Garth Brooks

Single Review: Zac Brown Band, “Colder Weather”

January 6, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 12

There hasn’t been a great song in this vein for a good long while. The last one might have been “The River and the Highway.” It’s the classic lover’s triangle: the man, the woman, and the impossible dream.

In this case, it’s the man who is chasing his dreams and cannot settle down, and it’s the woman who won’t wait around while he’s left her behind. It’s structured well enough that you can’t anticipate if they will reconcile by the end of the song, if the man will give up the dream or the woman will chase it with him.

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.

The Nineties All Over Again

August 17, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 23

The new country music stars of the nineties grew up with the pop/rock of the seventies. It’s no wonder that many of them revisited songs from that era.

Some of these covers became big hits, like Billy Dean’s “We Just Disagree” and Brooks & Dunn’s “My Maria.” Various album cuts and tribute projects demonstrated Lorrie Morgan’s fondness for Bonnie Tyler (“It’s a Heartache”), Garth Brooks’ love for Kiss (“Hard Luck Woman”), and more than a dozen artists’ affinity for the Eagles.

It’s just a matter of time before today’s country stars start remaking pop and rock hits from the nineties. Here’s a few that I think would work well:

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #150-#126

August 9, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 16

Signature hits, breakthrough hits, and why-weren’t-they-hits abound in this entry.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #200-#176

August 2, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 25

The hits come from all over the place here. Breakthrough hits from Trace Adkins and Carlene Carter join one-hit wonders Brother Phelps and George Ducas. And alongside crafty covers of songs by sixties rock band The Searchers and nineties country artist Joy Lynn White, you can also find tracks from three diamond-selling country albums.