Brent Cobb Playing Stages Big and Small Ahead of New Album
10 CommentsBrent Cobb comes across as one of those country music performers who’s not particularly interested in country music superstardom. He’s cool with just writing and singing good songs for good people.
Album Review – Aubrie Sellers’ “New City Blues”
61 CommentsWatch out ladies and gentlemen because the female revolution overtaking country in the aftermath of tomato-gate is about to get some fresh and young reinforcements in the coming months with major debuts from some promising young artists, and first up to bat is the ravenesque and hungry Aubrie Sellers. Aubrie starts off with a proven musical pedigree that’s nothing to smirk at. She’s the daughter of Lee Ann Womack…
Merle Haggard Still Recovering from Double Pneumonia – Prayers Asked for Mel Tillis
20 CommentsOnce again the 78-year-old Merle Haggard is suffering from serious heath issues that have resulted in him canceling upcoming shows. Scheduled to perform in New Mexico at the Inn of the Mountain Gods and the Farmington Civic Center on January 30th and 31st, Haggard has canceled both dates due to a double pneumonia. The news was confirmed on Thursday (1-28) by Haggard’s son and guitar player Ben Haggard.
Kane Brown – The “Justin Bieber of Country Music” – Is Now a Major Label Artist
90 CommentsPurported country music “viral star” Kane Brown is now a major label artist. And if you thought your acid reflux got a workout when you watched Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt up on stage claiming to be country singers, Kane Brown is guaranteed to kick it up yet another notch. The lesson of Kane Brown is that you can cheat to get ahead, and you don’t have to pay any dues or prove yourself in the marketplace.
Katie Arminger Accuses Label of Wanting Her to “Sex It Up” for Radio Program Directors
54 CommentsThe saga of country artist Katie Arminger continues, and the accusations against her record label Cold River just reached a new level. The issue began in June of last year when the 23-year-old Houston native found herself locked out of her social media accounts, right after her label announced to the world that she had decided to take a “breather” from country music.
Steven Tyler’s “Red, White & You” Should Have Died in the “Yum Yum”
92 CommentsWhile “Red, White & You” makes an ironclad case for itself as the worst “country” song in the history of recorded music, it indisputably takes the top prize for the worst lyrical line the world has ever been forced to behold. What the hell does “yum yum” mean you ask?
Bobby Bones Commands Love & Theft’s “Whiskey On My Breath” to the Top of the Charts
40 CommentsNow Bobby Bones, over a year after its initial release, has gone crazy over “Whiskey On My Breath,” and spent Tuesday (1-26) chronicling its rise to #2 on the iTunes charts as he commanded his many listeners to purchase it. Remember, it was a similar effort that propelled Chris Janson’s song “Buy Me a Boat” to the top of the iTunes charts, and eventually landed him a major label deal with Columbia Nashville.
It Happened in Houston: How The City Is Becoming the Stolen Music Gear Capital of the World
23 CommentsAlong with the frequency of incidents involving bands being burglarized, it’s been the brazenness of the thieves, and the high-profile nature of the incidents that has put Houston in people’s crosshairs for not being hospitable to touring musicians.
Wynonna Judd Joined by Jason Isbell on “Things That I Lean On”
24 Comments“Things That I Lean On” begins by acquiescing to the frailties of being human, and then singing the praises of the gifts life bestows to overcome them. Written by Travis Meadows and Daniel Sanders, it is a perfect song for the conditions Cactus Moser created to record in. Though it’s not her own song, the love and honesty Wynonna sings with let’s you know it is still very personal and true to her experience.
Song Review- Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind”
58 CommentsTim McGraw is one of the last remaining artists who can release what he wants to radio, including music that actually says something and is fit for consumption by fully maturated adults, and it somehow finds not just a semblance of traction and acceptance, but downright success.
Shut Up & Be Happy Jason Isbell is Sharing the Stage with Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt
42 CommentsSo what in the hell are well-versed country and Americana fans who finds themselves in stiff opposition to folks like Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt supposed to feel about ol’ Isbell sharing the stage with these turkeys? I’ll tell you what they should feel, they should shut up and be happy because it’s yet another sign that the good stuff is breaking through, and is getting its deserved due on Nashville’s biggest stages.
Album Review- The Cactus Blossoms’ “You’re Dreaming”
17 CommentsIf there’s any knock on their sophomore release Your Dreaming, it’s that it’s almost too similar to the Everly Brothers, resulting in a mark against them on the originality scale. But even though this may sound like sacrilege to some, I’m not sure even The Everly Brothers ever put out an album this oceanic in depth and reach cover to cover.
Song Review – Brandy Clark’s “Girl Next Door”
73 CommentsBrandy Clark is one of the revered and decorated ringleaders of the new school songwriting-by-committee process. Though the results may always be more appealing than the next tractor rap the “Peach Pickers” pull out of a corn field bro off, it sometimes can still smack more of product than the raw inspiration set to words country music used to be known for.