Single Reviews

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

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

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

Flynnville Train, “Last Good Time” This is country music in a post-Big & Rich world, I suppose. But, much like the Shania wannabes faltered without her trademark wit and production magic, this record just lays

Ty Herndon, “Right About Now” This works as a thematic successor to his debut hit, “What Mattered Most.” Not quite sure why he felt the need to go so high at parts, but it’s a