The WORST “Country” Songs of 2025 So Far
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Though 2025 continues to see the rise in popularity of more country-sounding songs, this parallels a dramatic rise in really really bad straight up pop and hip-hop tracks being inexplicably pushed to the country market.
Consolidation Continues Among Independent Roots Labels
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Consolidation of record labels and music catalogs continues in the independent roots realm with more big moves being made in the last week. Concord Bicycle Music, which has been on a big buying streak lately, has acquired the George Jones label imprint Bandit Records. In another deal, Concord Bicycle has acquired the library of Americana label HighTone Records.
Chris Stapleton and Hank Williams Jr. Announce Co-Headlining Tour
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Folks wondering about the touring capacity of Chris Stapleton after his recent success, and who Stapleton might be paired up with in a possible show lineup, just got their answer. Announced Thursday (1-12), Hank Williams Jr. will be sharing the stage with Chris Stapleton for a select number of tour dates in August of 2016.
Get In on the Ground Floor with Margo Price Now So You Can Call Everyone Bandwagoners Later
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The only thing that sucked about Margo Price’s performance Tuesday night (1-19) on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is that her debut album is not due out until March 25th. It will be a cold, dark two months of toiling in the winter bleakness until traditional country fans will be delivered their reward for patience in the form of ‘Midwest Farmer’s Daughter’ through Jack White’s Third Man Records.
Chris Stapleton’s SNL Appearance Scores 2-Year Ratings High & One High-Profile Endorsement
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Chris Stapleton got another crack at a national audience on Saturday, January 16th when he took the Saturday Night Live stage, but after the NFL matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals ran 45 minutes later than normal, some were worried Stapleton’s opportunity would be scuttled. However according to television ratings, the opposite […]
Song Review – Dierks Bentley’s “Somewhere on a Beach”
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Dierks has been doing this his entire career, and when his new album comes out, it will still be one of the better ones released in mainstream country all year I bet. But for now, he needs a bullet on the radio so he takes a bitter pill, swallows hard, a puts out a dumbass beach song. Eat your heart out Kenny Chesney.
MCA Nashville Replacing Curb Records as the Scourge of Music Row
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Are you waiting for your favorite music artists signed to MCA Nashville to release an album after a prolonged hiatus? Perhaps you heard the first single months or sometimes years ago, but still no record? Well you’re not alone. It looks like the unenviable position of being the most notorious label on Music Row is no longer a slam dunk for Curb Records.
Glenn Frey & The Eagles – The Gateway Drug for Millions of Country Fans
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Love them, hate them, evoke the strong opinions of the Coen Brothers’ fictional character Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski all you want, but Glen Frey and The Eagles turned millions of music fans from all around the world into country music listeners through the evocative power of simple, universal sentiments bathed in twangy tones, however filed off the edges may have been, or however commercially successful the pursuit ultimately was.
Song Review – “My Church” by Maren Morris
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If you’re wondering what the Dave Cobb-influenced mainstream country world might sound like after the success of Chris Stapleton, take a good sniff at “My Church.” The arrangement and grainy production quality could very well be that of Lindi Ortega or Nikki Lane, but this is a major label artist looking to gain the attention of the fickle mainstream country music fan.
Album Review – Randy Rogers Band “Nothing Shines Like Neon”
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Nothing Shines Like Neon has all the liquor, beer, bar scenes, and sultry interactions with lovers you might hear on some mainstream country record, except it tells the story from the opposite perspective—the more realistic perspective. It’s where libations aren’t just flowing to party hearty, but to help douse heartbreak.
Chris Stapleton on Saturday Night Live
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Chris Stapleton took the Saturday Night Live stage on January 16th in front of an All-Star band, furthering the off-the-charts momentum the songwriter has been riding since sweeping the three awards he was nominated for at the 2015 CMA Awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year, and Album of the Year. Since early November, Stapleton has been dominating Billboard’s Country Albums charts.
It’s About More Than Just Dave Cobb Taking Over Nashville’s Studio ‘A’
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Producer Dave Cobb—known for his work with Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, and so many more—has signed on to be the new caretaker of the historic Studio ‘A’ on Music Row starting April 1st. Performer and pianist Ben Folds has been in charge of the space for the last 14 years, including helping to shepherd Studio ‘A’ through a stretch in 2014 where investors wanted to bulldoze it.
Sturgill Simpson to Perform the Theme Song to New HBO Series “Vinyl”
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To bring the music of Vinyl to life, the production team has partnered with Atlantic Records and sister label Warner Bros., and each episode will coincide with a soundtrack release. Though the series won’t only feature music from these labels, the Atlantic/Warner catalog will be the focus. The theme song for the series will be performed by recent Atlantic Records signee Sturgill Simpson.