Country Universe

Essential 80’s: #200-#176

May 27, 2006 Kevin John Coyne 0

200 Essential 80’s Singles Part 1: #200-#176 #200 “Shakin’” Sawyer Brown 1986 Peak: #15 Fresh off their victory in the very first Star Search competition, Sawyer Brown released a string of campy singles that cemented

Single Reviews: March 19, 2006

March 19, 2006 Kevin John Coyne 0

The stunning new Chicks single is one of many highlights of the latest singles roundup. I’m changing the game a little bit and starting to include stand-alone tracks that are impacting as downloads. The era

Single Reviews: Feb. 23, 2006

February 23, 2006 Kevin John Coyne 0

Here we go again… BIG & RICH Never Mind Me I liked this ballad from the first time I heard the album. Nice, laid-back 70’s country-rock vibe. BILLY CURRINGTON Why, Why, Why Bleh. BOMSHEL It

Top Twelve Debut Albums

February 22, 2006 Kevin John Coyne 6

Country music is blessed with artists that are in it for the long haul. The very best contribute to the genre for ten, twenty, thirty, even forty years or more. But how many are able

20 Grammy Awards

February 10, 2006 Kevin John Coyne 1

20 Grammy Awards. Alison Krauss, after this year’s Grammys, now has twenty in her collection. TWENTY. More than any female artist in history. She already had that title, but she certainly padded her lead over

Grammy Pre-Show Winners

February 8, 2006 Kevin John Coyne 0

Country winners announced so far. Some surprises: Best Country Female: Emmylou Harris, “The Connection” Not crazy about the song, but c’mon, it’s Emmy. Her first win in this category since the 80’s. Best Country Male:

Grammy Nominations

February 4, 2006 Kevin John Coyne 0

Here’s a repost of my first Grammy reactions, which haven’t changed with time. My picks are highlighted in red. A Complete list of nominees is available here. The show airs this Wednesday, Feb. 8, on

Album Reviews: Rosanne Cash, Linda Ronstadt

January 28, 2006 Kevin John Coyne 3

I spend a good chunk of my salary on music, and it seems wasteful not to pass it on when I’ve made a particularly worthy purchase. Here are some recent purchases that I think are

Best Country Albums of 2005

December 31, 2005 Kevin John Coyne 3

How good was 2005 for country albums? Well, any one of the top ten albums this year could’ve been #1 in another year. Provided are some tracks for you to sample if you’re thinking you

Best Country Singles of 2005

December 27, 2005 Kevin John Coyne 1

Three days later than intended, thanks to a Blogspot glitch, here’s the first of a few year-in-review entries. Given the incessant single listing on this page lately, it seems only right to kcik things off