Single Reviews – Page 68 – Country Universe

Single Review: Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars, “Safe & Sound”

February 24, 2012 Dan Milliken 14

Yeah, you’ve probably heard this track by now. But let’s just have a post where we talk about it anyway, y’know?

Because this kind of release begs some blog attention, simply for the fact of what it is: a meeting of highly buzzy but divergent artists, and the first soundtrack cut from a hotly anticipated movie (The Hunger Games, adapted from Book 1 of Suzanne Collins’s mega-popular young-adult series). On paper alone, it’s a reminder of why the award shows optimistically call the duet category “Vocal Event.”

Single Review: James Wesley, “Walking Contradiction”

February 23, 2012 Ben Foster 10

(No, it’s actually not a new Starburst jingle)

Single Review: Clay Walker, “Like We Never Said Goodbye”

February 22, 2012 Tara Seetharam 9

As the title suggests, Clay Walker’s latest single plays out like the alternate ending to Faith Hill and Tim McGraw’s fiery “Like We Never Loved At All.” Whereas the latter finds the woman agonizing over her ex moving on, “Like We Never Said Goodbye” tackles a smaller, more predictable range of emotions as its characters rekindle their relationship over wine. On paper, it’s the less interesting road taken.

Retro Single Review: Tim McGraw, “Where the Green Grass Grows”

February 22, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 3

1998 | Peak: #1

Getting tired of the outstanding Tim McGraw reviews?

Then go read about Emotional Traffic. Fact is, Everywhere-era McGraw was as close to perfection as radio-friendly country music gets.

Retro Single Review: Tim McGraw, “One of These Days”

February 18, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 7

1998 | Peak: #2

What on earth is a tumee, and why is Tim McGraw trying to pull it?

Retro Single Review: Shania Twain, “Honey, I’m Home”

February 18, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 4

1998 | Peak: #1

Come On Over was such a forward-sounding album that by the time the eleventh track played, it sounded like a dated throwback.

Retro Single Review: George Strait, "Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her"

February 18, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 0

1986 | Peak: #1

Dean Dillon and George Strait are one of the finest songwriter and singer matches that country music has ever seen.

Retro Single Review: Alan Jackson, “Chattahoochee”

February 18, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 6

1993 | Peak: #1

This timeless classic won CMA trophies for both Single and Song of the year, and was Jackson’s signature song for the rest of the nineties.

Why did it work so well?

Retro Single Review: Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton, “We Found It”

February 18, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 1

1973 | Peak: #30

Though it was their only A-side to miss the top twenty, “We Found It” is one of Porter & Dolly’s most entertaining romps.

Single Review: Lionel Richie featuring Shania Twain, “Endless Love”

February 11, 2012 Ben Foster 4

Lionel Richie’s new country duets project, set for a March 27 release, sounds like the kind of thing that could either go very right (Jennifer Nettles, “Hello”) or very wrong (Rascal Flatts “Dancing On the Ceiling,” anyone?). We get a taste of the new project with this re-working of Richie’s classic pop duet with Diana Ross, “Endless Love,” sung this time as a duet with Shania Twain.