Country Universe

Single Review: Zac Brown Band, “Homegrown”

February 23, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 5

“Homegrown” Zac Brown Band Written by Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, and Niko Moon Zac Brown Band has been doing so many variations on the same handful of themes – relaxing, drinking, digging your hometown –

Single Review: Kenny Chesney with Grace Potter, “Wild Child”

February 22, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 5

“Wild Child” Kenny Chesney with Grace Potter Written by Kenny Chesney, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne No, it isn’t as strong as “You and Tequila.” Let’s get that out of the way right now, because

Single Review: Sam Hunt, “Take Your Time”

February 22, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 15

“Take Your Time” Sam Hunt Written by Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne “Take Your Time” is interesting for its combination of rapidly delivered spoken word and warmly sung melody, and for its tentative

Single Review: Rascal Flatts, “Riot”

February 21, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 6

“Riot” Rascal Flatts Written by Jaron Boyer and Sara Haze This is quite the quiet riot. Rascal Flatts return to their signature ballad sound on “Riot”, which has moments that sound like a throwback to

Single Review: Mo Pitney, “Country”

February 21, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 7

“Country” Mo Pitney Written by Bill Anderson, Mo Pitney, and Bobby Timberlin At first, Mo Pitney’s “Country” sounds like one of those songs they used to write to open an awards show back in the

Single Review: Mickey Guyton, “Better Than You Left Me”

February 20, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 8

“Better Than You Left Me” Mickey Guyton Written by Mickey Guyton, Jennifer Hanson, and Jenn Schott This is pretty much how a country ballad is supposed to sound, as far as I’m concerned. Nothing says

Single Review: Gloriana, “Trouble”

February 20, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 18

“Trouble” Gloriana Written by Ross Copperman, Mike Gossin, Jon Nite, and Rachel Reinert I’m starting to think there’s a group of guys in Nashville who have only two things going for them: the ability to

Album Review: LeAnn Rimes, All-Time Greatest Hits

February 20, 2015 Ben Foster 6

LeAnn Rimes All-Time Greatest Hits In the eleven years since the release of LeAnn Rimes’ first Greatest Hits package, she’s certainly released enough material to fill out a second installment. But the song selections of her

Single Review: Carrie Underwood, “Little Toy Guns”

February 19, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 22

“Little Toy Guns” Carrie Underwood Written by Chris DeStefano, Hillary Lindsey, and Carrie Underwood With her latest single, Carrie Underwood once again reaffirms that she is among the best and most compelling artists of modern

Single Review: Reba McEntire, “Going Out Like That”

February 19, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 5

“Going Out Like That” Reba McEntire Written by Rhett Akins, Ben Haslip, and Jason Sellers Reba McEntire is one of the genre’s all-time greatest storytellers. Her best material captures both the strength and vulnerability of