Country Universe

Monday Open Thread: iPod Check

July 20, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 47

Alright, ladies and gents. Put your iPod/mp3 player/music library on shuffle and list the first 15 songs it plays. Blatant honesty’s a must, so don’t skip those embarrassing songs you don’t want to admit you

Montgomery Gentry, “Roll With Me”

July 20, 2008 Leeann Ward 23

Montgomery Gentry slows things down with their new single, “Roll With Me.” Instead of trading lines, Troy Gentry sings lead while Eddie Montgomery provides particularly appealing harmony vocals to a rather pleasant sounding melody. Regrettably,

Sunday Open Thread: Not Just a First for Miranda Lambert

July 19, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 22

The media is picking up on Miranda Lambert scoring her first top ten single. In this Reuters article, Lambert herself is quoted as being shocked that a song this dark broke through: The lyrics would

Kathy Mattea, Coal; Del McCoury, Moneyland

July 19, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 8

Kathy Mattea Coal Del McCoury Moneyland The everyday experience of America’s working poor was once a cornerstone of country music. As recently as the economic downturn of the early nineties, their voices were being heard

Saturday Open Thread: What is Country Anymore?

July 18, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 28

The current issue of Entertainment Weekly, which arrived in my mailbox today, has an interesting three-page feature story on Sugarland. Titled “The Sugarland Express”, the sub-headline proclaims that “With a new album influenced by R.E.M.,

Crunching the Numbers: July 2008, Part 5

July 18, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 9

There was quite a bit of discussion earlier this week about the scarcity of female artists on the radio these days. Then again, there’s usually quite a bit of discussion about the women in country

Friday Open Thread: Upcoming Albums

July 18, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 25

At the end of 2007, the only artists I could think of that had new albums coming out were Kathy Mattea, Alan Jackson and Dolly Parton. But new albums came along from some of my

Review: Billy Ray Cyrus, “Somebody Said a Prayer”

July 17, 2008 Leeann Ward 37

Now, Billy Ray Cyrus may not necessarily be known for his understated vocals. In fact, he’s got some pretty effective pipes when he needs them. On this song, however, he takes the belting to a

Sara Evans, “Love You With All My Heart”

July 17, 2008 Leeann Ward 15

If you tend to embarrass easily, this song is likely to elicit some serious blushing, especially if you’re not alone when listening to it. In this steamy ballad, Sara sings of how it’s been a

Tim McGraw, “Let it Go”

July 17, 2008 Leeann Ward 6

Well, this is clearly an empowerment anthem. He’s going to rise above the pain and dark experiences that have permeated his life and try to “let it go.” It may sound cheesy, but I’m sold.