Retro Single Reviews – Page 8

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.

Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “My Tennessee Mountain Home”

February 3, 2012 Ben Foster 4

1973 | #15

These days country radio is peppered with songs about where the singer supposedly grew up. Though often commercially successful, they tend to fail on an artistic level. Why? They very often lack some vital ingredients: Detail. Authenticity. Sincerity. That’s why Dolly Parton’s classic “My Tennessee Mountain Home” outclasses nearly all of them.

Retro Single Review: Alan Jackson, “Tonight I Climbed the Wall”

January 30, 2012 Leeann Ward 5

1993 | Peak: #4

There really isn’t anything much more sad or upsetting in a relationship than cold, awkward silence. Things left unsaid or the silence after things that shouldn’t have been said can create what seems like an impenetrable, cold wall.

Retro Single Review: Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, “Together Always”

January 25, 2012 Ben Foster 0

1972 | #14

It’s another Porter and Dolly love song, and such do tend to be less memorable then their heartbreak songs and bickering-couple songs. The chorus of “Together Always” is rather blank lyrically, but it’s lifted to a higher level by Parton’s spirited performance. The lilting melody and light piano-driven arrangement lend a subtly infectious, joyful sound to the record.

Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “Washday Blues”

January 23, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 4

1972 | Peak: #20

This is just plum terrible.

Retro Single Review: George Strait, “You’re Something Special to Me”

January 11, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 2

1985 | Peak: #4

Deceptively simple.

“You’re Something Special to Me” is so laid back that it’s easy to miss the craftsmanship. As Strait channels a young Merle Haggard, a slow western swing arrangement surrounds him with warmth.

Retro Single Review: Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, “Lost Forever in Your Kiss”

January 11, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 2

1972 | Peak: #9

This is one of their most beautiful duets, largely because Parton is at her peak as a singer and a songwriter.

Retro Single Review: Shania Twain, “When”

January 2, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 2

1998 | Peak: #14 (Canada); #18 (U.K.)

The closest thing in Twain’s catalog to a lost hit, “When” was released as the follow up to “You’re Still the One” in the United Kingdom. Twain even shot a video for the song, which consists mostly of her playing in traffic while dressed like an angel.