Country Universe

Toby Keith, Big Dog Daddy

July 8, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 9

Toby Keith Big Dog Daddy Toby Keith is the best male singer that consistently receives airplay on country radio. It’s really that simple. Sometimes, people only give you credit for being a great singer if

Crossin’ Dixon, “Guitar Slinger”

July 7, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 6

Crossin Dixon, “Guitar Slinger” Is it just me, or has there been a lot of this lately? Flynnville Train, Halfway to Hazard, Cole Deggs & The Lonesome, Whiskey Falls, and now, Crossin Dixon. Young

Brad Cotter, “God’s Fingerprints”

July 7, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 3

Brad Cotter, “God’s Fingerprints” This is exactly what I was expecting it to be: a song about how God plays a role in everything we see and everything we do. The arrangement leaves quite

Chris Cagle, “What Kinda Gone”

July 6, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 6

Chris Cagle, “What Kinda Gone” I was smiling from the very first verse. Packed with personality and more spins on the word “gone” than you’d think you could fit in one song. Touching on my

Flynnville Train, “Nowhere Than Somewhere”

July 6, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 5

Flynnville Train, “Nowhere Than Somewhere” A decent idea that doesn’t get fully fleshed out. They rely too much on the concept to sell the song. It’s a cute play on words – “she’d rather be

Hal Ketchum, “In Front of the Alamo”

July 6, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 4

Hal Ketchum, “In Front of the Alamo” He was one of the oldest of the new country stars, and there was always an aura of wisdom about him from the start. Here, he writes

Doug Stone, “Nice Problem”

July 6, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 3

Doug Stone, “Nice Problem” It’s hard to believe that this the guy that turned in the stone-cold country vocal performance “I’d Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)”. Soon after, he switched to a

Yesterday’s Songs: July 4, 1998

July 4, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 3

Four years after the first list, some of the names have changed and so have the sounds. Notice the crossover flavor of this list? We’ve still got one foot in country music but it’s standing

RetroCrush: “100 Worst Cover Songs” of All-Time

July 3, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 3

Pop culture oasis RetroCrush has compiled its list of The 100 Worst Cover Songs ever, and quite a few of them are the result of cross-contamination between country music and other genres. I actually like

Review: Rascal Flatts, “Take Me There”

July 2, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 35

Rascal Flatts, “Take Me There” Writing a review of this just seems like an exercise in futility. No fans will be won or lost by this performance. If you enjoy listening to “I Melt” and