Taylor Swift – “Sparks Fly”
Truth be told, I would probably like “Sparks Fly” even better had its single release not come after I had been jamming to “Mean” for months prior. It was a pleasant surprise to hear such a fun hoedown of a song so effortlessly country from an artist who typically favors polished pop-country sounds, but the…Read More
Darius Rucker – “I Got Nothin’”
The better part of Darius Rucker’s country career has seem a talented voice used on uninteresting material, as demonstrated by recent snoozers such as “Come Back Song” and “This.” So it comes as a pleasant surprise to see that his latest single “I Got Nothin’,” is actually a pretty decent song. It could use a…Read More
Lady Antebellum – “Just A Kiss”
How much fun is it to review a song? It depends on the song. If you’re reviewing a song that you absolutely love, it’s fun to express your reason of liking the song, its strong elements and maybe a few down points (nothing is perfect). Let’s call these songs the upper class. Then there are…Read More
Toby Keith – “Somewhere Else”
Toby Keith has been one of the biggest stars on country radio now for nearly 2 decades, but lately he’s been in a bit of a rut on the radio. His last 3 singles have all missed the top 10—he hasn’t had a stretch like that since 4 straight singles missed from 1998-1999. Now, Toby’s…Read More
Trace Adkins – “Just Fishin’”
In a surprising display of good taste, country radio didn’t jump on board with Trace Adkin’s recent vomit-inducing ditty “Brown Chicken Brown Cow.” Trace’s new single “Just Fishin’” finds him retreating back into safer lyrical territory, but it also finds him doing what does best – tugging heartstrings. At any rate, Trace has once again…Read More
Justin Moore – “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away”
Justin Moore’s new single “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” is much different from anything he’s released in the past, and I’m going to get right to the point: that’s a good thing. Penned several years ago by Dallas Davidson, Rob Hatch, and Brett Jones and even recorded and released by singer-songwriter Rhett Akins back in…Read More
Sunny Sweeney – “Staying’s Worse Than Leaving”
After three years of being ignored by country radio, and three non-charting single releases, Texan neotrad artist Sunny Sweeney re-emerged last year with a sound that was more polished and commercially friendly, while still showing a strong connection to her traditional country roots. As a result, she gradually fell into the good graces of country radio, and…Read More
Brad Paisley (with Alabama) – “Old Alabama”
The second single from Brad Paisley’s forthcoming album “This Is Country Music” is “Old Alabama”, a feel-good song that finds Brad paying tribute to none other than perhaps the most successful band in country music history, Alabama. As a sweet treat, Randy Owen, Jeff Cook, and Teddy Gentry—the three main members of Alabama—contribute guest vocals…Read More
Taylor Swift – “Mean”
By now, it should be a well-established fact that if you bite Taylor, she bites back – a fact which John Mayer, Joe Jonas, and many other songwriting subjects can no doubt attest to. Over the course of her career, she has regularly been criticized for weak vocals, and sometimes off-key live performances, but with…Read More
Miranda Lambert – “Heart Like Mine”
In the past ten years or so, country music has taken on a new climate, adding in amped up electric guitars, poppy beats, and an overall mainstream sound to country radio. However, through that uprising, a few emerged, taking a different route. One of those people is none other than CMA Female Vocalist of the…Read More
