Fiddle and Steel Guitar
Dear Country Music,
More fiddle and steel guitar, please.
Single Review: Luke Bryan, “Someone Else Calling You Baby”
I so wish the web had video of the acoustic performance of this song from GAC’s Origins: Luke Bryan. I caught it on TV a few weeks ago and thought, “this guy actually has something.” If I could embed that performance here, I think you’d probably agree.
The song is basically a demand for a clean break-up, so you can guess the scenario. She asked for time apart, he granted it, now hints are floating around that she’s found someone else.
Say What? – Hillary Scott
From an interview with The Boston Globe, via Country California:
Country music has always been filled with artists who write their own songs. But I think in the ’80s and ’90s it went through a phase where everyone was recording songs written by other songwriters; which gives those songwriters great success and a way to provide for their families, but I think the fans also love to hear what the artist has to say from the artist’s mouth. And that’s, I think, one of the reasons why Taylor Swift has done such an amazing job and has been so successful, because she’s baring her heart to her fans and it’s so relatable. – Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum
Where to begin? I’ll start with the fact that Scott is wrong on the merits. There were plenty of artists who wrote their own songs during the eighties and nineties, though the best ones had the good judgment to balance their best compositions with great songs written by others, rather than weaken an album by not recording outside material that’s superior to what they’ve written themselves.
Win an Autographed Copy of Toby Keith’s New Album, Bullets in the Gun
The good folks at Show Dog-Universal have given us an autographed copy of Toby Keith’s new album, Bullets in the Gun to give away to one lucky Country Universe winner.
This is my favorite Toby Keith album since 2006’s White Trash with Money. As was the case with that album, Keith seems loose and mostly good-natured, which results in a friendlier more relaxed album than we’re accustomed to hearing from him.
Movin’ On Up
We’re proud to note that our very own Dan Milliken has been published by CMT.com for the first time.
Check out his write-up of the Toby Keith classic, “Who’s That Man”:
The impossible question of divorce is how to divide lives that have become so intricately knitted together. As Keith demonstrates in this dark, brooding song, no answer to that question comes without its toll. The narrator of “Who’s That Man” has lost every staple of his former life in the collapse of his marriage, and as if that weren’t bad enough, someone else is filling his shoes without any apparent hitch.
Of course, this is an awesome and impressive new platform for Dan’s writing, but let’s be honest. Just like Country Universe got a hell of a lot better once he joined us, CMT can only be elevated by his trademark wit and undeniable talent.
Album Review: Randy Houser, They Call Me Cadillac
Randy Houser
They Call Me Cadillac
In a male dominated industry, it’s often difficult to hear distinction in the plethora of male voices on mainstream country radio. We do not have such a challenge with Randy Houser, however. Instead, Houser has a voice that rivals the soul and strength of Brooks and Dunn’s Ronnie Dunn. Regrettably, his debut album mainly suffered from production that detracted from his distinctive voice by placing heavy emphasis on the trending bombast of the times.
Single Review: The Judds, “I Will Stand By You”
In theory, Wynonna Judd has the gravitas to pull off a feisty inspirational song like “I Will Stand By You,” the kind that builds on momentum and resolve instead of hope and compassion. And the lyrics, though clichéd, aren’t necessarily enough to kill the song’s spirit – because who better than Wynonna to breathe fire and energy into nondescript lyrics?
Single Review: Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”
I think Tim McGraw is one of country music’s strongest singers. He doesn’t have the range or depth of a Vince Gill or a Toby Keith, but he can do what a great singer is supposed to do: deliver a song with sincerity and believability. That may seem like a low bar to clear, but it never ceases to amaze me how many country artists trip over it these days.
McGraw has a stellar track record in this area, but you’d never know it listening to “Felt Good On My Lips.” In fact, it seems that the record itself has so little confidence in McGraw’s ability to deliver a song that it puts every modern recording barrier it can think of between his vocal and the listener.
