Carrie Underwood – Page 13 – Country Universe

2016 Grammy Nominations

December 8, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 3

Country music is well represented in the major categories – numerically, at least – and the overall nominee list proves once again that NARAS voters have the widest, most diverse, and yes, best taste of all industry award voters.

Here are this year’s nominees in the big four and all country and country-related categories. It’s worth noting that because Miranda Lambert won Best Country Album last year for Platinum, nothing from that set was eligible in any of the Country categories.

Sunday Selections: December 6, 2015

December 6, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 3

The year of Chris Stapleton rolls on unabated. The reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year– which is still an amazing thing to type!– figures prominently in the country music news this week. But there

Sunday Selections: November 29, 2015

November 29, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 3

Despite the fact that it’s the year’s biggest shopping weekend, this week offers a fairly paltry slate of new releases to get excited about. Fortunately, there are still plenty of newsworthy items to discuss

CMA Awards 2015 – Staff Picks & Predictions

November 1, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 14

The 49th Annual Country Music Association Awards will be handed out on Wednesday, November 4. Once again, the ceremony is hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

Here are the personal picks and predictions from the Country Universe staff.

Favorite Songs by Favorite Artists: Carrie Underwood

October 25, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 13

Since Country Universe launched eleven years ago, there have only been a handful of new country artists that I’ve truly enjoyed. Out of all of them, there hasn’t been another artist I’ve consistently enjoyed as much as Carrie Underwood.

Carrie Underwood Through the Years: 20 Acoustic Performances

October 21, 2015 Tara Seetharam 4

It’s been 10 years this month since Carrie Underwood released “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” a song that would define her early on as a wholesome, powerhouse vocalist with mass appeal. It was a fitting label at the time, but it fell short of what I knew her to be: a deeply emotive artist who understood humanity.

2015 CMA Nominations

September 9, 2015 Jonathan Keefe 21

Throughout 2015, there have been rumblings of a backlash against the prevailing trends at country radio, and that backlash is certainly reflected in the year’s crop of CMA nominees.

Favorite Females’ Covers of Females’ Songs

August 30, 2015 Tara Seetharam 27

We can thank the shortsighted radio consultant Keith Hill for one thing: drawing attention to the women of country music in a year where so many of them are making outstanding music. As their mainstream counterparts cycle through a series of one-note styles and themes, female country artists are putting out diverse and decidedly more progressive music, even as they draw influence from previous generations. That they do so while supporting each other makes it all the more impressive.

Single Review: Carrie Underwood, “Smoke Break”

August 21, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 24

“Smoke Break” is a remarkably good attempt at a working class anthem. It’s so stylistically different from the “rah rah, let’s party this weekend” approach that has made drinking synonymous with adolescent behavior in modern country music.

Daily Top Five: Carrie Underwood Singles and Tracks

August 21, 2015 Kevin John Coyne 23

I’ve been at this whole Country Universe thing for eleven years now, and one of the early highlights of my time doing this was the arrival of Carrie Underwood. She was so, so good on American Idol, but it didn’t quite prepare me for how much I would love hearing her do original material.