Country Universe

Single Review: Robert Earl Keen, “Hot Corn, Cold Corn”

March 30, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 6

“Hot Corn, Cold Corn” Robert Earl Keen Written By Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs Robert Earl Keen has spent the past three decades as one of the most venerated singer-songwriters in country music, particularly within

Single Review: David Fanning, “Doin’ Country Right”

March 30, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 15

“Doin’ Country Right” David Fanning Written by Heather Morgan, Josh Osborne, and Jimmy Robbins Seems safe to bet that the irony of this single’s title is lost on everyone involved in inflicting it upon a

Single Review: Joe Nichols, “Hard to Be Cool”

March 29, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 29

“Hard to Be Cool” Joe Nichols Written by Rob Hatch and Jason Sellers I’m always rooting for Joe Nichols. He’s got a smooth twang, two qualities that usually don’t go together. He’s made some solid

Single Review: Terri Clark, “I Cheated on You”

March 28, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 8

“I Cheated on You” Terri Clark Written by Brent Anderson, Brandy Clark, and Forrest Whitehead “I Cheated on You” is likely to be the best country single of 2015 that barely gets heard south of

Single Review: Blake Shelton, “Sangria”

March 28, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 7

“Sangria” Blake Shelton Written by J.T. Harding, Josh Osborne, and Trevor Rosen This is Shelton’s best single an a good long while. It’s smooth and seductive, without sounding overly coy or even the least bit

Single Review: Jason Aldean, “Tonight Looks Good on You”

March 25, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 19

“Tonight Looks Good on You” Jason Aldean Written by Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, and Ashley Gorley Great artists start trends, and when everybody else is catching up to what they started, they’ve already moved on

Single Review: Dustin Lynch, “Hell of a Night”

March 25, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 9

“Hell of a Night” Dustin Lynch Written by Jaron Boyer, Zach Crowell, and Adam Sanders I’m starting to believe that the “bro-country” movement doesn’t even exist, and it’s really just an attempt to ascribe meaning

Album Review: Aaron Watson, The Underdog

March 24, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 11

Aaron Watson The Underdog The narrative surrounding Aaron Watson’s The Underdog makes it an album that is easy to root for: Buoyed by more than a decade of goodwill and fan support and a deft

Single Review: Kelsea Ballerini, “Love Me Like You Mean It”

March 24, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 6

“Love Me Like You Mean It” Kelsea Ballerini Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Lance Carpenter, Josh Kerr, and Forest Glen Whitehead This sounds like a demo recording for a Taylor Swift album that will never be

Album Review: The Mavericks, Mono

March 23, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 0

The Mavericks Mono For all of their commercial successes and industry recognition, The Mavericks were never a band that bowed to popular trends in country music. On Mono, the second album of their full-fledged revival,