Country Universe

Cascada Covers Rascal Flatts

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 26

After they desecrated “Revolution”, Rascal Flatts doesn’t have the right to complain about people covering their songs, though I imagine this quickly rising pop hit will not go over well with their die-hard fans: There

Trace Adkins, “You’re Gonna Miss This”

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 26

I suppose that the heart is properly placed here, with the older generation warning a young woman to appreciate each stage of her life as she’s experiencing it, rather than pining for what’s still to

Randy Owen, “Braid My Hair”

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 21

I wasn’t aware that Randy Owen was planning on doing any solo recordings, especially since Alabama is still putting out new studio albums. That band’s long-standing association with St. Jude’s Children Hospital makes the subject

Phil Stacey, “If You Didn’t Love Me”

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 30

Even as an American Idol junkie, I found the sixth season completely underwhelming. Phil Stacey making it as far as he did was more of a reflection of the field’s weakness than anything distinctive or

Lady Antebellum, “Love Don’t Live Here”

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 13

Who doesn’t enjoy a calmly collected kiss-off number? Sure, it doesn’t have the emotional intensity of a tortured Dwight Yoakam record, but there’s something to be said for showing someone the door in a

Jason Michael Carroll, “I Can Sleep When I’m Dead”

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 5

Is it just me, or is this very, very loud? I had to turn the volume down to give it a fair listen. I may already be too old (or too mild-mannered) to be the

Joe Nichols, “It Ain’t No Crime”

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 7

I would’ve like a bit more edge to this, to bring more of the defiance in the lyric to the surface. That said, Nichols does well enough delivering this country boy’s slacker anthem. More people

James Otto, “Just Got Started Lovin’ You”

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 8

Equal parts Travis Tritt and Conway Twitty, Otto’s latest single is a smooth but not sappy romantic ballad. It’s a sound that Josh Turner had a heck of a lot of success with when he

Eagles, “Busy Being Fabulous”

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 5

One of the great success stories of 2007 was the massively popular Eagles album Long Road Out of Eden. In the seventeen years since their previous studio album, country music essentially adopted their California rock

Bellamy Brothers, “Drug Problem”

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 0

An unassuming morality yarn. The Bellamys’ trademark low-key delivery make this laundry list of good drug problems easily palatable. See, he was drug to church on Sunday morning, drug to family reunions, drug to the