Kevin John Coyne

WoCoWiC: Trisha Yearwood

April 26, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 1

Women of Country on Women in Country: Trisha Yearwood

On the nineties:

“What I loved about being a woman in country music was there was something for everybody. There were a handful of us, probably 10 of us that were doing really, really well, but we were all a little bit different and I always thought it was easier.

People always said it’s so hard for a woman, but it’s easier because if you were a guy back in the 90’s you had two choices: You either wore the hat or you didn’t. So it was hard to distinguish yourself. As a woman it was easy because your image could be so completely whatever you wanted it to be. It was an awesome time to be a woman in the business.”

In Memoriam: Kevin Sharp, 1970-2014

April 22, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 2

Nineties country star Kevin Sharp has passed away at the age of 43 from complications relating to cancer.

ACM Awards 2014: Final Thoughts

April 7, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 6

This year’s ACM Awards were mediocre and broverwhemingly male-centric, despite women winning most of the major awards. As with last fall’s CMA show, the best moment was the final one, when George Strait won Entertainer of the Year.

Here’s a rundown of all the major winners:

Entertainer of the Year

Luke Bryan
Miranda Lambert
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Taylor Swift

George Strait winning at the ACMs this year was even more surprising than at the CMAs last year, given how the fan-voted element of this award has favored stars with young fanbases in previous years. King George, indeed. – KJC

While it’s disheartening to see Strait’s mainstream support dwindling, it’s great to see the fans come through for King George. – BF

Even if Strait did unintentionally but hilariously leave Miranda Lambert hanging on her attempted hi-five, it was nice to see the genuine support for Strait’s win among the other artists in attendance. Too bad radio seems to have turned their back on him. – JK

Single Review: Luke Bryan, “Play it Again”

April 2, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 7

Trite an uninspired, “Play it Again” is a Luke Bryan record without any of the aw-shucks earnestness that can make even his mediocre songs somewhat enjoyable.

Single Review: George Strait, “I Got a Car”

March 5, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 10

Have we reached the point yet where a solid George Strait single should bring on waves of deep gratitude?

Single Review: Miranda Lambert, “Automatic”

February 27, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 17

Have you heard about the Miranda Lambert third single rule?

It goes like this. The first single will be alright, the second will be better, but you won’t get a great one until the third time around.

Single Review: The Band Perry, “Chainsaw”

February 27, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 3

A cool sounding record that is ultimately undermined by a juvenile delivery.

Single Review: Thomas Rhett, “Get Me Some of That”

February 11, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 10

Better than it has any right to be.

The mind-numbingly dull lyric has nothing new to offer, with details that sound more like a pitch for an Axe commercial than an actual documentation of a realistic human experience. The band also phones it in, with nothing more distinctive than a Karaoke backing track.

Single Review: Frankie Ballard, “Helluva Life”

February 5, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 7

A surprisingly philosophical take on the “drinking in the country with a girl” theme that is apparently the only thing that new male artists are allowed to sing about.

Single Review: Jerrod Niemann, “Drink to That All Night”

February 5, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 24

Any time a country single not only reminds you of Rebecca Black’s “Friday”, but also falls short of it in charm and vocal delivery, something has gone horribly wrong.