November 2007 – Country Universe

Say What? – John Rich, Part Deux

November 27, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 14

John Rich is apologizing again. It’s been only a month since the last time he scrambled to save part of his fan base. Now, The Tennessean reports that PETA wasn’t pleased by the fox fur

Album Reviews: Garth Brooks, Sara Evans, Emmylou Harris, George Strait, Keith Urban

November 26, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 6

‘Tis the season for labels to cash in on their catalog. Here’s a look at some recent compilations from country artists, some of which are far more worthy of your holiday cash than others. Garth

Yesterday’s Songs: November 23, 2002

November 23, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 4

Looking back five years, this list will feature artists that are more familiar to recent country fans than those on earlier features. I was impressed overall by the quality of the entries here, and

Choice Cuts: Joy Lynn White, “Just Some Girl”

November 23, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 6

“Just Some Girl” by Joy Lynn White From the 2005 album One More Time. When Brad Paisley released the single “Online” earlier this year, I had a visceral reaction to it. A good friend of

Carrie Underwood among EW’s 2007 Entertainers

November 23, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 3

Apparently going for a “yearbook” theme this year, Entertainment Weekly has released its annual list of top entertainers, with Carrie Underwood acknowledged in the “Most Popular” category: Faith Hill was only kidding, folks, when she

Martina McBride, “For These Times”

November 18, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 8

Martina McBride deserves a tremendous amount of credit. She’s one of the only mainstream country artists, male or female, who consistently seeks out material that deals with issues beyond love found and lost. We

Big & Rich, "Loud"

November 18, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 9

Talk about your accurate titles. This is the ultimate distillation of that in-your-face element of Big &a mp; Rich’s music. If you enjoy that element, you’ll love this record. If you’re like me, and you

Slant’s Jonathan Keefe on the new Trisha Yearwood

November 15, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 4

I’ve been playing the new Trisha Yearwood CD non-stop for two days now. I’m really digging it, but what else is new? It’s not like this woman has ever put out a bad album. That’s

Alan Jackson, “Small Town Southern Man”

November 11, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 46

How lucky a parent is to give life to a country music legend. To have your life story told by a master storyteller, to be immortalized on record by someone who can take your everyday

Shooter Jennings, “Walk of Life”

November 11, 2007 Kevin John Coyne 3

Musically, this is great. Entertaining to listen to because of a fantastic performance from the band, I’d be giving it an enthusiastic review if Jennings himself had shown the same energy and charm with his