Country Universe

Single Review: Kelsea Ballerini, “Dibs”

July 15, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 8

“Dibs” Kelsea Ballerini Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Jason Duke, Ryan Griffin, and Josh Kerr So. “Dibs.” What is there to say about “Dibs?”

The Best Albums of 1993, Part 2: #10-#1

July 12, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 16

The combined efforts of nine women and three men form the upper echelon of our Best Albums list from 1993. This embarrassment of riches showcases just how much great music there was to choose from

The Best Albums of 1993, Part One: #20-#11

July 11, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 9

Today, we kick off our Best of 1993 feature with the first part of our album retrospective. Included in this list are the debut albums of two underrated singer-songwriters, confident projects from the genre’s leading

Daily Top Five: Sophomore Successes

July 9, 2015 Leeann Ward 10

We’ve all heard of the Sophomore Slump. It’s the phenomenon where an artist’s second album isn’t as good as their first album. This presumably happens because they’ve had more time to choose or write songs

Daily Top Five: Songs with Social Commentary

July 8, 2015 Leeann Ward 17

The last few weeks have been full of discussions, debates and even steps and leaps toward major social changes. Songs that most easily hit my sweet spot are songs with thoughtful social commentary. Happily, even

Daily Double Top Five: Most Played Tracks

July 7, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 14

Back in the day, we used to do iPod checks. Seemed so current at the time! Now, we’re gonna ask you to go to Spotify or your phone or whatever, and just let us know

Single Review: Bret Michaels, “Girls on Bars”

July 7, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 12

“Girls on Bars” Bret Michaels Written by Luke Laird and Bret Michaels I’m a few years too young to have taken Poison seriously. Now, I always leaned more toward pop and country anyway, but I

Single Review: McKenna Faith, “Somethin’ Somethin'”

July 7, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 23

“Somethin’ Somethin’” McKenna Faith Written by McKenna Faith, Caleb Sherman, and Monique Staffile You forgot to finish the song. But I’ll still finish the review.

Daily Top Five: Palate Cleansers

July 5, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 18

It’s gotten to the point that I can’t listen to more than two country singles in a row without wanting to hurt somebody. So here’s the daily top five. What are some songs that are

Single Review: Sam Hunt, “House Party”

July 5, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 19

“House Party” Sam Hunt Written by Zach Crowell, Jerry Flowers, and Sam Hunt I realize that Sam Hunt’s country music career might be little more than a stepping stone to filling one of those spinning