Single Reviews
You can go ahead and shoot me if you want to, but I actually kind of like this one.
Retro Single Review: Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, “We’ll Get Ahead Someday”
1968 | Peak : #5
Porter & Dolly scored a double-sided hit single in 1968, with both sides establishing a subgenre within their catalog.
The A-side, “We’ll Get Ahead Someday”, became their first top five hit. It’s the first single of theirs that casts them as the playfully quarreling husband and wife.
Retro Single Review: George Strait, “Fool Hearted Memory”
1982 | Peak: #1
Thirty years ago, “Fool Hearted Memory”, the first single from his second album, was George Strait’s first number one single. And for very good reason. Up to that point, Strait demonstrated great potential, but this is the first time that he fires on all cylinders with overwhelming success.
Single Review: Montgomery Gentry, “Where I Come From”
After being in the automatic add club for a good four years, Montgomery Gentry seems to have fallen off country radio’s map lately. Their last big hit was two years ago, and their three most recent singles all missed the Top 20. They’re back now for another attempt at getting back on the radio. “Where I Come From” is the duo’s first single release under their new label home Average Joe’s Entertainment. But it sounds like their new single “Where I Come From” is primarily trying to sound like all the Montgomery Gentry hits that came before it.
Retro Single Review: Tim McGraw, “Indian Outlaw”
1994 | Peak: #8
The distinction of being Tim McGraw’s first Top 10 hit could hardly have gone to a more oddball song.
Ever had one of those songs that you used to enjoy when you were younger, but then you kind of… I dunno… grew up and then realized it wasn’t that good? This is one of those songs for me. It’s catchy, to be sure. Tim puts a lot of character and personality into his performance, and the fiddle and tom-tom-driven arrangement is infectious.
Single Review: Taylor Swift, “Sparks Fly”
Written by guest contributor Jonathan Keefe.
Compared to the cultural juggernaut that was Fearless, Taylor Swift’s Speak Now has underperformed at both retail and radio. The set’s fifth single, “Sparks Fly,” could turn things around for Swift, as it’s perhaps the most perfectly constructed single in a career built on tracks that are marvels of pop production and songwriting.
Summer Single Reviews Round-Up: Luke Bryan, Jake Owen, Jerrod Niemann, Zac Brown Band, Dierks Bentley
We’re halfway through the summer months, which means we’ve heard the handful of summer-oriented singles played on the radio approximately 17,283 times by now. In keeping with CU’s retro theme, let’s hit the singles we missed upon their initial release (sorry y’all!).
Luke Bryan, “Country Girl (Shake it For Me)”
Written by Luke Bryan & Dallas Davidson
Whereas Jason Aldean would likely have soaked this dance number in aggression, Bryan melts away its sexist edge by layering it with goofiness and playful energy. The result is a shamelessly catchy ditty that makes me want to shake it for the squirrels. Filed under: things I never thought I’d say. Grade: B
Retro Single Review: George Strait, “If You’re Thinking You Want a Stranger (There’s One Coming Home)”
1982 | Peak: #3
If Strait’s voice wasn’t so distinctive and familiar, you could be forgiven for mistaking this for Johnny Lee’s “Looking For Love.”