Country Universe

100 Greatest Women, #50: Jeannie C. Riley

May 16, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 5

100 Greatest Women #50 Jeannie C. Riley Her music was more outspokenly feminist than any of her contemporaries, but Jeannie C. Riley was on the receiving end of every sexist obstacle imaginable as she worked

100 Greatest Women, #51: Terri Clark

May 15, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 6

100 Greatest Women #51 Terri Clark When Mercury records launched Terri Clark in 1995, they billed her as country music’s first female hat act. Over the next decade, she’d show a lot more staying power

100 Greatest Women, #52: Juice Newton

May 14, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 3

100 Greatest Women #52 Juice Newton The cross-pollination between pop and country music in the early eighties provided an opening for Juice Newton and her undeniably infectious aural confections. By the time that the hits

Eddy Arnold, “To Life”

May 13, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 7

A heartbreakingly beautiful toast to life, given by a man humbled by the blessings he’s been given over the years. “Life,” he sings, “you served your finest wine. I drank it down to find my

Taylor Swift, “Should’ve Said No”

May 13, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 13

This is very well-written. It’s to Swift’s credit that this song that she penned herself could be credibly sung by a woman twice her age but is still relevant to the female teen demographic that

Marcel, “I Love This Song”

May 13, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 12

Full disclosure: I’m a big Marcel fan. I say this because it’s pretty hard to make an clear, rational case for his music in a review. I just like it. It makes me smile. It

100 Greatest Women, #53: Jo Dee Messina

May 13, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 9

100 Greatest Women #53 Jo Dee Messina The first big post-Shania country star, Jo Dee Messina fully embodied the girl power movement of the late nineties, releasing catchy country-pop songs that were consistently from a

100 Greatest Women, #54: Sara Evans

May 12, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 18

100 Greatest Women #54 Sara Evans A pure country singer with a sweet tooth for pop hooks. Sara Evans has been one of the most prominent female artists during the male-dominated 21st century, thanks not

100 Greatest Women, #55: Jeannie Seely

May 11, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 3

100 Greatest Women #55 Jeannie Seely With the voice of a honky tonk angel and the mouth of a sailor, Jeannie Seely has been one of the most forceful personalities on the country music scene

Discussion: Mother’s Day Songs

May 11, 2008 Leeann Ward 16

Well, it’s Mother’s Day. In country music, though, it should probably be called Mama’s Day. At any rate, country music, like rap music, is fond of covering the topic of mothers. As a daughter, my