Meghan Linsey "Counting Stars" Single Review

     Meghan Linsey, formerly of the duo Steel Magnolia, has recorded a country version of the OneRepublic hit "Counting Stars" and released it to country radio.  Country versions of pop hits have mixed results in country music, ranging from good (Jack Ingram's "Lips of An Angel" and Reba's "Because of You"), to strange (Alabama's cover of *NSYNC's "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You). In fact, this isn't the first time a OneRepublic song has had a country remake.  Luke Bryan covered "Apologize" for his Doin' My Thang album, and did a pretty good job on it.  The key is to stay true to the original, but make it your own and make it distinctively country.  Meghan does a knockout job with her rendition, making it one of the most unique songs on the radio.

Little Big Town "Sober" Single Review

     Little Big Town's 2012 album Tornado was one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.  Little Big Town always put out pretty good music, and their harmony is unparalleled.  But, after the annoying but catchy song "Pontoon"became the mega hit of the summer, I expected an album full of party-anthems to keep Little Big Town on the mainstream radar.  Instead, they stuck to their guns and released a mainstream album full of songs of substance like "Your Side of The Bed", "Tornado", "Can't Go Back", Night Owl", and the excellent new single, "Sober".

Dierks Bentley "Riser" Album Review

     Dierks Bentley has released his much anticipated album Riser.  Dierks has always been a strong force in country music, walking the fine line between pop and tradition with grace and respect.  Dierks has been able to sell music in today's world while still remaining rooted in country's past and that is saying something.  Dierks recorded this album during an emotional whirlwind, as he lost his father and  welcomed his son into the world during the recording process.  The result is an album that comes from the heart and really catches your attention and your ear.

Florida-Georgia Line & Luke Bryan "This Is How We Roll" Single Review

     In a match made in frat-boy heaven, Florida-Georgia Line teamed up with Luke Bryan for the new single "This Is How We Roll". With a creative title like that, you know this is going to be an instant classic, right? Right? Anyone? Shockingly, this song is actually a shallow exercise in gouging for money from a public that simply doesn't demand quality anymore. This song is a shining example of what is wrong with country music.

Miranda Lambert "Automatic" Single Review

     Miranda Lambert is back on the radio with her new single "Automatic" from her yet to be titled 5th studio album. Miranda was recently heard dueting with Keith Urban on the big hit "We Were Us", but this is Miranda's first solo single since "All Kinds Of Kinds" last summer. "All Kinds of Kinds" was an excellent single, and Four The Record was a solid album full of great songs. Miranda has a lot to live up to, but she certainly got off on the right foot with "Automatic".

Eric Church "The Outsiders" Album Review

     Eric Church's The Outsiders is easily the most anticipated album of 2014.  Eric Church has slowly rose to the top of country music with music that evokes equal parts attitude with sentiment, hard rock with classic country, and silly one-liners with rock-solid story-telling.  With The Outsiders, Eric didn't hold back and didn't pull any punches.  The result is an album that may not be the most "country" album on the charts, but certainly the most creative and unique album in the genre right now, for better or worse.

The Cadillac Three "The South" Single Review

     The Cadillac Three are the new kids on the block in mainstream country music. Their big hit "The South" has been garnering some attention and buzz, and the band is certainly on the rise. While the lyrics sound like the same old same old, the sound of their music is a nice breath of fresh air.

Tim McGraw "Lookin' For That Girl" Single Review

     Tim McGraw continues his desperate search for relevancy with his latest single "Lookin' For That Girl". Tim was responsible for some of the biggest hits of the 90's and early 2000's, including classics like "Where The Green Grass Grows" and "Live Like You Were Dying". When you have the kind of career Tim has had, you have two options: Ride off gallantly into the sunset on top of your game and true to yourself, or tragically cling to the fame and success and sell your soul for one last shot to be cool. Tim has unfortunately been consistently choosing the latter.

Jennifer Nettles "That Girl" Album Review

     

     Jennifer Nettles has created her first solo album, following years as part of the trio turned duo Sugarland. Sugarland started out very promising, with a solid debut album. Unfortunately, they slowly but surely headed down the pop road with each album as they went. When Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles announced a brief departure from the duo, I was curious to see where they would go on their own. While the duo lost their way, Sugarland released some great music, including "Baby Girl", "Want To", and the modern masterpiece, "Stay". Jennifer Nettle's album That Girl is pretty far from Sugarland, but it is certainly an interesting album worth your attention.

Jason Eady "Daylight & Dark" Album Review

     Jason Eady is back with the follow up to his killer 2012 album AM Country Heaven. That album was solid country gold, and the title track placed number 6 on the 2012 Keep It Country Kids Best Songs of The Year list. Daylight & Dark is in a very similar vein to Am Country Heaven, never straying from his traditional roots. If this is any sign of what 2014 will bring us, its going to be a huge year for country music.