Jay Joyce – Country Universe

Single Review: Kip Moore, “Good Life”

May 19, 2021 Kevin John Coyne 2

This has nothing at all to do with country music.

Single Review: Brandy Clark, “Who You Thought I Was”

March 24, 2020 Jonathan Keefe 3

The lead single from her third record finds Brandy Clark at the absolute peak of her craft as a songwriter.

2017 CMA Nominations

September 4, 2017 Kevin John Coyne 7

The nominations for the 51st Annual CMA Awards have been announced.

Album Review: Little Big Town, The Breaker

February 26, 2017 Kevin John Coyne 10

The Breaker is a top-notch collection of songs that yearn for a unifying sound.

This year’s CMA Nominations have been announced, and there are some major changes afoot, including some surprising inclusions (Maren Morris!) and even more surprising omissions (Blake Shelton!) Here’s who will compete this fall at the

Single Review: Brandy Clark, “Girl Next Door”

January 28, 2016 Larry Rogowin 9

Brandy Clark has been responsible for some of the best songs in country music this decade – much of them from her extraordinary debut album, 12 Stories (2013).

Album Review: Little Big Town, Pain Killer

January 14, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 4

Little Big Town Pain Killer Rather than focusing on their unrivaled vocal skill, Little Big Town and producer Jay Joyce approach Pain Killer like a game of “Chicken”: Listening to the album, it appears that

CMA Awards 2014: Staff Predictions and Picks

November 2, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 29

Despite the Grammys and even the ACM’s demonstrating more consistent taste over the past few years, the CMA’s remain the most significant industry awards that honor country music. This year’s slate of nominees gives the

2014 CMA Nominations

September 6, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 49

This year’s CMA nominees are the best in years, with multiple nominations for Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, and Brandy Clark. Country radio may still be shunning women, but their embrace by CMA voters suggests that

Single Review: Eric Church, "Creepin'"

July 18, 2012 Dan Milliken 10

Eric Church has said that “Smoke a Little Smoke” is the single that changed his career. He’s totally right. Though he’d had bigger chart hits with tamer material, “Smoke” reintroduced Church as a fully formed artist, marrying his all-too-established swagger to a bold lyric and one of Jay Joyce’s feistiest productions. It didn’t matter that the gatekeepers at country radio winced, stalling the song at #16; fans made “Smoke” a Gold single, and critics joined them in eagerly awaiting Church’s next effort.