Country Universe

Review: Becky Schlegel, “Bound For Tennessee”

July 16, 2008 Leeann Ward 0

Those who are familiar with Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion on NPR may recognize the name of Becky Schlegel, who has performed on Keillor’s show numerous times. Her first single, “Bound For Tennessee”, retreads

Wednesday Open Thread: Worst Song Lyrics Ever!

July 15, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 63

I’m not above lifting another open thread topic from Spinner. They listed what they consider The 20 Worst Song Lyrics Ever, with topping the list. Country music is represented by Shania Twain, showing up at

Crunching the Numbers: July 2008, Part 4

July 15, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 0

Country music is such a male-dominated industry that there is an entire class of male artists who exist just under the radar, often scoring radio hits but rarely an instant add. They may go gold

Tuesday Open Thread: Best Guest Harmony Singers

July 15, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 18

Josh Turner is singing the praises of Trisha Yearwood, his harmony partner on current single “Another Try”: “I had already asked Trisha face to face if she would come in and sing on this song,”

Crunching the Numbers: July 2008, Part 3

July 14, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 0

Today’s entry looks at how some new artists are faring with their albums. James Otto, Sunset Man Release: April 8, 2008 Sales to Date: 246,000 It’s not his first album, as his 2003 debut set

Monday Open Thread: Greatest Album Titles

July 14, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 24

Earlier this month, I received a press release announcing Todd Snider’s upcoming set. Peace Queer, which will be released digitally on August 19. Snider’s a personal favorite of mine, as longtime readers know, and I

Crunching the Numbers: July 2008, Part 2

July 13, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 11

This edition looks at how the genre’s superstars are doing with their current records. Carrie Underwood, Carnival Ride Release: October 23, 2007 Sales to Date: 2,218,000 It’s not easy following up a successful debut album,

Ronnie McDowell, “Hey Mr. Oilman”

July 13, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 7

You have to hand it to Ronnie McDowell. He never misses an opportunity to capitalize on what’s going on in the world around him. He launched his career with “The King is Gone”, a tribute

Gretchen Wilson, "Don't Do Me No Good"

July 13, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 2

I don't think I've ever heard Gretchen Wilson rock out quite this much. There's a driving energy to “Don't Do Me No Good” that is relentless, and it helps gloss over the fact that once

Sunday Open Thread: Misheard Song Lyrics

July 13, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 12

From the “It could only happen to Kevin” dep’t… I received an e-mail indicating that I’d gotten the lyrics wrong in my Donna Fargo . In the original review, I’d mistaken the line “This is