Ben Foster

Win a Signed Copy of Dierks Bentley’s Riser

February 28, 2014 Ben Foster 26

UPDATE: Contest closed. Congratulations to winner Jonathan Pappalardo!

Country Universe favorite Dierks Bentley has just released his seventh Capitol studio set Riser, and we’re pleased to offer an autographed copy to give away to one of our readers.

Single Review: Mandy Barnett featuring Alison Krauss, “Blue Blue Day”

February 21, 2014 Ben Foster 9

The awesomeness of this release has a definite air of inevitability. If Don Gibson wrote it, and Mandy Barnett and Alison Krauss sing it, it’s pretty hard to imagine it not being great.

2014 ACM Nominations

January 29, 2014 Ben Foster 29

Having had just enough time to catch our breath after the Grammys, we now find ourselves gearing up for ACM season. This year’s Academy of Country Music Award nominees have just been announced today. Not surprisingly, this year’s nominees are wildly uneven, with “bro country” scoring ample representation. Miranda Lambert and Tim McGraw lead with seven nominations each.

Single Review: Lucy Hale, “You Sound Good to Me”

January 29, 2014 Ben Foster 5

Pretty Little Liars actress turned country newcomer Lucy Hale cites Shania Twain and Martina McBride as major musical influences, and to a degree it’s perceptible on her debut single “You Sound Good to Me.” The track begins with a light, airy fiddle hook, and segues into an effervescent uptempo pop-country love song with an atypically sparse production arrangement by country radio standards (murky background vocals aside).

Album Review: Rhonda Vincent, Only Me

January 28, 2014 Ben Foster 2

Rhonda Vincent
Only Me

Modern bluegrass legend Rhonda Vincent shows off two sides of her musical repertoire with her delightful new album Only Me, which is split across two six-track discs. The first disc is a collection of bluegrass songs, while the second showcases Vincent’s prowess in performing traditional country music.

Single Review: Darius Rucker, “Radio”

January 16, 2014 Ben Foster 15

Darius Rucker celebrates the radio with his current hit, simply titled “Radio.”

Single Review: Jamie Lynn Spears, “How Could I Want More”

January 7, 2014 Ben Foster 6

So… this is coming from pop idol Britney Spears’ 22-year-old younger sister who starred in a teen sitcom on Nickelodeon, and who became a tabloid favorite thanks to a controversial teen pregnancy. By all immediate expectations, her debut country single should be a disaster, and I should be making a stale pun out of the song’s title, right?

Single Review: Brett Eldredge, “Beat of the Music”

November 26, 2013 Ben Foster 12

Brett Eldredge caught the critics’ attention with 2010’s heartstring-tugging ballad “Raymond,” and caught radio’s and fans’ attention with his gold-selling number-one single “Don’t Ya,” while a coveted opening slot on Taylor Swift’s Red Tour certainly didn’t hurt. He aims to pull off a successful one-two punch with his latest radio bid, “Beat of the Music,” currently in the Top 40 and climbing.

Single Review: Thompson Square, “Everything I Shouldn’t Be Thinking About”

October 29, 2013 Ben Foster 10

Thompson Square opts for form over content with their new single “Everything I Shouldn’t Be Thinking About.” The song’s verses function only a vehicle to get to the earworm chorus, with the lyrical concept never quite reaching the third dimension.

Single Review: Little Big Town, “Sober”

October 24, 2013 Ben Foster 9

The “Pontoon” phenomenon may have been primarily responsible for putting Little Big Town back on the map in such a big way, but it’s their new single “Sober” that deserves to be a career hit for the talented country quartet.