Admittedly, I always find it odd to explore years from this decade for this feature. After all, this is meant to be a look back into country music of the past, and 2011 wasn’t that long ago. Still, when comparing 2011 country music to the country music of today, there’s already a huge difference not… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 2011
Minor quibbles aside, ‘farmland’ is a solid debut album from Gabe Lee.… Read More Album Review: Gabe Lee – ‘farmland’
Pop Goes The Country is an ongoing series where I explore country music’s biggest crossover hits. If you’ve kept up with this series, you know that we’re currently discussing the rage of saga songs on ‘Pop Goes The Country.’ Thus far, we’ve discussed how they came to be and their popularity, but we haven’t discussed… Read More Pop Goes The Country Vol. 21: Johnny Horton – “The Battle Of New Orleans” (1959)
Center Point Road can’t help but feel like a slight regression back into bad production tactics and clumsy writing for Thomas Rhett.… Read More Album Review: Thomas Rhett – ‘Center Point Road’
The short version: Ian Noe’s ‘Between The Country’ is a stunning portrayal of southern living framed by excellent storytelling, passionate performances and equally great production. For a debut, this is exceptional, though, this is exceptional in any capacity. In other words, it’s one of the best albums of 2019 thus far. Favorite tracks: “Letter To… Read More Album Review: Ian Noe – ‘Between The Country’
Pop Goes The Country is an ongoing series where I explore country music’s biggest crossover hits. Last time on ‘Pop Goes The Country,’ we discussed the advent of “saga songs” in the country music format. In short, they were story songs that stretched the limits of imagination, or, in some instances, put a new spin… Read More Pop Goes The Country Vol. 20: Stonewall Jackson – “Waterloo” (1959)
Unlike most years I feature for this series, the ’90s seems to be the one point in time where country music didn’t seem so fragmented. There wasn’t a huge diversity in style, but no one would mistake any of the songs from this year as anything but country. With that said, I’ll be honest –… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1997
Pop Goes The Country is an ongoing series where I explore country music’s biggest crossover hits. When we last discussed Marty Robbins on ‘Pop Goes The Country,’ we looked at his foray into teenage love songs with “A White Sport Coat.” But as previously mentioned in that piece, Robbins was one of the most versatile… Read More Pop Goes The Country Vol. 19: Marty Robbins – “El Paso” (1959)
The short version: Twenty years ago, “Heartache Medication” wouldn’t have stood out much from the pack. In 2019, it’s exactly what the country music genre needs. Writers: Jon Pardi, Natalie Hemby, Barry Dean Rating: 7/10 The long version: Now this is what I was hoping to hear more of from Jon Pardi. Pardi may have… Read More Song Review: Jon Pardi – “Heartache Medication”
The short version: “House Fire” probably does all it needs to do as a lead single, which is to generate interest. Of course, Childers didn’t even really need the song for that. Writer: Tyler Childers Rating: 6/10 The long version: A change in the country music establishment will only come when the artists actually want… Read More Song Review: Tyler Childers – “House Fire”
Deluxe Hotel Room is a disappointing sophomore effort from Lucette… Read More Album Review: Lucette – ‘Deluxe Hotel Room’
“What If I Never Get Over You” isn’t quite a return to form for Lady Antebellum. … Read More Song Review: Lady Antebellum – “What If I Never Get Over You”
Featuring hits from Craig Morgan, Randy Travis, the Dixie Chicks and more!… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 2003
John Paul White pivots into Countrypolitan for his latest release. … Read More Album Review: John Paul White – ‘The Hurting Kind’
Exploring the saga of the Browns and how a swan song became a hit. … Read More Pop Goes The Country Vol. 18: The Browns – “The Three Bells” (1959)
“We Were” is a step in the right direction for Keith Urban after some disastrous album cycles. … Read More Song Review: Keith Urban – “We Were”
Mint Condition is Caroline Spence’s most consistent work to date. … Read More Album Review: Caroline Spence – ‘Mint Condition’
On paper, ‘Caught Up In The Country’ is actually quite good. But it’s immediately hampered by bad production and mixing choices as well as Rodney Atkins’s poorly aged vocals.… Read More Album Review: Rodney Atkins – ‘Caught Up In The Country’
Only the worst!… Read More The 40 Worst Country Songs Ever
The short version: EPs generally fail to offer much of anything substantial, but this is a great exception to that rule. Favorite tracks: “Rhinestones,” “Countryside,” “Rodeo” Least favorite track: “Shot In The Dark” Rating: 8/10 The long version: In 2019, it’s harder than ever for artists to cut through the clutter. Yes, the Internet has… Read More EP Review: Charlie Marie – Self-Titled
