2008 – Page 74 – Country Universe

James Otto, “Just Got Started Lovin’ You”

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 8

Equal parts Travis Tritt and Conway Twitty, Otto’s latest single is a smooth but not sappy romantic ballad. It’s a sound that Josh Turner had a heck of a lot of success with when he

Eagles, “Busy Being Fabulous”

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 5

One of the great success stories of 2007 was the massively popular Eagles album Long Road Out of Eden. In the seventeen years since their previous studio album, country music essentially adopted their California rock

Bellamy Brothers, “Drug Problem”

January 21, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 0

An unassuming morality yarn. The Bellamys’ trademark low-key delivery make this laundry list of good drug problems easily palatable. See, he was drug to church on Sunday morning, drug to family reunions, drug to the

Trisha Yearwood, “This is Me You’re Talking To”

January 15, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 20

Flawless. Written by Tommy Lee James & Karyn Rochelle Grade: A+ Listen: This is Me You’re Talking To Buy: This is Me You’re Talking To

Keith Anderson, “I Still Miss You”

January 15, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 18

I like the lyric. Like it quite a bit, actually. It doesn’t sound like a country record to me, though. I’m not a purist by any means, but I literally don’t hear anything that sounds

Clay Walker, “She Likes it in the Morning”

January 15, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 6

He’s simply a better singer now. Like “Fall” before it, the material isn’t significantly different than his string of hits in the nineties. He’s just singing it better. There’s a seasoning that comes only with

Big Machine Swiftboats Trisha Yearwood

January 12, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 13

I’m not pleased. Big Machine Records, home of new sensation Taylor Swift, has apparently decided to market Trisha Yearwood in a similar manner. That’s right, Trisha Yearwood. The most gifted vocalist of her generation has

Grammy Flashback: Best Female Country Vocal Performance

January 11, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 7

Updated for 2008 While the Grammys have honored country music from the very first ceremony in 1959, they did not begin honoring by gender until 1965, when the country categories were expanded along with the

Josh Turner, "Another Try"

January 6, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 14

Written by Jeremy Spillman & Chris Stapleton One of the most endearing elements of Josh Turner’s style is that he takes it slow. “Another Try” has a wonderful lyric, and Turner savors it, stretching out

Jack Ingram, “Maybe She’ll Get Lonely”

January 6, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 12

What can I say? Everything about this single is adequate. The song is good enough, the production gets the job done and it’s sung with some energy and conviction. It just doesn’t add up to