Album Review: Sara Evans – ‘Three Chords and the Truth’

Had Three Chords and the Truth been released about a decade earlier, it would have been a monster hit for Sara Evans. All of the tracks on this very traditional-sounding album would have been right at home on country radio in the late 80s, alongside the hits of Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakam, Reba McEntire [...]

Album Review: Brooks & Dunn – ‘Hard Workin’ Man’

Following the mega success of their debut album, Brooks & Dunn released their sophomore effort, Hard Workin’ Man in early 1993.  Like its predecessor, Hard Workin’ Man proved to be a critical and commercial success and furthered the pair’s status as the new superstar duo in country music following The Judds’ retirement in 1991.   [...]

Album Review: Patty Loveless – ‘Sleepless Nights’

Patty Loveless was dropped by Epic following disappointing sales and minimal airplay for her last album for the label, Dreamin’ My Dreams. She was in no hurry to make her next move, taking some time off the road to move down to Georgia, and dealing with family deaths and illness, but in 2008 she signed [...]

Week ending 10/3/09: #1 singles this week in country music history

1949: Slippin’ Around — Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely (Capitol)
1959: The Three Bells — The Browns (RCA)
1969: Tall Dark Stranger — Buck Owens (Capitol)
1979: Last Cheater’s Waltz — T.G. Sheppard (Warner Bros./Curb)
1989: Let Me Tell You About Love — The Judds (RCA/Curb)
1999: Something Like That — Tim McGraw (Curb)
2009: Small Town USA — Justin Moore [...]

Classic Rewind: The Judds – ‘Love Can Build A Bridge’

Classic Rewind: The Judds – ‘Why Not Me’

Album Review: Tanya Tucker – ‘What Do I Do With Me’

Had she chosen to retire from the music business around 1990, Tanya Tucker could have done so knowing that she’d secured her musical legacy. By then she had been a presence on the country charts for nearly two decades, had released 20 studio albums, and secured 30 top 10 hits, including ten #1’s. [...]

Single Review: Tanya Tucker – ‘Lizzie and the Rainman’

The extraordinary run of success enjoyed by the teenage Tanya Tucker is illustrated by the fact that she was still only 16 when she recorded the story song ‘Lizzie and the Rainman’. It was her fourth #1 hit, and her first single for a new record label, MCA.
As so often with Tanya’s choice of [...]

Recommendation: Songs about rain

It’s raining again today in southern Ohio, and it has been for the better part of a week now.  A couple days ago, during a particularly torrential downpour, I was sitting here listening to music and decided to search the word ‘rain’ in my media library.  And I have to say I was surprised at [...]

Signature songs from superb singers

This past year, Taylor Swift had a massive hit in “Love Story.” I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It went to #1 on 3 charts worldwide, including the American and Canadian County charts as well as Australia’s all-genre chart. Beyond that, “Love Story” went into the top 5 on U.S. Billboard’s Hot 100, Pop 100 [...]

Week ending 5/2/09: #1 this week in country music history

1949: Candy Kisses — George Morgan (Columbia)
1959: White Lightning — George Jones (Mercury)
1969: Galveston — Glen Campbell (Capitol)
1979: Backside of Thirty– John Conlee(ABC)
1989: Young Love (Strong Love) — The Judds (RCA/Curb)
1999: How Forever Feels — Kenny Chesney (BNA)

YouTube Finds

Once in a while I still marvel at technology – even things we take for granted now – like YouTube.  It’s been just over 4 years since 3 former PayPal employees created the video sharing site, but it seems that it’s always been there now.  What would we do without music videos and all these [...]

Album Review: Wynonna Judd – ‘Wynonna’

During the Farewell Tour for The Judds, the daughter half of the duo was also hard at work recording songs for a solo project. Naomi Judd was forced into retirement after being diagnosed with hepatitis in late 1990. The year 1991 saw the mother-daughter duo embarking on a major North American jaunt that turned out [...]

Has it really been that long?

Nothing makes me feel old like the shock that occurs upon realizing what year a particular song came out.   Time seems to pass by unnoticed and then I hear a song that I hadn’t heard in a while.  When I remember what I was doing when the song was climbing the charts, and how long [...]

Poll – Grammy For Best Country Song

First, if you haven’t yet voted for Best Country Collaboration or Best Duo/Group Performance, click the respective links to do so!
Here we are, my last poll on the Grammys! This is for a biggie: for Best Country Song Of The Year! Past winners include “Where’ve You Been” (Kathy Mattea), “Love Can Build A Bridge” [...]

Spotlight Artist: Wynonna

I’ve recently finished reading Wy’s autobiography and have re-immersed myself in her solo work, as well as the music of The Judds. As one-half of The Judds, Wynonna scored over a dozen #1 country hits, 6 Grammys and 8 CMA awards, among many other accolades. Since her solo debut in 1991, Wynonna has recorded some [...]

My Life, The Roller Coaster

Ok, so I’m trying to release a little stress, and I had an interesting experience with a song yesterday, and I wanted to share it here! Of course, I also made it into a discussion topic as well…
I’ve been working on a project for my Physics class, namely to make a roller coaster. We (our [...]