrus, “A Good Day”

July 21, 2009 Tara Seetharam 5

It’s easy to lose sight of Billy Ray Cyrus the “artist” when 90% of his exposure of late has been alongside pop star Miley Cyrus – whose artistic credibility actually, surprisingly, sometimes surpasses his own. But when Cyrus taps into his core, with songs like “A Good Day,” he reminds us that he’s got a substantial amount of talent, particularly a strong, decent voice.

Catching Up with Joey + Rory

July 20, 2009 Leeann Ward 22

Three weeks ago, I had a chance to chat with one of my favorite new acts, Joey +Rory. It has been over a year since their break through on CMT’s Can You Duet and several months since the release of their album The Life of A Song. So, Country Universe thought it would be a perfect time to catch up with them to see what’s been happening since the whirlwind of their recent success.

Not surprisingly, it was a pleasure to speak with them. They were very honest and down to earth. Along with telling us how they’re handling their new found fame, they didn’t shy away from expressing their feelings on current country music, songwriting and what they are and are not listening to these days.

Dierks Bentley, “I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes”

July 20, 2009 Dan Milliken 5

Forgettable. Bentley had a very good come-on song in the frank “Come A Little Closer” a few years back; this one feels like a forced effort to recreate the magic. The writing is pleasant but dull, lacking the sexual urgency that made “Closer” come alive, and the vocal is uncharacteristically flat.

Not sure there’s much else to say, really. It’ll climb into the top five, bother me for awhile, then disappear. That’s the thing about playing it safe once you’re an established star: you might keep denting the charts, but you’ll cease to leave much of a dent in your audience.

Jake Owen, “Eight Second Ride”

July 19, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 9

A work of fantasy, where Owen meets a girl who is happy to not only tolerate all of his idiosyncrasies, but actively embrace them. He doesn’t have to do any of the heavy lifting here. She simply appears and wants to go with him because he’s a real country boy with large tires on his truck and a spit cup for his chew.

Usually, we hear a young guy with a thin voice singing a song like this with too much intensity, making an implausible situation sound completely impossible. But thankfully, Owen actually sounds like a guy who would have a big truck with a spit cup in it. His confident vocal betrays no eager excitement, just a cool and collected acceptance of the situation. Of course she wants to go with me, it says, and she’s welcome to do so, as long as she doesn’t get in the way of my spit cup.

Check Out Our Artist Pages

July 18, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 5

It’s been a long time coming, but our Artist Pages are finally up and running!

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!

Mark Chesnutt, “She Never Got Me Over You”

July 17, 2009 Tara Seetharam 11

Co-written but never released by the late Keith Whitley, “She Never Got Me Over You” is a tasteful, timeless slice of classic country. Chesnutt delivers a solid performance of the bare-bones ballad, effortlessly inhabiting the heartache as he sings of a broken relationship that he can’t seem to shake:

She almost had me where you have me
She almost did what you still do
She got me thinking straight again
But I don’t think she understands
She never got me over you.

It’s the purest form of country music – the kind of country ballad that moves the soul with untainted emotion and a simple, stirring melody. It’s also the kind of unassuming song that stands little chance of success in today’s mainstream country market, which is quite a shame, as “She Never Got Me Over You” is not only a breath of fresh air, but a beautiful tribute to Whitley.

Pat Green, “What I’m For”

July 17, 2009 Dan Milliken 3

I don’t think any artist this decade has frustrated me more than Pat Green. Here’s a man endowed of a wonderfully expressive voice, a solid songwriting gift, an army of adoring Texans, and what does he do with them? He hires Dann Huff to blare them out so he can score a few hits.

I guess you can’t fully blame him, on one hand. Green is a first-class performer of his type, worthy of the national audience he seeks, and in a just world, he would have gotten it back when he was still ripping into “Me and Billy the Kid.” And he probably knows that.

Create A Super Group

July 17, 2009 Leeann Ward 22

In 1985, four country music rebels/icons came together to form a larger-than-life group that people wouldn’t have even dared dream about before their actual union. Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson formed the country super group, The Highwaymen. The four highly revered friends recorded three albums worth of material, much to the delight of the astonished public. While all of the members were extremely successful in their own rights, their potential egos were set aside to make music as a cohesive unit. They sounded like a polished group, not just some people thrown together as a marketing gimmick.

Then, in 1988, the rock world hit the jackpot when superstars George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne formed The Traveling Wilburys. Again, these immensely famous, talented and respected people formed a super group that still seems too good to be true to this day. Their unbelievable union created two albums that were repackaged in 2007 with bonus material, which sold surprisingly well for a reissue. Like The Highwaymen, their voices blended amazingly well together as if they were meant to be a group.

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