"Southern Family" Album Review

     When the Dave Cobb produced compilation Southern Family was first announced, I was expecting an album of Southern songs by a family of artists. This album title was chosen well, however, as both aspects of the title are front and center. The music is distinctly southern. The theme is distinctly family-oriented. This album takes different points of view and explores various aspects of the family dynamic. From the first note to the closing, this album takes you back to your youth and creates an introspective glance at what makes a family. This is what a concept album is supposed to look like.

5 Worst Songs of 2015

     My favorite part of the end of the year is getting to tell all of you about the best music of the year.  My least favorite part is having to point out the worst.  Alas, it is my duty as a self-appointed gatekeeper of country music to formally call out the biggest transgressions to our beloved genre.  This year saw the rise of the "metro-bro", Bruno Mars wannabe music.  At this point, pop-country radio will accept anything but authentic country music.  While there were plenty of turds to pick from, these five floated to the top of this miserable list.

Zac Brown Band "Beautiful Drug" Single Review

     The Zac Brown Band is one of the most successful country groups of the modern era. They have sold out countless shows while sustaining great radio success. Most importantly, they have done all of this making mostly great country music that was often thought-provoking and poignant. Even their fun songs were interesting and fairly traditional. While Zac and the boys have always called themselves a southern rock band with strong country influences, they have always been one of the standard bearers for actual country music in the mainstream world. They were the ones to call out Luke Bryan and label “That’s My Kinda Night” as “the worst country song of all time”. Now, with the release of their latest album Jekyll + Hyde, The Zac Brown Band has sold out. Their latest single to country radio, “Beautiful Drug”, is an EDM driven disaster of a pop song, and not even worthy of one ounce of the word country.

Zac Brown Band "Jekyll & Hyde" Album Review

     One of the best and most consistent bands of the past decade has been the Zac Brown Band. Even though they do not claim to be exclusively a country band, they have released some of the best country music in the mainstream world. Zac was a chubby, bearded everyman with a beanie and a Carhartt. He looked the part and sang the part. Country fans tired of the glitz and glam were attracted to the understated demeanor and average Joe appeal of the Zac Brown Band. Their latest release, Jekyll & Hyde, promised some new horizons for the group. Little did fans know that they were getting disjointed and misguided mess that would alienate a large portion of their fan base.

Zac Brown Band "Homegrown" Single Review

     The Zac Brown Band is easily at or near the top of the line of mainstream country music. Since their debut record, The Foundation, they have been writing and recording some of the best songs in music and putting on a rip-roaring live show. The most interesting thing is that Zac Brown and the boys make all this music that is very well received by traditional fans, and they don’t even claim to be a country band! They consider themselves a southern rock band with strong country influences. Their latest single, “Homegrown”, takes on that southern rock image straight on, but keeps its country sound. This should be a big hit for the Zac Brown Band.

Zac Brown Band "All Alright" Single Review

     Zac Brown and his boys are one of the brightest of stars in mainstream country music.  They frequently put out music that is very commercial, yet deeply rooted in soul and tradition.  They know how to write a song that pushes the genre forward while staying true to its roots.  All this from a band who considers themselves more of a southern rock band than an actual country band.  When the boys got together with rock & roll legend and Foo Fighters front-man Dave Grohl, the results were very intriguing.  One of the songs from the Dave Grohl produced EP is their current single, "All Alright".    It's another shining example of the artistic prowess that the Zac Brown Band exudes.