2015 – Page 26 – Country Universe

Album Review: LeAnn Rimes, All-Time Greatest Hits

February 20, 2015 Ben Foster 6

LeAnn Rimes All-Time Greatest Hits In the eleven years since the release of LeAnn Rimes’ first Greatest Hits package, she’s certainly released enough material to fill out a second installment. But the song selections of her

Single Review: Carrie Underwood, “Little Toy Guns”

February 19, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 22

“Little Toy Guns” Carrie Underwood Written by Chris DeStefano, Hillary Lindsey, and Carrie Underwood With her latest single, Carrie Underwood once again reaffirms that she is among the best and most compelling artists of modern

Single Review: Reba McEntire, “Going Out Like That”

February 19, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 5

“Going Out Like That” Reba McEntire Written by Rhett Akins, Ben Haslip, and Jason Sellers Reba McEntire is one of the genre’s all-time greatest storytellers. Her best material captures both the strength and vulnerability of

Single Review: RaeLynn, “God Made Girls”

February 18, 2015 Ben Foster 9

“God Made Girls” RaeLynn Written by RaeLynn, Nicolle Galyon, Liz Rose and Lori McKenna In hearing this song, my mind is constantly asking one simple question: What were they thinking?

Single Review: The Band Perry, “Gentle On My Mind”

February 18, 2015 Ben Foster 5

“Gentle On My Mind The Band Perry Written by John Hartford The Band Perry’s Grammy-winning cover of Glen Campbell’s classic “Gentle On My Mind” (the trio’s contribution to the soundtrack of the recent I’ll Be

Album Review: Rhiannon Giddens, Tomorrow is My Turn

February 17, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 9

Rhiannon Giddens Tomorrow is My Turn Although Rhiannon Giddens has been a fixture on the Americana circuit as the frontwoman for the terrific Carolina Chocolate Drops, it’s on her solo debut, Tomorrow Is My Turn,

Starter Kit: Jason Isbell

February 17, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 9

In early February, Zac Brown Band kicked off a brief cycle of Twitter Outrage when they performed a cover of Jason Isbell’s “Dress Blues,” which they are rumored to have cut for their upcoming album,

Album Review: Punch Brothers, The Phosphorescent Blues

February 16, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 2

Punch Brothers The Phosphorescent Blues In reviewing their 2010 album, Antifogmatic, I noted that Punch Brothers were “rapidly evolving into a string-band version of Radiohead.” That assessment comes to full fruition on The Phosphorescent Blues,

Artist Spotlight: Suzanne Jarvie

February 16, 2015 Sam Gazdziak 2

The songs on Suzanne Jarvie’s debut album sound like they come from an experienced songwriter. They don’t settle for trite sentiment or easy topics; a couple drift into the realm of the metaphysical. As it

Single Review: Brad Paisley, “Crushin’ It”

February 15, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 3

“Crushin’ It” Brad Paisley Written by Kelly Lovelace, Lee Thomas Miller, and Brad Paisley A half-hearted attempt by Brad Paisley to meld his signature form of humor with the partying lyrics that make up most