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A Tale of Four Hits Collections

January 1, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 22

Four generous hits collections were released in 2010, each one chronicling the entire career of a contemporary country music star. Individually, each double-disc set serve as the most expansive and thorough compilation for each artist. Taken together, they tell the story of country music over the last twenty years.

Alan Jackson
34 Number Ones

In the late eighties, Randy Travis did something that no other country star had done before. He became the top-selling country artist by a wide margin without making any musical concessions to pop or rock. In doing so, he tore up the old playbook. Suddenly, you could be a multi-platinum country artists without the added benefit of top 40 radio or accolades from the rock and roll press.

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2010 Christmas Albums Extravaganza

December 2, 2010 Leeann Ward 14

Yay! Christmas time is here again!

This year, instead of writing about this year’s crop of Christmas projects individually, I’ve decided to round them up in one post in an effort to make sure I acknowledge all of them. Unless I’ve overlooked one, the only album that will be omitted from this roundup is Shelby Lynne’s Christmas album, which is super good/compelling and funky, so it deserves its own review and it will come as soon as I figure out how to write about it.

Let the fun begin!

Carter’s Chord, Christmas

As Toby Keith’s best discovery so far, Carter’s Chord is a talented sister duo that hasn’t yet gotten the success that they deserve. With only one digitally released studio album that has received criminally little attention, they’ve still managed to deliver a delightful 4-song EP that would be well worth adding to your Christmas collection.

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Album Review: Reba McEntire, All the Women I Am

November 29, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 41

Reba McEntire
All the Women I Am

A case study in musical identity crisis.

Here we have one of the most gifted vocalists in the history of country music, searching in vain for her voice. The trend has been going on for some time now, and if this isn’t its apex, we’re in for a long and bumpy ride. Not since her days with Mercury has McEntire ever tried so hard to fit in with the current sound on country radio, and much like those early records, this trend-chasing set is both overprocessed and underdeveloped.

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Album Review: Sugarland, The Incredible Machine

October 25, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 52

Sugarland
The Incredible Machine


There’s no point in dancing around it.

The Incredible Machine is a terrible album, an unmitigated disaster that manages to fail in ways that shouldn’t even be possible, especially on a mainstream album created by established professionals and released by a major label.

At its best, Sugarland has made successful music by combining clever musical arrangements with strong lyrical hooks, delivered by the inimitable vocal talent that is Jennifer Nettles. I would have deemed a full album being completely devoid of all three components inconceivable, but The Incredible Machine comes frighteningly close.

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Album Review: Randy Houser, They Call Me Cadillac

October 5, 2010 Leeann Ward 12

Randy Houser
They Call Me Cadillac

In a male dominated industry, it’s often difficult to hear distinction in the plethora of male voices on mainstream country radio. We do not have such a challenge with Randy Houser, however. Instead, Houser has a voice that rivals the soul and strength of Brooks and Dunn’s Ronnie Dunn. Regrettably, his debut album mainly suffered from production that detracted from his distinctive voice by placing heavy emphasis on the trending bombast of the times.

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Album Review: Joey+Rory, Album Number Two

September 14, 2010 Leeann Ward 16

Joey + Rory
Album Number Two

There is no sophomore slump for husband-wife duo, Joey+Rory, though the album’s title song displays a tongue in cheek awareness that doesn’t take the possibility for granted. As it was with their first album, their second album is a hybrid of sounds in true, producer, Carl Jackson fashion. A mix of hard core country, bluegrass, folk, acoustic and even contemporary touches are all present, woven together to form a sonically crisp and organic feel. The main difference between the two albums is that Rory takes the lead once in awhile on this album, which was Joey’s sole responsibility last time out.

By now, we are all aware of Joey Martin’s and Rory Feek’s genuine love for each other. We see it in their public interactions and we hear it in their songs. As they share singing duties on “Born to Be Your Woman”, we hear a sweet love declaration between a husband and wife. They also express the value that they place on their relationship on the gentle, “That’s Important to me.”

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Album Review: Dierks Bentley, Up on the Ridge

June 8, 2010 Leeann Ward 24

Dierks Bentley
Up on the Ridge

As Dan observed in his single review of “Up on the Ridge”, there was a noticeable decline in Dierks Bentley’s music after his well received Long Trip Alone album. It is purely speculative to suggest, but one can’t help but wonder if Bentley himself felt staleness creeping into his music as well. It’s not farfetched for the idea to be true, since Dierks has proven himself to be an astute artist in the past. So, why wouldn’t he notice if there was, indeed, a shift?

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New Review Roundup

June 3, 2010 Dan Milliken 0

Oh, recreational blogging. One day, it’s as easy as finding a Waffle House exit on a Tennessee interstate. The next day, it’s like trying to digest what you ate there. You do your best, but you never really know when real life might start beckoning you and all your other writer buddies at once, leaving behind a skinnier website than any of you intended to keep.

Which is all good and well, of course; I certainly enjoy all my inadvertent time off, and I’m sure our more tasteful readers enjoy it, too. But Country Universe has always tried to stay on top of the album and singles markets, and in that regard, we’ve got a fair bit of catching up to do.

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Album Review: Court Yard Hounds, Court Yard Hounds

June 2, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 15

Court Yard Hounds
Court Yard Hounds


I suppose this puts the “Natalie Maines dragged the other two Chicks away from their roots” theory to rest.

The debut album from Court Yard Hounds, the duo comprised of sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, is an adult pop affair. This isn’t disappointing in its own right, being only a few degrees less country than the excellent Chicks album that preceded it, but what’s absent is both the urgency of that album’s material and Maines’ powerhouse delivery of it.

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