Country Universe

Single Review: Dierks Bentley, “Draw Me a Map”

September 4, 2010 Guest Contributor 3

This single review is written by Guest Contributor Jennifer Bernard.

“Draw Me a Map,” the second single from Up on the Ridge, contains lyrics which are cleverly evocative and packed with passion. The acoustic arrangement combined with the vocals of Dierks Bentley and Alison Krauss make for a soothing delivery of words that definitely dive below the surface. Specifically with lines such as “I’d beg forgiveness but I don’t know where to start” and “I’ve never been so at loss, I’m at a canyon I can’t get around or cross,” you can truly feel the anxiety and hopelessness that Bentley illustrates.

Single Review: Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”

September 3, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 43

This isn’t very good.

Perhaps it could have been, with a stronger melody and a more refined concept. The song itself is pretty good, but Evans turns in a listless performance, delegating all of the “oomph” to the background vocalists and studio musicians. And they’re pretty listless in their own right.

CMA 2010: Female Trouble

September 3, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 85

It’s pretty rare that the CMA nominations garner much attention outside of the country music press, but the always excellent Whitney Pastorek at Entertainment Weekly has a lengthy article trying to rationalize the exclusion of Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift from the Entertainer category.

It’s amazing that in a year where a record was set for the most nominations by a female artist, there can still be a valid accusation of gender bias among the nominations. Women have been poorly represented in the Entertainer category for pretty much the entire history of the CMA Awards. Even when you include duos or groups with female members, there have never been more than two out of five nominees that are women.

2010 CMA Nominations

September 1, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 125

Last month, I suggested an infusion of new blood at the CMA Awards. They’ve exceeded even my wildest expectations, rejecting the usual nominees in nearly every race. Lady Antebellum, Zac Brown Band, and Dierks Bentley have quite a bit to celebrate, but this year’s awards belong to Miranda Lambert, who earned a stunning nine nominations, a record for a female artist.

Let’s take a look at this year’s nominees:

Entertainer

Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban
Zac Brown Band

Who’s In: Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band

Who’s Out: Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Taylor Swift

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #25-#1

August 30, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 32

The top of our list includes a wide range of artists singing a wide range of country music styles. They are all perfectly-written songs delivered with sincerity by the artists who brought them to life.

Single Reviews: James Otto, “Soldiers and Jesus”; Due West, “The Bible and the Belt”

August 29, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 16

I’m getting tired of the dime store theology in country music today. It’s officially reached pandemic proportions.

Up for airplay are two new singles in which religion is just a decorative prop used to elevate a human role to something divine. Instead of achieving that impossible goal, all they do is cheapen the divine into something that is only human.

Single Review: Carrie Underwood, "Mama's Song"

August 27, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 69

Love ain’t no fairytale.

The latest single from Carrie Underwood knows and embraces this. I can’t remember another wedding song that is so understated in its declarations. As she prepares to marry, she reassures her mother that this man is good. That’s pretty much it.

Pretty much it on paper, at least. But notice how the term is repeated – “He is good, so good.” Underwood chooses to emphasize those five words more than any others in the song, singing them as if just being good is enough to qualm a worried mother’s fears for her daughter’s future.

Single Review: Toby Keith, “Trailerhood”

August 26, 2010 Leeann Ward 10

Most of us can admit that Toby Keith is a premier balladeer. Something that has been largely forgotten about him in the last few years, however, is that he’s also rather good at having good fun too. Lately, he’s mostly associated with swagger and subpar music (with the exception of some decent ballads here and there), but “Trailerhood” is here to remind us of how jovial Keith can sound when he lets his boisterous guard down and just allows himself to have some fun.

A Bountiful Harvest

August 25, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 30

This fall, there seems to be as many new albums from significant country artists as I can remember. Just look at Roughstock’s indispensable Fall 2010 Releases list.

New releases are on the way from no less than eight past CMA Entertainer of the Year nominees and winners, along with current top sellers Zac Brown Band, Billy Currington, Jamey Johnson, and Montgomery Gentry.

So head on over to see that list, then come back to answer this question:

What Fall 2010 CD Release are you most excited for?

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #50-#26

August 24, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 16

The themes of love and loss have permeated country music for as long as it’s been in existence. This second-to-last batch of great nineties hits contains songs that are direct descendants of well-known classics like “Can the Circle Be Unbroken” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, along with a Shania Twain hit that would have made Roba Stanley smile.