Country Universe

Idol Opry Night: Live Blog

March 17, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 122

Country Universe continues its annual tradition of live-blogging country night on American Idol. LIVE BLOG 9:55 Kind of boring night overall. I liked Anoop the most. Not too much stood out for me. 9:52 When

Hall of Fame, By the Numbers

March 16, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 11

My good friend and favorite sports blogger Charles Geier, of The Widening Geier fame, has long used statistics-based reasoning when making the case for the best in sports, whether for the current season or throughout

Carrie Underwood, “Home Sweet Home”

March 15, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 30

Okay, I have an idea. Carrie Underwood should take another year or two to look for strong new material for her next proper studio album. In the meantime, she can release a 2-CD set of

Say What? – Kristian Bush

March 15, 2009 Guest Contributor 47

I ran across the following quote attributed to Kristian Bush (of Sugarland) in an article in the U.K. newspaper The Independent, frankly titled: “Far from the old country music: Nashville is making yet another attempt to

Conway Twitty Starter Kit

March 15, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 17

Starter Kits are Country Universe’s way of introducing country music fans to an artist that they might not be fully aware of. Our first Starter Kit features Conway Twitty, the legendary Hall of Famer with

Grammy Awards Change Eligibility Period

March 14, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 2

The Grammy Awards have made a few changes for 2010’s ceremony. First, the awards show will move to the last week of January, a full week earlier than it has aired in previous years. Second,

Chris Willman Joins The Huffington Post

March 13, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 8

One of country music’s finest journalist has a new outlet for his talents. Chris Willman has written for Entertainment Weekly for many years and he also wrote the essential book Rednecks and Bluenecks, which explored

Country Metaphors

March 12, 2009 Leeann Ward 9

Country music is famous for its three chords and the truth strategy or at least for the tagline. The straightforward and simple lyrics that cut into our souls are what ultimately draw us to this

Miley Cyrus, "The Climb"

March 12, 2009 Dan Milliken 40

Song: Review: Grade: D+ Listen: The Climb Buy: – – – Credit for photos: MotivatedPhotos.com, motifake.com

Keith Urban, “Kiss a Girl”

March 12, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 19

Keith Urban has grown tremendously as a singer over the past decade. On “Kiss a Girl”, he milks his vocal talent for all that it’s worth. The emotion in his voice is so palpable that