Country Universe

The 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 13

May 21, 2011 Leeann Ward 26

Today’s category is…

A Leaving Song.

Here are the staff picks:

Leeann Ward: “She’s Crazy For Leavin'” – Rodney Crowell

For me, this song plays out like a movie scene in one of those wacky romantic comedies. The guy is over-the-top trying to convince his girl not to go, saying that “she’s crazy for leaving”, while everyone else at the bus stop pretty much knows he’s the crazy one and tells him to just let her go. I especially love the hook, “You can’t stop a woman when she’s out of control.” Few can write tongue in cheek like Crowell and Guy Clark, I tell ya.

Single Review: Big & Rich feat. Gretchen Wilson, “Fake ID”

May 21, 2011 Dan Milliken 8

For the first thirty-five seconds, this sounds like the raddest thing in the radio pile. Snaky beat, those much-missed harmonies, and a cool ominousness, even though you can guess from the title who the protagonist has been driving all over town looking for.

The 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 12

May 20, 2011 Tara Seetharam 28

Today’s category is…

A Drinking Song

Here are the staff picks:

Tara Seetharam: “Smoke a Little Smoke” – Eric Church

I’m still digging this one – part trippy, part creepy vibe and all.

The 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 11

May 19, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 43

Today’s category is…

A Cheating Song.

Here are the staff picks:

Kevin Coyne: “(Margie’s at) The Lincoln Park Inn” – Bobby Bare

Proof that while the other woman can sometimes sound sympathetic, there’s no getting around the fact that the guy is a heel, allowing his selfishness to wreck the lives at home and at the Lincoln Park Inn.

The 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 10

May 18, 2011 Dan Milliken 22

Today’s category is…

A Relaxing Song.

Here are the staff picks:

Dan Milliken: “Can’t Go Back Now” – The Weepies

This husband-wife duo’s sound is mega-soothing, the perfect match for a song which gently nudges the listener to persevere through reality’s burdens and chores. When I need relaxation, it’s usually because I’ve stopped feeling like I can. This one helps me realign.

The 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 9

May 17, 2011 Leeann Ward 24

Today’s category is…

A Song That Makes You Want to Dance.

Here are the staff picks:

Leeann Ward: “Cotton Eye Joe” – Rednex

Just as I don’t sing, I also don’t do much dancing. A song that makes me want to dance, however, should also double as my guilty pleasure choice. Chalk it up to association with childhood memories.

Single Review: Billy Currington, “Love Done Gone”

May 17, 2011 Leeann Ward 9

Rarely has a breakup song sounded quite as cheery as Billy Currington’s new single, “Love Done Gone.”

Rather than lamenting a relationship that has fizzled out for no apparent reason beyond things simply changing, all typical dramatics are discarded for acceptance and even celebration.

The 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 8

May 16, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 24

Today’s category is…

A Song That You Know All the Words To.

Staff Picks:

Kevin Coyne: “My Way” – Frank Sinatra

There’s gotta be a thousand songs I know all of the words to, but I’ll pick this one because it took me a while to anticipate all of the odd rhymes with “my way”, most especially the line about “each careful step along the byway.” Plus I’m just going through a big Sinatra phase these days.

The 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 7

May 15, 2011 Tara Seetharam 15

Today’s category is…

A Song That Reminds You of a Certain Event.

The staff picks are:

Tara Seetharam: “I Will…But” – SHeDaisy

My freshmen girls choir performed this song at our high school spring show ten years ago. The photos of me in a tacky red bandana halter top are painful, but the memories of my first taste of high school choir are precious.

Single Review: Randy Houser, “In God’s Time”

May 14, 2011 Leeann Ward 8

I think I can officially call myself a Randy Houser fan now. After feeling lukewarm to apathetic about his glossy debut album, I was much more enthusiastic about his more organic, but vibrant, sophomore project, They Call Me Cadillac.

Even though that album was only released in October, it produced no hits for Houser. As a result, the album seems to have been abandoned in order to release the inspirational “In God’s Time”, the lead single for an undetermined third album.