December 2008 – Page 2 – Country Universe

2008 Rewind: Crazy Lonesome

December 26, 2008 Guest Contributor 2

Music Row preaches positivity, but a pair of Nashville’s heartbreaking best sang the blues this year Songs of solitude are the lifeblood of country music; loneliness has spawned a slew of classics. Hank Williams measured

2008 Rewind: The Not-So-Desperate Housewife

December 26, 2008 Guest Contributor 8

As a new generation arrives, Trisha Yearwood flies under the radar on Music Row A beautiful blonde, signed to Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Records, remained a constant force in popular country music, churning out chart-topping

2008 Rewind: In Covers

December 26, 2008 Guest Contributor 5

Three talented ladies unveil a batch of remakes that recharge their creative batteries Recording a covers album can be a daunting task; only a singer with a clear artistic vision is worthy of the adventure.

Dan Milliken’s Top 10 Albums of 2008

December 25, 2008 Dan Milliken 2

Happy holidays, everybody! I’m back with my personal top ten albums of the year, a list that took a stupid-long time to put together but is very nice to have done. All I would say

Blake Boldt’s Year-End Lists

December 25, 2008 Guest Contributor 5

Happy holidays! Singles: 1. “In Color,” Jamey Johnson 2. “Waitin’ on a Woman,” Brad Paisley 3. “This Is Me You’re Talking To,” Trisha Yearwood 4. “She Left Me for Jesus,” Hayes Carll 5. “What I

Ho Ho Ho. It's the <em>Country Universe</em> Show & Tell Post.

December 24, 2008 Dan Milliken 8

So, I was midway through writing this serious little piece about the never-ending and ever-escalating traditionalism/”evolution” debate when I realized, jeez, no one wants to hear about that sort of thing on December 24th. I

Dan Milliken’s Top 20 Singles of 2008

December 23, 2008 Dan Milliken 6

Let’s do this, y’all. You’ll recognize some of these write-ups from our collective list, but others weren’t posted there or were cut down for that list. This is my “Director’s Cut” version, you might say

News: Brenda Lee, Gene Autry Among Grammy Lifetime Achievement Honorees

December 22, 2008 Guest Contributor 3

Brenda Lee and the singing cowboy, Gene Autry, are among the seven artists selected as Grammy Lifetime Achievement recipients this year. They will be honored during a special ceremony on Feb. 7, with additional recognition

Top Ten Albums of 2008

December 22, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 24

In a year where excellent mainstream country albums were few and far between, there were still many wonderful projects waiting to be discovered by listeners willing to look for them. Among all releases, mainstream and

Lynn’s Favorite Songs of 2008

December 22, 2008 Guest Contributor 10

Country Universe has presented you with its top 40 singles of 2008, but as you know, singles rarely scratch the surface of a great album. Over the course of the past year, while listening to