Reviews

With George Strait announcing a retirement from the road after his next tour, it's tempting to gush all over his new single 'Give It All We Got Tonight' like a school girl going on about a cute new teacher. A wave of nostalgia threatens objectivity, even though Strait will still be recording after 2014. The first song from his upcoming new album can be summed up in three words...

What's remarkable about Hunter Hayes's three singles -- including his newest, 'Somebody's Heartbreak' -- is the consistency. There is nothing amateur about this country newcomer. All three fly flat along a bar raised high above the reach of many Nashville singers, both young and old.

Chris Young darkens his stamp as country music's most reliable romancer with his new single 'I Can Take It From There.' The uptempo lover is reminiscent of 'Gettin' You Home,' but not quite that sexy.

The very nature of the EP lends itself more to an artist's most faithful supporters than middling fans looking for an entry point into a new style or sound. Jake Owen's 'Endless Summer' EP allows his warm weather party with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw to last a little longer, but like summer love, the four songs will be little more than memories by the first yellow leaves of fall.

Gary Allan tries on optimism with his new single 'Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain),' and surprisingly, it fits. The master of melancholy may be turning over a new leaf with his upcoming album. This song is borderline inspirational.

If Joanna Smith‘s new single ‘We Can’t Be Friends’ was released 30 years ago, we might call it a classic in 2012. Since the singer is relatively new, however (the sexy single ‘Georgia Mud’ barely cracked the chart in 2011 ), we’ll restrain ourselves from over-selling this portrait of caged yearning. Smith is the perfect voice to tell the story.

No one is going to pull out the calendar, but if Thomas Rhett was legally old enough to enjoy a ‘Beer With Jesus’ when he recorded the song, it wasn’t by much. What matters is whether or not the Georgia born singer is polished enough to carry the poignant lyric.

On ‘You Go Your Way,’ Alan Jackson finds himself heartbroken… again. That’s three radio singles in a row that focus on the wrong end of love, but not all with convincing pathos.

On their sophomore album, Gloriana lay down 11 tight, polished and harmonious country songs that collectively fall short of providing an identity for a group working through year four together. The trio feels like the shy kid in class who knows all the answers, but doesn’t want to raise his or her hand.

For Love and Theft, it’s addition by subtraction. The loss of a record label and a band member resulted in a project that is tighter and more accessible than anything on the group’s 2009 debut album. The best songs on ‘Love and Theft‘ are those that tell simple stories and those that rely on simple melodies. That’s most of the album.

Last night saw Monday Night Raw take place in Laredo, Texas, which sits on the border with Mexico. The crowd had some fun chanting some things in Spanish, like Daniel Bryan’s “Yes!” chants, to the joy of pretty much everyone. Myself included.

All hail this week! And why should you hail a week, when hailing is usually reserved for more prestigious things, like kings or gods or Jennifer Lawrence magazine spreads?

It’s a new week, and it’s loaded with awesome things like vampires, robots and self-righteous Aaron Sorkin characters. You have NO REASON to be bored! Read on for a list of five things to “check,” and five things to “chuck” this week, including ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,’ ‘Futurama’ and ‘Comedy Bang ...

Rolling Stone Magazine has recognized the rich musical heritage here in Louisiana during our 200th birthday celebration!

There’s a song on Alan Jackson‘s ‘Thirty Miles West’ album that could be the title-track. Actually, ‘Nothin’ Fancy’ could be the title-track for his entire career. This isn’t the best song on the project — one gets lost in the long, sleepy melody — but it’s a message that speaks to why we love this country legend.

Perhaps this was the song Trace Adkins was recording naked? The big man has become quite a sex symbol for women over a certain age, and his new song ‘Them Lips (On Mine)’ is sure to stir their pots. Adkins avoids lyrical euphemisms, but underscores his steamy message with suggestive guitar licks and his trademark growl.

Every once in awhile, an artist like Miranda Lambert needs to remind the country music community what crazy looks like. All this talk of marriage, babies and puppy dogs could have left some (unwisely) wondering if Nashville’s most explosive firecracker had settled into life as a domestic diva. ‘Fastest Girl in Town’ is Lambert breathing fire again.

If heartbreak was as much fun as the Zac Brown Band‘s new single ‘The Wind,’ then divorce lawyers would be as common as fry cooks at McDonald’s. The first single from the band’s upcoming ‘Uncaged’ album is as close as the country jamband has ever come to recreating their concerts on the radio.

Craig Morgan is winning the battle to be country music’s most agriculturally minded singer, but his latest single may leave farmers hiding behind their tractors. The singer has pushed against the cheese boundary before, but with ‘Corn Star’ he joins Trace Adkins (‘Brown Chicken Brown Cow,’ anybody?) in embracing jokes that make eyes roll so hard that the price of Tylenol goes up.

With the exception of their submission to the ‘Footloose’ soundtrack, Big and Rich have just released their first new single since 2007. Both members of the duo have found some success as solo artists, but ‘That’s Why I Pray’ serves as a reminder of how much Big Kenny Alphin and John Rich need each other.