Single Reviews

Single Review: Jon Pardi, “Head Over Boots”

September 12, 2015 Leeann Ward 7

Aside from people who don’t mind that country music doesn’t sound like country music anymore, one of the common complaints that we get for our criticism of the current major country music players is that we’re expecting too much and that not every song has to be deep and meaningful.

Single Review: Tami Neilson (feat. Marlon Williams), “Lonely”

September 11, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 6

New Zealand’s Tami Neilson made some inroads with US country audiences with 2014’s extraordinary Dynamite!, and “Lonely,” the first single from her upcoming follow-up, Don’t Be Afraid, is an exquisite throwback of a record that mines a real sense of heartbreak from its subtlety and restraint.

Single Review: Danielle Bradbery, “Friend Zone”

August 31, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 27

It’s rare that something comes along that manages to be both so inept in its execution and so appalling in its context and implications that it’s hard to know where even to begin to dissect its failings.

Single Review: Michael Ray, “Real Men Love Jesus”

August 31, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 33

Its title is lifted from a bumper sticker, and the song itself offers just as much depth.

Single Review: Mo Pitney, “Boy & a Girl Thing”

August 28, 2015 Ben Foster 9

While it can be tempting to give a free pass to an artist who sounds identifiably country, the fact is a good country song does not live on steel guitar alone.

Single Review: The Band Perry, “Live Forever”

August 27, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 16

The review contrasting “Live Forever” with “If I Die Young” writes itself. Vulnerable sincerity versus bombastic arrogance. Mortality versus immortality. Acoustic country versus amped up rock. By every measurable standard, “Live Forever” is the polar opposite of “If I Die Young.”