Album Review – Slaid Cleaves – “Together Through The Dark”
16 Comments‘Together Through The Dark’ is a tempered and thoughtful mid/late career effort by Cleaves that compliments his tranquil voice and calming disposition … until it isn’t, and the passion for imperative topics comes boiling up…
Kenny Chesney’s “The Big Revival” is a Big Letdown
79 CommentsAll we’ve been hearing from Kenny Chesney in the run up to the release of his new album The Big Revival is how badass it is going to be because he took an entire year off of touring to focus on it, at one point scrapped an entirely completed album awash in beer and tailgate songs to make it, and did some serious soul searching about the direction he wanted to take.
Video Surfaces of Woman Slapped By Tim McGraw Telling Her Side
32 CommentsOn July 13th, Tim McGraw slapped a woman named Jesslyn Taylor in the crowd at the at Aaron’s Ampitheatre in Atlanta while numerous cameras captured the incident on tape. A new report from Radar Online posted Tuesday shows Jesslyn Taylor recorded on camera for the first time speaking out about the incident, and saying that McGraw still owes her an apology.
The Whiskey Shivers Shine in New Self-Titled LP
4 CommentsTrust me when I say if you go ambling through American college towns, you won’t find anything resembling a dearth of string bands with a bunch of young men and their banjos and fiddles stomping and shouting on stage. What you will find a dearth of are these bands that are actually worth listening to, at least outside of the context of a drunken college town barroom.
Tyler Farr Would Like To Smack Jody Rosen Upside The Head
64 CommentsHypothetically he does, or at least metaphorically. But depending on Tyler Farr’s proficiency at internet research (which I’m guessing is pretty sub-par) and his proximity to the Big Apple where New Yorker culture writer Jody Rosen—who coined the term “Bro-Country”—makes his bed, Farr will probably just have to settle for sending verbal daggers out towards Rosen in The Arizona Republic.
Album Review – Lee Ann Womack’s “The Way I’m Livin'”
37 CommentsThis isn’t just your average album release, or even your average album release from Lee Ann Womack. This one has a little more special meaning for Womack since it is her first release without a major label, and a release that helps rate of progress for both women and traditional country artists looking to revitalize their place to a wider audience.
R.I.P. “Bro-Country” (2011-2014)
110 CommentsOn Monday, September 22nd, the subset of American country music known to many by its nickname “Bro-Country,” died at its home in Nashville, TN. Though the specific cause of death has yet to be ruled on by the local medical examiner, preliminary findings appear to show that Bro-Country had been exhaustively over-utilized over the last few months and years until it finally passed away from overexposure.
Strait’s “Cowboy Rides Away” Album Butchered By Auto-Tune
64 CommentsNobody could have anticipated that a George Strait album would be the vehicle for the most excessive, and most blatantly obvious use of the pitch correction software known as Auto-Tune that I have ever, ever heard in the history of recorded music, barring projects purposefully using Auto-Tune as a special effect. The use of Auto-Tune on The Cowboy Rides Away is egregious.
Album Review – Tim McGraw’s “Sundown Heaven Town”
24 CommentsI write these words knowing that many will roll up to this Tim McGraw dissertation looking for a bowl of blood as recompense for the emotional direst recent Tim McGraw singles such as “Truck Yeah” have waged on the mental state of many innocent country music fans. But the simple truth is Tim McGraw’s new album ‘Sundown Heaven Town’ deserves to be spared the most sinister strokes from the poison pen.
“Country Roads” Documentary Features Justin Townes Earle
9 CommentsActing as a guide through both the explanation of the roots of country music and the streets of Nashville, Justin Townes Earle and many others try best to define “country” for a foreign audience in the film. The Country Roads DVD also includes an entire Justin Townes Earle concert performed at Pace University on October 26th and 27th of 2012 called “The Spirit of Woody Guthrie.”
Hank3 & The Damn Band LIVE (A Photo Journal)
7 CommentsOn Wednesday September 17th, Hank3 stopped at the Outland Ballroom in Springfield, MO for the start of his current West Coast tour. Hank3 played three separate sets of music for the packed house representing the three facets of the 3rd generation performer: Country, Hellbilly, and Metal. Photo journalist Robert Kipness of Black Bird Creative was there to capture the event.
Why Lists and “Exclusive” Content are Killing Music Journalism
40 CommentsJack White’s criticisms of Rolling Stone, The Foo Fighters, and The Black Keys would probably be taken with a little more weight if they didn’t feel like they were so rooted in spite. But Jack raises a very important topic in how music journalism has evolved over the last few years, especially as print magazines have been forced to move into a more robust online presence.
Randy Travis Health Update: First Video of Star Since Stroke
17 CommentsEver since Randy Travis suffered a severe heart malady and subsequent stroke on July 7th of 2013, fans have been concerned about the condition of the country star, with little to no true information about his health condition or status. Now we get to see the first video of Randy, who is seen walking with the aid of a cane and looking good as he attended an annual fundraising function in in Denison, TX.