Mary Chapin Carpenter

The Best Singles of 2010, Part 2: #30-#21

December 21, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 16

The countdown continues, with appearances by popular new artists joined by a pair of nineties veterans.

The Best Singles of 2010, Part 2: #30-#21

#30

Roll With It
Easton Corbin

It’s easy to overlook Corbin’s second single as just another breezy summer tune, but it stands above the rest, thanks to its near-perfect execution. From the spirited delivery to the skillful handling of otherwise trite phrases –like the title phrase and “it won’t be no thang”— “Roll With It” makes a fresh, invigorating case for shedding everyday troubles and, well, rolling with it. – Tara Seetharam

#29

I Put My Ring Back On
Mary Chapin Carpenter

“I Put My Ring Back On” is a throwback to the sounds of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s glory days on the charts. It’s catchy with a message of relational perseverance. As a result, it’s one of the two most memorable songs on her latest album. – Leeann Ward

Single Review: The Judds, “I Will Stand By You”

September 30, 2010 Tara Seetharam 12

In theory, Wynonna Judd has the gravitas to pull off a feisty inspirational song like “I Will Stand By You,” the kind that builds on momentum and resolve instead of hope and compassion. And the lyrics, though clichéd, aren’t necessarily enough to kill the song’s spirit – because who better than Wynonna to breathe fire and energy into nondescript lyrics?

Single Review: Mary Chapin Carpenter, “The Way I Feel”

September 9, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 15

A song about finding liberation on the open road shouldn’t put you in danger of falling asleep at the wheel.

I don’t know what’s going on with Mary Chapin Carptenter. She made my favorite album of all-time, Stones in the Road, and it wasn’t particularly upbeat. But the songs were amazingly good. I’m still learning new things from that album a full sixteen years after its release.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #25-#1

August 30, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 32

The top of our list includes a wide range of artists singing a wide range of country music styles. They are all perfectly-written songs delivered with sincerity by the artists who brought them to life.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #50-#26

August 24, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 16

The themes of love and loss have permeated country music for as long as it’s been in existence. This second-to-last batch of great nineties hits contains songs that are direct descendants of well-known classics like “Can the Circle Be Unbroken” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, along with a Shania Twain hit that would have made Roba Stanley smile.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #125-#101

August 12, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 24

Johnny Cash may have been too dark for country radio back in 1994, but his morbid single lives on alongside debut singles, seventies covers, and a whole lot of Mary Chapin Carpenter.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #225-#201

July 28, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 17

As we reach the halfway point of the countdown, seventies stars like Tanya Tucker and Don Williams prove just as relevant to the decade as newbies like Terri Clark and and Clay Walker. But it’s eighties original George Strait that dominates this section with three additional entries.