98 COUNTRY » Reviews

Keith Urban, 'Little Bit of Everything' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:00:18 +0000

Perhaps it should be no surprise that after five months spent judging 'American Idol,' Keith Urban has delivered his most pop-friendly single to date in 'Little Bit of Everything.' The talented singer and guitarist uses tricks in production that a less established singer would be skewered for. The result is a delightful summer jam that's short on nutritional content.

Review – Lady Antebellum 'Golden' [VIDEO]

Katie Kartak — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:11:40 +0000

Fans of Lady Antebellum have been anticipating the release of ‘Golden’ for months. We had been hearing for weeks how the trio stepped out of their comfort zone to make this album. We got our first taste of what to expect when they released ‘Downtown.’ The song is catchy, upbeat and very different than anything [...]

Lady Antebellum, 'Goodbye Town' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:00:19 +0000

Charles Kelley's desperation turns to anger by the end of 'Goodbye Town,' the second single from Lady Antebellum's new 'Golden' album. The song finds the trio working their bread and butter: heartbreak and a yearning for love lost. Sonically, this song forges ahead with fresh production, but it's not quite as exciting as the lead single, 'Downtown.'

Vote to Determine the Top 10 Videos of the Week in Taste of Country's Countdown

Billy Dukes — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:30:49 +0000

Can anyone stop Carrie Underwood? 'Two Black Cadillacs' has built a house on top of the ToC Top 10 Video Countdown, but there are more than a few big bad wolves looking to blow it down. New videos from Florida Georgia Line and Taylor Swift enter the voting poll this week, in addition to returning Top-10ers from Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and Toby Keith.

Scotty McCreery, 'See You Tonight' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:30:28 +0000

Scotty McCreery makes his songwriting debut on 'See You Tonight,' a mid-tempo love song that finds the 19-year-old not settling for a phone call or some distant "I love you" from the girl who holds his heart. It's the start of a new chapter for McCreery -- one that's much more important than his last.

Hunter Hayes, 'I Want Crazy' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:00:52 +0000

In his new song 'I Want Crazy.' Hunter Hayes doesn't soar like Ronnie Dunn or croon like Chris Young. His vocal performance is an exercise in diction -- and memory. Simply put, he packs a ton of words into a tight space without straining or slurring one idea into another. It's not easy.

Best Travel Products

Jen Jacobs — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:36:14 +0000

Whether by car or by plane, here are some of the best travel products. Get Some Zzzzs Feeling sleepy? Don’t pay $8 for a pillow and threadbare blanket on your flight. Check out the TravelRest Pillow. It’s $25.95 but it’s worth every penny. You sling it over your shoulder and attach it to your seatbelt. [...]

Blake Shelton New Song

Billy Dukes — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:45:44 +0000

There is comedy in Blake Shelton singing with Pistol Annies, as he does on his new single 'Boys 'Round Here.' One imagines a country Hugh Hefner surrounded by his beauties.

In real life, the Annies likely (very likely) don't attend to his every need and agree with him at all costs, but they do on this song, and it's absolutely charming.

Wynonna, 'Something You Can't Live Without' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:00:23 +0000

It takes a few listens to absorb the new sound Wynonna reveals on her new single 'Something You Can't Live Without.' The singer and 'Dancing With the Stars' competitor hasn't had a hit song in a decade, but comparing this to music from the 'What the World Needs Now Is Love' album would be like comparing Kelly Clarkson now to her 2003 self, but flip-flopped.

Casey James, 'The Good Life' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:00:22 +0000

Casey James‘ third single from his self-titled debut album is a pleasing three minutes and five seconds, but the toe-tapper is easy to forget. ‘The Good Life’ lacks the emotional hook that the best carefree country expressions posses. The song is sort of like licking the frosting from a cupcake. Sure it’s tasty, but the [...]

Shooter Jennings, 'The Other Life' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:00:23 +0000

Fans of early albums from Shooter Jennings will appreciate the singer's return to center on 'The Other Life,' his sixth studio album, available for purchase as of March 12. Still far from mainstream, the collection of songs isn't quite as experimental as projects that followed 'Put the "O" Back in Country.'

Ashley Monroe, 'Like a Rose' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:00:19 +0000

No one does anguish quite like Ashley Monroe. On her new album, 'Like a Rose,' the singer redefines bittersweet for a country music audience that is still very much learning her name. Her sorrow comes sprinkled with just a teaspoon of sugar when she's at her best. One finds hope in the face of tragedy and bad circumstance, which is at times inspiring.

Justin Moore, 'Point at You' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:30:59 +0000

Justin Moore's lead single from his third studio album is a familiar combination of all of his best songs. It's the well-meaning bad boy in 'How I Got to Be This Way' meeting the soft and sensitive lover in ''Til My Last Day.' Fans familiar with Moore's previous two studio albums can find a few more tracks 'Point at You' resembles.

The Band Perry, 'Done' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:30:57 +0000

Not since their debut effort has the Band Perry released a song as fun as 'Done,' the second single from the trio's upcoming sophomore album 'Pioneer.' It's a track that makes the hair on your arms stand straight up as you pound along to the beat.

Tim McGraw (Feat. Taylor Swift and Keith Urban), 'Highway Don't Care' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:16:50 +0000

While Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift's vocals on 'Highway Don't Care' would be enough to make the song a hit and one of the best of 2013, it's Keith Urban's guitar that makes the track one of the best collaborations of the decade -- maybe even ever. Each artist brings his or her best effort to the song from McGraw's 'Two Lanes of Freedom' album. It's a sterling example of what can happen when artists are left to be artists, without the handcuffs of music business politics.

Brad Paisley, 'Beat This Summer' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:24:33 +0000

Brad Paisley wasn't joking when he said he was working to push himself places never gone before on his upcoming album, 'Wheelhouse.' The second single, 'Beat This Summer,' is a double-take sort of record in that after it begins, you do a double-take toward your stereo or computer to try to make sense of what's going on.

Jason Aldean, '1994′ – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:46:31 +0000

Jason Aldean's nostalgic trip to a time of mullets and loud, heavily-starched cowboy shirts is a fun novelty on the 'Night Train' album. But if '1994' had a cinematic equivalent from that same year, it'd be 'It's Pat.' Like the movie, the song is cute the first time, and maybe fun when it's late and you're drunk, but after that ...

Gary Allan, 'Pieces' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:00:09 +0000

If Gary Allan‘s chart-topper ‘Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)’ was optimistic, his follow-up single ‘Pieces’ is downright plucky. The uptempo country-rocker may be the most contented single he’s ever released. It’s also his most predictable single. Allan has always lived on an edge and slowly built a very large, loyal fanbase with songs of [...]

Greg Bates, 'Fill in the Blank' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 23:30:25 +0000

Greg Bates flashes a mischievous sense of humor in his new single 'Fill in the Blank.' The 'Did It for the Girl' hitmaker is proving to be from the George Strait school of music, but he must have taken a Master Class on Tracy Byrd somewhere along the way.

Gary Allan, 'Set You Free' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 22:00:25 +0000

Gary Allan delivers the emotionally rich album his fans expect while stretching his sound in multiple new directions on 'Set You Free,' the singer's ninth studio album and first in three years. The songwriting is strong from the first track to the last, with Allan mixing moments of joy and hope within his familiar anguish.