The Steel Woods Announce Ambitious New Album “On Your Time”
12 CommentsAll three of the previous albums by The Steel Woods earned high marks for songwriting, musicianship, and originality while remaining grounded in Southern rock roots. We should expect ‘On Your Time’ to be no different.
Album Review – Whitney Rose’s “Heartbreaker of the Year”
16 CommentsI don’t know what they’re lacing the Canadian municipal water supplies with these days that allows the great frozen north to churn out authentic country and roots artists worthy of ears in bumper crop fashion, but they better import some of that concoction down here to the States post haste because Canada is kicking our ass in cool new country artists per capita.
Maddie & Tae’s “Start Here” is a Start on the Right Track for Mainstream Country
93 Comments“People forget how great country music is, and we haven’t,” Maddie Marlow was recently quoted as saying. “It’s nice knowing we’re putting the banjo, the fiddle, the steel and the mandolin back out front.” And that’s what they do in their debut full-length album “Start Here,” though you probably won’t catch many Waylon fans bobbing their heads along.
A Visit to the Grave of Waylon Jennings
52 CommentsWith the Hall of Fame-caliber legacy Waylon Jennings left behind, with all the noise still made about him by traditional and Outlaw performers and their fans, and even by modern-day mainstream performers looking to lend a bit of country cred to their otherwise flimsy country music resumes, you would think the final resting place of Waylon would be a bigger deal.
Texas Country’s Prodigal Son Pat Green Returns “Home”
31 CommentsWithout anyone left to please but himself, Pat Green is free to exorcise his demons, get some stuff off his chest, make the album he wants to, and hopefully reconnect with those grassroots in Texas country that once helped carry him to the top, and he once turned his back on. To some his name will continue to be mud, but that doesn’t mean his musical output will be.
Live Review – Dwight Yoakam at the Britt Pavilion
43 CommentsA blanket of thick smoke had settled down in the valleys of Southern Oregon as it tends to do seasonally when the region burns in annual wildfires that have become especially ravaging over the last few years. But that didn’t hold back the crush of eager patrons flocking to the legendary Britt Pavilion in the picturesque town of Jacksonville, Oregon to take in a performance by legendary country music artist Dwight Yoakam.
Album Review – Kip Moore’s “Wild Ones”
77 CommentsThough it would be unfair to lump Kip Moore in with the inner sanctum of the Bro-Country sect, the biggest song of his career so far has been the decidedly Bro mega hit “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck.” Kip was already veering somewhat in the direction of the style we see reveal itself in full force on Wild Ones before the release, so we can’t be wholeheartedly surprised by the overall style of this album.
Study: Pop Fans the Most Closed-Minded of All Genres, Don’t Reciprocate Love for Country
66 CommentsMcMaster University, a research university in Ontario, Canada, recently partnered with phone manufacturer Nokia to study the listening habits of music fans in their new Digital Music Lab. The massive project is researching around 20 million song downloads to attempt to study how we listen to music. As researchers cull through the crush of data, they have been releasing certain findings…
Kinky Friedman to Release New Album “The Loneliest Man I Ever Met” – First in 40 Years
13 CommentsA Jewish-American, Kinky was a seminal part of the Austin, TX music scene in the 70’s when Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, and songwriters like Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and Ray Wylie Hubbard helped revolutionize country music with their independent spirit and progressive approach. Kinky was one of the hucksters of the movement.
Stoney LaRue Officially Charged with Domestic Abuse
12 CommentsRed Dirt country artist Stoney LaRue has officially been charged with domestic abuse stemming from a July 20th incident where he allegedly pushed his live-in girlfriend Amanda Winsworth down a flight of stairs. The domestic assault and battery charge Stoney faces is a misdemeanor in Oklahoma.
Jason James Brings The Voices of the Old Greats Back Alive in Debut Album
33 CommentsJason James isn’t afraid to to pen a song in a traditional style and then challenge himself to sing it with the same heart and passion as one of the old greats. Nobody will ever replace George Jones or ‘Ol Hank, but that doesn’t mean others can’t try to reach for that same level of excellence, and pay forward the traditions of country to a new era of listeners who still find value in the classic modes.
Song Review – Carrie Underwood’s “Smoke Break”
92 CommentsA fairly raucous, country rock song with a sound wide enough to fill an arena, it reveals a different side of Carrie compared to what we’ve heard more recently. The single is an ode to the hard working closet smoker and drinker who despite claiming to avoid bad habits, admits to partaking in a bit of vice every once in a while to take the edge off of a dreary existence.
5 Simple Solutions to Help Save Country Music
84 CommentsWe bitch, we moan, we criticize, we celebrate the symbolic little victories that give us hope that a sea change for country music is imminent, or at least slowly taking hold, even though in many respects things only seem to get worse every year. And we look for ways to implement meaningful solutions to the problems plaguing country music so it can once again become a medium of creativity.