Guest Contributor

Recap: American Music Awards, Country Style

November 24, 2008 Guest Contributor 12

It’s hard to imagine a time when the American Music Awards consistently trumped the Grammys in terms of viewing audience while also giving off an air of importance and prestige. Since the days of Dick Clark,

Trace Adkins, X

November 24, 2008 Guest Contributor 5

Trace Adkins X Making a major label album is a commitment to the art of compromise, and Trace Adkins provides a prime example of this exercise. His musical output has been schizophrenic, with playful absurdity

Discussion: Different Approaches

November 23, 2008 Guest Contributor 8

Typically, I listen to the songs on my iPod via the various playlists I’ve created. However, the other day, for some reason, I listened to my iPod on shuffle. These were the first two songs

Discussion: Country … on Broadway?

November 22, 2008 Guest Contributor 10

I fell in love with Broadway musicals at age 6 when my parents took me to see “Camelot”. It was a truly magical experience, and over the years I’ve often wondered if my early love

Discussion: Recommend a Track

November 21, 2008 Guest Contributor 14

About a year ago, I made a YouTube discovery while I was in the process of searching for something completely different. (Isn’t that how it always works?) I came across a video of The Ginn

Review: Emerson Drive, “Belongs to You”

November 21, 2008 Guest Contributor 2

In 2006, Emerson Drive hit the jackpot with “Moments,” a once-in-a-lifetime story song that stretched the boundaries of country radio in all the right directions. The band now resides with Valory Music Co., and their

Review: Rodney Atkins, “It’s America”

November 20, 2008 Guest Contributor 10

That patriotism is such a powerful fixture in modern-day country music can largely be attributed to the events of 9-11. In the early stages of the decade, the format issued jingoistic missives (“Courtesy of the

Review: Jason Aldean, “She’s Country”

November 19, 2008 Guest Contributor 16

Jason Aldean’s latest release is a limited assessment, depicting a young woman who’s a product of the countrier-than-thou generation. No artist in recent memory has bludgeoned the audience with so many country-to-the-core songs. Ironically, the

Discussion: Country Universe Giveaway/Darius Rucker, Learn to Live

November 18, 2008 Guest Contributor 38

While a number of artists from different musical genres entered into the country rodeo this past year, no Nashville newcomer was more successful than Hootie & the Blowfish frontman, Darius Rucker. His debut country disc,

Blake Shelton, Startin’ Fires

November 18, 2008 Guest Contributor 2

Blake Shelton Startin’ Fires Blake Shelton’s fifth album, Startin’ Fires, finds the Oklahoma native discovering his niche as a smooth operator with the slightest hint of a wild side. He’s polished his musical personality without