Bad Girl Phase-Sunny Sweeny (Thirty Tigers)

Sad that Sunny didn’t pop off a really big one when she was with Big Machine or Republic. “From A Table Away” did get to the Top 10, of course. This is the kind of song Miranda made her mark with. Something about them East Texas girls, they don’t take nothin’ they don’t feel like … Read more

Bad Girl Phase-Sunny Sweeny (Thirty Tigers)

Sad that Sunny didn’t pop off a really big one when she was with Big Machine or Republic. “From A Table Away” did get to the Top 10, of course. This is the kind of song Miranda made her mark with. Something about them East Texas girls, they don’t take nothin’ they don’t feel like … Read more

Yeah-Joe Nichols (Red Bow)

An innocuous song with a mild hook. There’s nothing about it that’s a turn-off, but nothing to get the blood pumpin’ either. There are two much better songs on the album.

Drink To That All Night Long-Jerrod Niemann (Arista)

To me, the auto-tune is super-cool when it’s used right. And using it right has always been in the Pop venue. HipHop, too, of course, but I don’t listen to that stuff. Ever. Using it in Country continues to be a point of derision. But culture cross-breeds and the little computer thingie keeps trying to … Read more

note to artist managers:

see the cover foto on the LoCash Cowboys single. a white guy wearing a baseball cap sideways looks fake on two levels. one, it’s a black thing. they look stupid wearing a cap like that and white guys look twice as stupid doing it. two, Country fans totally, absolutely, completely reject such imagery. good luck … Read more

Outta My Head-Craig Campbell (Bigger Picture)

This song was released last September. I don’t remember now if I reviewed it. May have, and if it keeps chuggin’, I’ll check when I get back to Texas to see what I might have said. Now I see it’s popped up on the airplay charts, moved up three slots to #33 last week. Don’t … Read more

Parking Lot Party-Lee Brice (Curb)

In little bitty towns (like the one I happen to be in as I write this), this is what they do. So, Lee’s got something real-life to sing about here. But then, there ain’t a lot of people in such places, so not much built-in audience prospect from that angle. And, more importantly, it would … Read more