Country Universe

Single Review: Chris Young, "Neon"

May 19, 2012 Tara Seetharam 16

Chris Young’s third single off of Neon continues to position him as an artist with a skill so few of his contemporaries possess: the ability to gracefully tread the line between vintage and current.

It’s easy to compare this title track to Brooks & Dunn’s dance hall classic, for example, but Young’s ode to a bar has legs all its own. “Neon” puts a different spin on melancholy – less aching and more content in defeat. If there’s a broken heart in the mix, Young’s too deep into his sweet escape (on the rocks) to care.

Single Review: The Mavericks, "Born to Be Blue"

May 18, 2012 Dan Milliken 6

Oh HELL yeah.

Donna Summer: The Country Connection

May 17, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 9

Donna Summer, disco legend, passed away today at the age of 63.

Much like my earlier post on Whitney Houston’s untimely passing, writing about Summer’s death isn’t completely foreign to our topic of country music.

Whereas Dolly Parton wrote a #1 pop hit by Whitney Houston, Donna Summer wrote a #1 country hit for Dolly Parton.

Retro Single Review: Tim McGraw, "My Best Friend"

May 16, 2012 Ben Foster 4

1999 | #1

Some songs live or die on the strength of the artist’s vocal interpretation. Tim McGraw’s “My Best Friend” could be considered one such song.

Single Review: Kristen Kelly, &quot;Ex-Old Man&quot;

May 12, 2012 Ben Foster 15

Does country radio still have room for a song about drinkin’ and cheatin’? How about one sung by a female artist?

Single Review: Lady Antebellum, "Wanted You More"

May 8, 2012 Ben Foster 25

So let’s talk about hooks and melodies for a minute.

Single Review: Blake Shelton, "Over"

May 6, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 16

This one’s a dead ringer for one of those nineties lukewarm rock ballads. You know the kind.

A faceless band with a generic frontman singing a plaintive love song that relies on pounding guitars for its intensity. It’s their one hit that gets played everywhere, but nobody buys the album because it’s just going to pop up on some late-night hits collection anyway.

Album Review: Carrie Underwood, Blown Away

May 1, 2012 Ben Foster 88

Carrie Underwood
Blown Away

At this point, it’s easy to forget that Carrie Underwood first kicked off her country music career as an American Idol graduate. Besides being one of country music’s most technically gifted female vocalists, she’s gone on to become one of its strongest commercial forces, with a seven-year-long string of Top-2 hit singles, not to mention albums that consistently sell like hotcakes. But a noteworthy gap has often been seen between the impressiveness of Underwood’s talent and success and the quality of her material. In terms of lyrics and production, at least, Underwood’s new album Blown Away finds her taking steps forward that are small, but steps forward nonetheless.

Retro Single Review: Alan Jackson, "(Who Says) You Can't Have it All"

April 29, 2012 Leeann Ward 3

1993 | Peak: #4

“(Who Says) You Can’t Have It All” is not just an average song of lost love. Rather, the loss translates into a certain resolution from a man who is the lord and master of his proverbial castle that has turned into nothing more than a lonely room with “a ceiling, a floor and four walls”, full of pictures and memories of the broken past.

Single Review: Little Big Town, "Pontoon"

April 29, 2012 Dan Milliken 12

This new Little Big Town single sounds cool. Surprise? Nah – they always sounded cool with Wayne Kirkpatrick producing, and new helmsman Jay Joyce brings the same quirky groove-sense he brought to Eric Church’s Chief. It’s a good sonic match.