Country Universe

Various Artists, Ultimate Grammy Collection: Classic Country and Contemporary Country

December 13, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 1

Various Artists Ultimate Grammy Collection: Classic Country Contemporary Country Earlier this year, the Grammys celebrated their fiftieth anniversary with a series of compilations focusing on winners in different fields. Two of the best entries in

Discussion: Recommend a Track

December 12, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 16

I used to think that Dolly Parton’s early country tragedy songs were over the top. Then I heard some of Porter Wagoner’s, and realized that she’d actually toned down some of his excesses. Nothing is

Concert Review: Hayes Carll @ Belcourt Theatre, Nashville, TN

December 11, 2008 Guest Contributor 5

Hayes Carll Belcourt Theatre/Nashville, TN December 10, 2008 With his rich baritone, Hayes Carll is perfectly suited to deliver the barroom and bedroom tales of a troubadour who’s a hard-luck, heartbroken case. But to balance

Discussion: Billboard’s 2008 Year-End Charts

December 11, 2008 Guest Contributor 32

Earlier this week, Billboard announced the year-end charts in all musical genres. Billboard’s chart year runs from the first week of December (2007) to the last week of November (2008), and the country albums list

Rolling Stone Recognizes Country Music Prominently Among Best of 2008

December 11, 2008 Dan Milliken 19

Just kidding! No, as many a frustrated country fan would expect, the famed music magazine’s Best of 2008 lists adhere to same unspoken code that seems to have been in effect there for the past

Discussion: My Kind of Country

December 10, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 12

I’m really excited to announce that regular commenters J.R. Journey, Rainbow and Chris D. have launched their own blog: My Kind of Country. All three writers have been invaluable in their contributions on the comment

Hayes Carll, Trouble in Mind

December 10, 2008 Guest Contributor 6

Hayes Carll Trouble in Mind The first couplet of Hayes Carll’s Trouble in Mind is a fitting introduction to a common man’s intellectual. On the arresting “Drunken Poet’s Dream,” he croons, “I’ve got a woman,

Discussion: iPod Check

December 9, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 41

This afternoon, it took me seventy minutes to get to my final and fifteen minutes to actually take it. It was the traffic jam to end all traffic jams, requiring navigations of Brooklyn and Queens

Steve Azar, Indianola

December 9, 2008 Guest Contributor 5

Steve Azar Indianola Almost twenty years after he first started touring in the Southeast, Azar signed his first major label record deal with Mercury in 2001. The resulting album Waitin’ on Joe, included a top five

Discussion: Sad Christmas Songs

December 8, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 37

I can’t get this one out of my head this year: Merle Haggard, “If We Make it Through December” httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-IJxTd8dCo I love sad Christmas songs. Give me “Blue Christmas over “White Christmas” any day. What