Kevin John Coyne

Single Review: Brantley Gilbert, “Bottoms Up”

February 2, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 4

A month of single reviews into 2014, I’ve never been more aware of just how many songs there really are about partying with a girl out in the country.

2014 Grammy Winners

January 26, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 13

This year’s Grammy winners will be posted here as they are announced.

Here are the awards, in the order of presentation:

Pre-Telecast Winners:

American Roots Song: Edie Brickell & Steve Martin, “Love Has Come For You”

Americana Album: Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, Old Yellow Moon

Bluegrass Album: The Del McCoury Band, The Streets of Baltimore

Folk Album: Guy Clark, My Favorite Picture of You

Country Solo Performance: Darius Rucker, “Wagon Wheel”

Country Duo/Group Performance: The Civil Wars, “From This Valley”

Country Song: Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves, and Josh Osborne, “Merry Go ‘Round”

Musgraves, Clark, Monroe dominate Annual Nashville Scene Critics’ Poll

January 23, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 1

Much like they dominated the Country Universe lists, Nashville Scene’s 14th Annual Country Music Critics’ Poll finds Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, and Ashley Monroe on top.

This year, six of our seven Country Universe writers voted in the poll, with Sam Gazdziak featuring heavily in the comments section!

Single Review: Rascal Flatts, “Rewind”

January 22, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 5

Using the word rewind in 2014 is a bit dated and quaint, don’t you think?

Single Review: Joe Nichols, “Yeah”

January 22, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 6

Harlan Howard, when asked once about his Judds classic, that “Why Not Me” was a weak title, so he had to repeat it over and over again to make it work.

Single Review: Eli Young Band, “Dust”

January 21, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 3

“Dust” tells the story of an interesting woman who is leaving her past behind her in the…dust.

Single Review: Bush Hawg, “More than Corn”

January 21, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 0

Well, it’s not all about partying out in the corn fields.

Single Review: Tim McGraw, “Lookin’ for that Girl”

January 20, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 12

It’s hard for me to not like a song that uses “Funky Cold Medina” and “Strawberry Wine” as adjectives.

Single Review: Blake Shelton, “Doin’ What She Likes”

January 20, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 10

There’s a point early on where you hear Blake Shelton end a line with the word “fajitas,” and you just know the next line will end with “margaritas.”

Single Review: Lady Antebellum, “Compass”

January 17, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 7

A lot of country music lovers want to claim Mumford & Sons and Philip Phillips as their own.

There’s a joy, a rootsiness, and killer musicianship in the best records of those acts, despite them not being what we’d traditionally consider country artists. Lady Antebellum has never had much connection to what’s historically been considered country music, either. So it’s not entirely surprising that their path from pure, glossy pop to a more grounded, earthy sound, still takes its cues from the top forty music scene.