Chris Young, “You’re Gonna Love Me” What’s this? Could it really be? Is this…country music? From a new artist who isn’t a wanna-be southern rocker, or an aging pop star, or an American Idol castaway?
The Wreckers, “Tennessee” I view The Wreckers as an Adult Top 40 act that have slapped a few minimal country touches on the surface to score hits at a more lucrative radio format. That
Van Zant, “That Scares Me” A theme that’s been explored before. The protagonist compares how fearless he was in his youth, but that his children following that example terrifies him. It reminded me of the
Trace Adkins, “I Wanna Feel Something” A compelling single that explores struggling with cynicism as you age. Adkins turns in one of his strongest performances to date. If you prefer “I’m Tryin’” to
Rodney Atkins, “These Are My People” Fantastic. I thought it was going to be another carbon-copy celebration of southern hillbilly culture, but after a few lines of that, reality kicks in, and the celebration is
Amy Dalley, “Good Kind of Crazy” There are the basic elements of a good song here, but they don’t fully come together. I’m a fan of Dalley, and have enjoyed her previous singles, “I Would
Craig Morgan, “Tough” This is one of the most beautiful tributes to a wife and mother that I have ever heard. Every line sounds like real life. There are no forced story lines here, no
Bon Jovi, “(You Want To) Make a Memory” Listening to Bon Jovi’s first official attempt at country music, it’s hard not to be struck by how similar the vocal and general groove is to a
Alabama, “The Star-Spangled Banner” I think renditions of the national anthem are sort of like Christmas albums. They’re hard to review on the merits. Generally, I tend to like Christmas albums by the same people
Halfway to Hazard, “Daisy” I blame CMT for making me think this must have something to do with Dukes of Hazzard. Anyway, the girl “loved the hell out of him.” Guess how? Took him to