Lance Miller, “She Really Loves Me” First off, I love his voice. He’s got a John Conlee style with a twist of Haggard thrown in for good measure. Second, it’s a darn good song. Clever
Lee Brice, “She Ain’t Right” “God shook His head the day he built her”, he sings, and it’s all downhill from there. Brad Paisley has some competition in the backhanded love song category. Come to
Big & Rich, “Lost In This Moment” This doesn’t sound like Big & Rich at all, as we’ve come to know them. John Rich is singing out front, there’s nothing off-beat going on. Just a
Kenny Rogers with Don Henley, “Calling Me” This Grammy-nominated collaboration sounds like the very best Adult Top 40 of the mid-eighties, the type of song that Bruce Hornsby, Steve Winwood or Henley himself would’ve dominated
Little Big Town, “A Little More You” Their last pair of singles have been weighed down by a muddy production, but “A Little More You” sounds much cleaner, and the harmonies are given a chance
Pat Green, “Dixie Lullaby” Memories of childhood are specific to each individual person, yet somehow the more specific they’re described in song, the more universal they feel when listening to them. Green’s romanticizing of his
Little Texas, “Missing Years” Starts off promising, until the chorus hits and it becomes a painfully obvious retread of Tim McGraw’s “Everywhere.” Young guy leaves small town, then we get a geographical tour of where
Toby Keith, “High Maintenance Woman” Sure, the plotline is ripped off from the cheesy Aaron Tippin video “That’s as Close as I’ll Get to Loving You”, and it features a jaw-droppingly tacky double entendre about
Mary Chapin Carpenter, “It Must Have Happened” What the hell? Chapin signs with a folk-oriented indie label and puts out her most aggressive single in years? I’m shocked. I was ready to be put to
Taylor Swift, “Teardrops On My Guitar” Not a bad song, but the vocal lays flat during the verses. She sounds like an amateur until the chorus, where the production and a stronger melody carry her