Kevin John Coyne

Rodney Crowell, Sex & Gasoline

September 7, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 3

Rodney Crowell Sex & Gasoline Rodney Crowell has long been one of country music’s most prolific and literate songwriters, but in recent years, he’s developed into the genre’s philosopher-king. His probing and thought-provoking work reached

Discussion: Pick a Candidate Theme Song

September 6, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 19

Brooks & Dunn’s “Only in America” has been used for both the re-election campaign of President Bush and the current campaign of Senator Obama. That’s caused a bit of a stir, given the Republican leanings

Random Thought

September 6, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 18

Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler and Julianne Hough… look a lot like old school Dixie Chicks.

Discussion: Recommend a Track(list)

September 4, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 32

Since all of you love to play with your iPods (or maybe that’s just me and I’m projecting it), let’s do Recommend a Track a little differently this week. Put your iPod on shuffle, and

Rascal Flatts, “Here”

September 2, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 27

Writing a review of this just seems like an exercise in futility. No fans will be won or lost by this performance. If you enjoy listening to “I Melt” “Winner at a Losing Game ”

Discussion: Songs About Time

September 2, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 18

I don’t think I ever felt older than I did today. I had a graduate class a bit earlier in the day, and also had to visit financial aid and such. I was surrounded by

In Memoriam: Jerry Reed (1937-2008)

September 2, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 0

Country music suffered the loss of a legend yesterday. Jerry “The Guitar Man” Reed was a tremendously talented performer best known for his stunning instrumental prowess and bitingly funny hits like “Lord Mr. Ford”, “When

Discussion: Same Title, Different Song

September 1, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 0

A Billboard Chart Beat reader noted a current trend on the pop charts: Hi Fred, Thanks for an always informative and entertaining Chart Beat column! On the entertaining side, I made an observation this week

Classic Country Singles: Kathy Mattea, “Where’ve You Been”

August 31, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 26

“Where’ve You Been” Kathy Mattea 1990 Written by Don Henry and Jon Vezner Everybody loved the song, but nobody wanted to cut it. A slow and simple tale of an aging couple that ends with

Reba McEntire, For My Broken Heart

August 31, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 0

Reba McEntire For My Broken Heart 1991 Recorded in the aftermath of the tragic plane crash that killed her tour manager and most of her band, For My Broken Heart is Reba McEntire’s masterpiece, a