Sunny Sweeney and Will Hoge "My Bed" Single Review

 

     Sunny Sweeney is one of the most talented female artists out there, and Will Hoge is one of the most talented men. Put them together and you get one heck of a song. Sunny Sweeney released one of the best albums of 2014 with Provoked, and “My Bed” was one of the most engaging tracks on the stellar collection. Following in the footsteps of Johnny and June, George and Tammy, and Conway and Loretta, Sunny and Will have created a duet that is honest, heartfelt, and will stand the test of time.

Blackberry Smoke "Holding All The Roses" Album Review

     Southern rock is one of the best and most underappreciated subgenres of music. Lynryd Skynyrd set the bar high, and many others have been capturing the vibe and feel of southern music. Today, one of the best bands keeping that tradition alive is Blackberry Smoke. They have been mixing rock, country, and blues to create a unique sound for quite a few years now. Recently they released their latest, Holding all The Roses. Their last album, The Whippoorwill, saw the band head more towards a country sound while still retaining their rock roots. With Holding All The Roses, Blackberry Smoke is reminding us that they can still rock, as this album his hard. This is one that is best played LOUD.

Robert Earl Keen "Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions" Album Review

      Robert Earl Keen is a legend in country music and an even bigger legend in Texas. From “The Road Goes On Forever” to “That Buckin’ Song”, Keen has been responsible for some of the best country music to ever come out of the Lone Star State. He has recently released his latest project, which goes off the beaten path for Keen. Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions is a trip to the hills of Kentucky for some good old fashioned bluegrass. If anything, this album proves that when you have talent, you have talent and some men can truly do it all.

Kip Moore "I'm To Blame" Single Review

      Kip Moore may have broken onto the scene with one of the worst bro-country anthems on record, “Somethin’ Bout A Truck”, but he has proven to have a little something more than your average frat-boy country star. Songs like “Mary Was The Marrying Kind” and “Hey Pretty Girl” were solid efforts that showed off his artistic merit. Now, Kip is back with his latest single, “I’m To Blame”. In another solid outing, Kip is making sure we don’t judge our country artists by one hit, because he has a lot to offer.

Aaron Watson "The Underdog" Album Review

     If you don’t know who Aaron Watson is, you are about to. The Honky-Tonk Kid from Texas has just released his 8th studio album, The Underdog. While his star power couldn’t be higher in the Lone Star State, nationally he is still a bit of an unknown quality. That is about to change. Aaron’s new album has been getting a considerable about of buzz and has the Texan pacing along the likes of Miranda Lambert and Eric Church on the albums chart in its opening week. However, none of that matters if the music isn’t up to par. Thankfully, I’m happy to say that The Underdog is a great album from start to finish.

Mickey Guyton "Better Than You Left Me" Single Review

      Mickey Guyton is certainly living the dream right now. This Texan has a new single getting a lot of airplay and even more buzz for its cool, throwback sound. As far as debut singles go, this is as good as they get. “Better Than You Left Me” is the breezy, cool, intelligent country-pop that is sorely missing from the radio. Like Lee-Ann Rimes and Patsy Cline before her, Mickey is making soulful country very hip again.

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.

Dierks Bentley "Say You Do" Single Review

     Don't let "Drunk On A Plane" fool you.  Dierks Bentley's latest album, Riser, is a very deep and introspective record.  Throughout the entirety of his career, Dierks has done an excellent job of mixing thought-provoking songs with the laid back songs.  He is still at it with his latest.  "Say You Do" is a sad, heartfelt song with no happy ending and no party.  I've said it before, but it needs to be repeated: when it comes to mainstream country, few do it better than Dierks Bentley.

Keith Urban and Eric Church "Raise 'Em Up" Single Review

     When Keith Urban released “We Were Us”, the Miranda Lambert duet, as a single, I was bummed. Not because I dislike that song. It actually is a fairly decent tune. But, I didn’t think that Keith would release two duets from Fuse, and “Raise 'Em Up” was the highlight of the album. Thankfully, Keith proved me wrong and released this as his new radio single. “Raise 'Em Up” is a really cool track that is bound to be a big hit with fans and critics alike.   With two of the biggest names in country music on a well-written song, how could you go wrong?

Ralph Stanley & Friends "Man Of Constant Sorrow" Album Review

     Dr. Ralph Stanley is simply an American Treasure.  His work with the Cinch Mountain Boys resulted in some of the most timeless bluegrass music of all time.  He has helped inspire countless country music legends, such as Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley.  When the O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack became a national phenomenon, his song "O Death" was one of the big reasons why.  Ralph has a new album out now through Cracker Barrel.  While it doesn't pave new ground, it doesn't have to.  This is modern artists paying respect to one of the giants of country music.  Man of Constant Sorrow is a lot of fun from start to finish.