Luke Laird – Country Universe

Single Reviews: Kane Brown, “Woman” and Kacey Musgraves, “Dry Spell”

March 15, 2026 Kevin John Coyne 8

Two Single of the Year contenders snap me out of a dry spell.

Twenty Greatest Singles of the CU Era: Kacey Musgraves, “Space Cowboy”

December 13, 2024 Jonathan Keefe 1

“Space Cowboy” is a record of profound loneliness.

Single Review Roundup: Vol. 3, No. 30

August 15, 2024 Jonathan Keefe 4

Here are our takes on six current releases.

Single Review Roundup: Vol. 2, No. 11

June 4, 2023 Kevin John Coyne 2

Two of the best singles of the year are part of this roundup, courtesy of Jessye DeSilva and Rhiannon Giddens.

2019 Grammy Winners

February 10, 2019 Kevin John Coyne 1

Kacey Musgraves and Brandi Carlile were among the biggest winners at this year’s Grammy Awards.

2019 Grammy Awards: Predictions & Personal Picks

February 8, 2019 Kevin John Coyne 2

Here are the predictions and personal picks of three Country Universe writers for the Grammy Awards airing on Sunday, February 10.

100 Greatest Women, #71: Kacey Musgraves

May 13, 2018 Kevin John Coyne 7

A critical darling who also became a commercial hit without kowtowing to convention.

2017 ACM Awards: Predictions and Personal Picks

April 2, 2017 Kevin John Coyne 11

Brothers Osborne, Lori McKenna, Maren Morris, and Jon Pardi are already winners. Here are our predictions and picks for the rest of this year’s ACM ballot.

2017 ACM Award Nominations

February 17, 2017 Kevin John Coyne 10

The nominations have been announced for the 2017 Academy of Country Music Awards.

The Twenty Best Singles of 2016

December 31, 2016 Kevin John Coyne 9

Our Best of 2016 retrospective begins with a look at the year’s best singles.