Trace Adkins – Country Universe

Single Review: Trace Adkins, “Watered Down”

April 17, 2017 Kevin John Coyne 6

Trace Adkins has always been at his most interesting when he’s been at his most reflective.

A Country Music Conversation, Day 12: “I’m Tryin'” to “It’s Not You, It’s Me”

December 8, 2016 Kevin John Coyne 7

Day 12 features tracks from Trace Adkins, Toby Keith, Martina McBride, Wynonna, and The Little Willies.

CMA Flashback: New Artist of the Year (Horizon Award)

October 30, 2016 Kevin John Coyne 6

Originally called the Horizon Award when introduced in 1981, the New Artist of the Year award is given to the developing artist that voters feel have demonstrated the most growth in their career during the past year.

CMA Flashback: Single of the Year

October 22, 2016 Kevin John Coyne 5

Here’s a look back at CMA Single of the Year, starting with this year’s nominees.

Sunday Selections: January 17, 2016

January 17, 2016 Jonathan Keefe 6

It’s a super-sized Sunday Selections for this week!

Single Review: Brad Paisley, “River Bank”

July 7, 2014 Ben Foster 13

“River Bank”
Brad Paisley

Written by Brad Paisley and Kelley Lovelace

Brad Paisley has become a fairly reliable competitor in country radio’s annual summer song rodeo. He offers a 2014 entry that is listenable and likable, if not as memorable as last year’s “Beat This Summer.”

Single Review: Trace Adkins, "Them Lips (On Mine)"

June 30, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 8

This will make a great commercial for Pringles potato chips or something.

Just animate the chips to dance and sing. It’ll be the California Raisins all over again.

5 Five-Second Single Reviews: Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, The Dirt Drifters, OCMS, Darius Rucker

June 9, 2011 Dan Milliken 10

Trace Adkins, “Just Fishin'” (Listen)

Written by Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell and Ed Hill

Wish this weren’t quite so heavy-handed about driving home the theme; a subtler approach could have made it a Strait-ish classic. Still a nice, fresh idea, though.

Grade: B

The 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 19

May 28, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 34

Today’s category is…

A Song You Hate by an Artist You Love.

Here are the staff picks:

Kevin Coyne: “Honk if You Honky Tonk” – George Strait

Not even Trace Adkins would cut this.

Oh, who am I kidding? Of course he would.

But it should be beneath the stature of a legend like George Strait. His talent helped him pull of “Write This Down” and “Don’t Make Me Come Over There and Love You”, but there was no saving this one.

Single Review: Chris Young, “Tomorrow”

March 30, 2011 Dan Milliken 18

How to put it? I would listen to this man sing about IBS. I would listen to him sing a long-form denunciation of my inherent value as a human being – possibly my mother’s and little sister’s, too. Chris Young’s baritone is like the aural incarnation of warm fuzzies, and most everything it touches/fuzzes goes down easy – even those lame, creaky-hinged Music Row assembly songs scattered across Young’s first two albums.

So, granted: This single was probably going to sound all sexy-cool no matter what. Happily, though, we can all enjoy with a little less cognitive dissonance this time, because “Tomorrow” makes a serious play at substance. Young is finally a radio star now, and he’s using his powers to inject some actual psychological complication back into the format.