Album Review – Juliet McConkey’s “Southern Front”
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It’s a thing of beauty how the gentle but powerful musings of Juliet McConkey overwhelm your emotional faculties in disarming waves, awakening feelings often left dormant in the passing of everyday life.
Teea Goans Won’t Let Anything “Swing, Shuffle, or Sway” Her Away from Her Country Roots
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The sincere love of authentic country music is something that a genuine country artist cannot be swayed from. It’s a bond, almost like an oath or affirmation, that becomes affixed to the soul, and grounded so deeply with penetrating roots, it is impossible to snap or even strain them, regardless of the allure.
Album Review – Urban Pioneers in “Hillbilly Swing Music”
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The new Urban Pioneers album ‘Hillbilly Swing Music’ is true to the title, filled with fun ditties and infectious reels that reawaken the simple joy of primitive American string music in a way that is invigorating and fun, yet still enriching with intelligent turns and deceptively-smart songwriting.
Unpacking From the Release of Justin Timberlake’s New Single “Filthy”
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Yeah, everybody just chill the hell out for just a second. This is only one song from a release that could have a dozen or more tracks. And Justin Timberlake is a pop star, so of course he’s going to release the most pop-sounding, commercially-viable song from the record first.
Inaugural Mile 0 Fest Will Tap Into Key West’s Often-Overlooked Songwriting Legacy
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When you think of music towns and songwriting havens, your head naturally gravitates toward Nashville and Austin, Bakersfield and L.A. and such. You rarely think of Key West in Florida as a musical destination for songwriting or anything else musical, unless you have a Parrothead sticker on the back of your SUV.
UPDATED: Authentic Roy Acuff Fiddle Surfaces at Kansas City Goodwill
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A authentic fiddle owned by country music legend Roy Acuff is up for auction at a Kansas City Goodwill after being anonymously donated to a local store. The fiddle was handmade by Roy Acuff’s uncle Evart Acuff who made many of Roy’s fiddles, and who numbered each one. This particular fiddle was constructed in Maryville, TN.
Song Review – Brothers Osborne’s “Shoot Me Straight”
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Quietly, the Brothers Osborne have deposed the terrible Florida Georgia Line as the biggest duo in country music, at least when it comes to peer recognition and appreciation by the industry. Florida Georgia Line is still a juggernaut in radio play mind you, but that appears to be slipping from their grasp too.
Kentucky Is Fueling the Country Music Insurgency
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Kentucky has always been the fertile crescent of country music. It just happens to be that lately it has kicked its output into overdrive, and more than any other state at the moment, it’s Kentucky’s sons and daughters fueling the country music insurgency turning the mainstream on its head.
KPUR to Become First 100,000-watt Station for Independent Texas Red Dirt Country Music
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The expansionism in the Texas Music scene continues, and it has just acquired its first ever 100,000-watt signal. “The Armadillo” out of Amarillo, Texas will be switching signals on Monday, January 15th from its current home of 107.1 to its new home of 95.7, which will boost the station’s signal from 5,000-watts.
Justin Timberlake Drops First Hints of Earthy, Memphis-Inspired Album ‘Man of the Woods’
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After over two years of rumor and anticipation, Justin Timberlake has finally dropped the first solid information about his upcoming new album, along with substantial hints at the sonic direction it might take. One thing we know for sure now, Memphis will factor in heavily to the new music according to a minute-long teaser.
Saving Country Music’s 2017 Artist of the Year
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One of the most erroneous arguments made in music is that traditionally-inspired country cannot be relevant to the modern ear—that it’s a mode stuck in nostalgia, with a by-gone influence not receptive by the young and hip of today.
Regardless of Injury or Image, Country Music Needs Carrie Underwood Right Now
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Country music needs Carrie Underwood right now. I don’t know that I would ever have fathomed typing those words a few years ago. But over the years, Carrie Underwood has gone from defining the edge of pop in country, to being one of the final remaining bright spots of talent in the mainstream.
Facts, Rumors & The Most Anticipated Albums for 2018
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Will 2018 be yet another banner year for independent country releases like 2017 was? We’ll have to see, but what we do know is what to expect in the release department for at least the first quarter of the year, while rumors abound about other projects that could come to light later in the year. Here’s a detailed run down.