I teamed up with Nathan Kanuch (of Shore2Shore Country) to discuss a variety of topics related to country music. We didn’t plan anything out, and the conversation that followed covers a variety of topics from Kenny Rogers, imagining the modern-day Highwaymen, Luke Combs versus Jon Pardi and much more. If you’re curious, you can read… Read More A Quarantine Country Music Conversation
A country fan’s thoughts on recent events impacting country music… Read More It’s Hard Out Here For A Country Fan, But Even Harder For An Artist
A new year means new music, and 2020, so far, boasts a nice variety of album releases in the country and Americana music worlds. The following is a list of the biggest upcoming releases for next year, though keep in mind this is not a complete list; these are just the albums I’m aware of.… Read More Upcoming Country/Americana Album Releases For 2020
This is simply me copying and pasting (and then deleting) past releases from the “Album Release Schedule” page here for referential purposes. January 2019: 1st The August Empire – self-titled (review) 11th Randy Houser – Magnolia (review) Rob Baird – After All Carlton Anderson – s/t (EP) (review) 18th Ronnie Milsap – The Duets Cody… Read More For The Archives: The Albums Of 2019
Kyle of Kyle’s Korner Blog was kind enough to recently ask me if I’d like to contribute to his “deep dive” series on his website, in which he exhaustively explores artists and their career runs. As you can see from the picture above, Kyle asked if I’d look into Gary Allan for the next edition… Read More Whatever Happened To Gary Allan?
Trying out a feature from Kyle’s Korner!… Read More A Thoughtful Exercise: Lost In The Shuffle (Inspired By Kyle’s Korner)
Thank you, Bob Kingsley… Read More From A Fan: Thank You, Bob Kingsley
Nathan Kanuch of Shore2Shore Country and I have once again teamed up to deliver, what we feel are, the ten most influential albums within country music in the last decade. You can find that on Nathan’s site here. Also, to copy and paste my caveat from that piece, just for reference: As a caveat to… Read More The Ten Most Influential Albums Within Country Music In The Last Decade (w/Shore2Shore Country)
The Musical Divide has teamed up with Julian Spivey of The Word and Nathan Kanuch of Shore2Shore Country to deliver, what we feel are, the best 100 songs that represent country music and its vast history. We have made this list to coincide with the newest documentary from Ken Burns, Country Music. This list can… Read More The Top 100 Country Songs Of All Time
Offering tips to get started with a country music website!… Read More The Musical Divide’s Guide To Country Music Blogging
Only the worst!… Read More The 40 Worst Country Songs Ever
A goodbye letter to my favorite radio station. … Read More Farewell, WNIA Radio
FM Radio has been the gatekeeper for country music ever since 1922. Is that changing?… Read More Breaking The Bond Between Country Music And The Radio
I wasn’t planning to review this in any capacity, but given that I covered new albums from George Strait and Reba McEntire recently, I might as well come full circle with the ’90s country trifecta. Because this album is mainly just a series of Brooks & Dunn re-recording their biggest hits with the new generation… Read More Brooks & Dunn’s ‘Reboot’ Ranked Worst To Best
John Deery of the John Deery Band kindly asked if I would like to “take over” one of his Spotify playlists recently. His three biggest current playlists include, “Best Of Southern-Rock & Greatest Classic Hits,” “Honky Tonk Jukebox – Best Country Music Playlist,” and “Best Of Americana,” the playlist I was asked to take over.… Read More The Musical Divide Takes Over The John Deery Band’s Playlist
This is merely an archival post for albums released in 2018 that originally appeared on the Album Release Schedule page. January 2018: 1st Urban Pioneers – Hillbilly Swing Music Shea Abshier and the Nighthowlers – Potluck 5th Ronnie Eaton – The Hand That Mocked Them and The Heart That Fed Jeremy McCombs – Troublemaker (Live)… Read More For The Archives: The Albums Of 2018
Just as it went with 2018, the beginning of next year is front loaded with (potentially) stellar projects. The following is a list for the biggest upcoming releases in the country music universe you can look forward to hearing. Follow along with the full list throughout the year here. Please keep in mind this is… Read More Upcoming Country/Americana Music Releases For 2019
This article originally appeared over at The Niagara Wire in a shorter format. Grady Smith is a music writer with more than a fair amount of experience. Starting at Entertainment Weekly in 2010, Smith has also written for Rolling Stone and the Guardian where he garnered a huge following for his country music columns. He… Read More Grady Smith – From The Guardian To YouTube
As we’ve seen with far too many artists in mainstream country these days, the industry simply isn’t allowing its artists to develop into something more (a recent example is Cam unfortunately). These days a single that misses the top twenty or worse is a sign of trouble. Furthermore, for a genre that celebrates its roots,… Read More Classic Album Review: John Anderson – ‘Seminole Wind’
If it wasn’t clear that certain country legends were on their way out of the mainstream by the time the class of 1986 showed up, it was more than clear by the time the class of 1989 came around. Sure, Garth Brooks could make statements such as “George Jones needs to be on the radio,”… Read More Classic Album Review: Loretta Lynn – ‘Van Lear Rose’
