Eminem — Love The Way You Lie

I have always thought that Eminem is a a really fantastic lyricist. Unfortunately, his words tend to get swallowed up in the controversy, and even more unfortunately, he sometimes plays to that, writing more for shock value then for artistic value. That being said, I am really enjoying his new single with Rihanna. It's about having a relationship with someone who you love, but really probably shouldn't be with.  "I apologize, even though I know it's lies." Seriously, who hasn't had that moment in a relationship where you are just tired of fighting so you'll say whatever the other person wants to hear?  Even from a woman's perspective, the chorus reminds me of a lot of exes I've had.  Of course none of them wanted to "tie me to a bed and watch me burn" (or at least they never told me out loud). But sometimes it feels like they just want to "stand there and... Read More »

Sugarland — Stuck Like Glue

I have to hand it to Sugarland. They are one of the "today's country" acts that I can actually enjoy on a regular basis. Each and every one of the duo's songs are carefully crafted to play in your head repeatedly. Their newest single, "Stuck Like Glue," is no exception. It is an infectious, playful, simple, acoustic country pop song branded with Sugarland's uniqueness. I give Jennifer Nettles a lot of credit for not allowing herself to fall into the over exhausted practice of auto tune. She is one of the few singers that I respect as being a great singer that exudes overwhelming emotion in her voice. From the first line in "Stuck Like Glue," you can hear the giddiness as she proclaims her love for a significant other. Nettles and Kristian Bush's voices are a perfect fit as the chorus progresses. Their harmonizing just blows me away since natural harmonizing is a rare find... Read More »

Randy Houser — I’m All About It

Webster's Dictionary defines "mediocre" as the following: of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance. Sadly, Randy Houser's newest single, "I'm All About It," falls into this category. As the second single off his album, They Call Me Cadillac, it does not showcase the great songwriting talent that he possesses. That may be a pretty harsh statement for me to say, but when I compare his other work to this song, the statement stands on its own. From the moment the song starts to the moment that it ends, it was two minutes and 55 seconds of jumbled confusion that excited me when it ended. Lyrically, the song borders that thin line of too much information. It joins Jake Owens' "Eight Second Ride" as being a song with awful "let's get it on" metaphors. The vocals did not help to redeem the song to any extent. Each line felt like it was over-sung and desperate. The only... Read More »

Darius Rucker — Come Back Song

Drawing up the comparison seems easy, almost trivial at times, pitting Darius Rucker's solo career against the time in which he was the front man for the 1990's smash success Hootie and the Blowfish.  Rucker and the Blowfish feature the same vocals, similar styles, and an appeal to roughly the same audience, but that's about where the, perhaps unfair, comparisons stop. Rucker made his country debut with the smash hit "Don't Think I Don't Think About It", which made Rucker the first solo African-American artist to reach #1 on the country charts since Charlie Pride in the 1980s.  For an artist trying to cross-over into a new genre, he could not have asked for a better start.  Since then, however, it feels like Rucker has taken a turn for the worst.  The follow up singles "Won't Be Like This For Long," "History in the Making," and "Alright" have left much to be desired.  I was hoping... Read More »

Josh Gracin — Cover Girl

"Cover Girl" is the forthcoming first single from American Idol alum (Season 2), Josh Gracin's, also forthcoming untitled third album. Gracin has seen success on radio in the past, but that was mostly after the success he had on American Idol. Since that time, he has struggled to find success with radio and sales. Gracin's success has mostly come from his uptempo singles ("I Want To Live", "Nothin' to Lose") and "Cover Girl" is another one along that line. On the one hand, Gracin's vocals have never sounded better. The audience of the song (girls) will definitely love the message of the song. What girl doesn't want to be told that their guy thinks of them as his very own cover girl? On the other hand, I'm having a hard time picturing this song doing well on the charts. It's fun, it's easy to sing along to, but I feel like it... Read More »

Randy Rogers Band — Too Late For Goodbye

I do have to give Randy Rogers Band some credit. They are consistently trying to break into the Top 20 mainstream. The down side to this,  "Too Late For Goodbye" will not be the song to do that. While the song is catchy, it may not catch on enough to the country audience that has steered more towards the "pop country" that you hear today, as much as that saddens me to say. The production on this track is superb, and with lyrics like,  "After all the hell you’ve put me through/ When you start crying I didn't feel bad for you/In fact it kind of made me smile to see all those tears/It’s the least that you could do for me my dear," how could anyone not easily relate to that? To me, the only weak spot on the track would be the vocals. Randy's vocals seem off balance to the music that is being played. There is... Read More »

Robyn — Dancing On My Own

Robyn may be dancing on her own, but she’s giving everyone something to dance about, too, with her newest single, “Dancing On My Own.”  Robyn is back doing what she does best: electronic dance music with an edge.  The lead single from her album Body Talk PT 1 kicks off with a driving, relentless beat, mimicking the omnipresent thump-thump of a dance club.  Although her lyrics begin like the typical take-no-prisoner Robyn song, the chorus quickly changes the tone to one of loneliness and desperation.  The beat grows stronger and denser, building to a contrasting, nearly a cappella bridge in which she proclaims, “But you don’t see me standing here / I just came to say goodbye.” Robyn mixes a strong, repetitive dance beat with heartbroken lyrics to make us feel just as conflicted as she does when she says “so far away, but still so near.”  Though it may come off as a generic dance... Read More »

Michelle Branch & Timbaland — Getaway

If Timbaland was an acronym, it would stand for Tearing Into Musical Bodies And Leaving Art Nearly Dead. As an adult contemporary or country track, “Getaway” has promise, but Timbaland’s poison fingers infect what could have been more. The truth is that this track is more of a commercial than a song.  The car Branch drives in “Getaway” is the new Mini Countryman, and its presence in the video is more than just product placement.  Mini (parent company is BMW) got Branch and Timbaland together specifically to make a song for this vehicle. Michelle Branch’s lyrics are mediocre but quite pretty as usual.  Her painfully obvious tendency to make a weather and/or water reference in every song has grown from crutch to trademark.  It’s kind of like a Where’s Waldo thing at this point. In “Getaway,” the reference is such, “Sleepless nights cuz the city lights/Makes the moon so hard to see/Take a ride to the other side /Give... Read More »

Cha-Cha — The Fellowship

Any song that includes synth teeters on the line of the cool and tragically kitsch. That being said, electronic and indie rock in the last five years (who says we're not in a great time for new music?) has proven it can work in the artists' favour as well. Case in point: the intro and underlying riff of "The Fellowship" is supremely funky to the point of inciting manic indie boy dancing on your bedroom floor. Oh yes. I would, with a massively sweeping statement, say this song is a must if you're a fan of skinny jeans/oversized hipster spectacles/music like the Arctic Monkeys or Razorlight. For others, it should be taken with a pinch of salt. I can see where Cha-Cha were trying to go with the song, as as much as I wanted to love this song, I never felt like it hit the potential of the first 30 seconds. Until the rather more... Read More »

Billy Currington — Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer

Billy Currington's single choices are definitely hit or miss as far as I am concerned.  Some of this best singles "Must Be Doin' Something Right," "Don't," and "That's How Country Boys Roll" have all managed to land in the Country Singles top 5 but none of them really struck me as great songs.  Other singles such as "Walk a Little Straighter" and "I Got a Feeling", while still top 10 hits, charted slightly lower but were songs I definitely felt more of a connection to.  Billy's latest single "Pretty Good at Drinking Beer" is still climbing the charts but I have a feeling (pun intended) that it will be a song that I love to listen to. His latest single, "Pretty Good at Drinking Beer" is a song about a man who recounts all the things in life that other men are typically good at or find themselves doing but he just cannot bring himself to... Read More »

Easton Corbin — Roll With It

I can almost guarantee that I will not be the last person to compare Easton Corbin to an early George Strait. "Roll With It" sealed that deal for me. The follow up single to "A Little More Country Than That" has the high probability of being country music's song of the summer. "Roll With It" also proves that Easton is not falling into the dreaded one hit wonder category and is the real deal. Each verse of the song creatively suggests ways to grab your significant other and take the time to just get away.  Whether it is with an "old guitar and some fishing poles" or going to "where the white sandy beach meets water like glass", you can't help but create that spontaneous spark inside you. I highly recommend this song if you are ever in the "ordinary everyday rut" and need a nice little pick-me-up. It is a breath of fresh air in a business that seems... Read More »

Miranda Lambert — The House That Built Me

It's not often a song makes you tear up when you listen to it. It's even more rare that a song makes you tear up every time or nearly every time you listen to it. The House That Built Me is one of those songs for me. Although not written by Miranda herself (writers are Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin), she does an excellent job or portraying the requisite emotion and vulnerability to make the song believable as she sings it. House tells the story of someone visiting the house they grew up in with hopes that just being there again and looking around will somehow heal the "brokenness inside." The narrator confesses, "You leave home and you move on and you do the best you can / I got lost in this old world and forgot who I am." Miranda delivers vocals that are full of tenderness and passion that result... Read More »

Melissa Etheridge — Fearless Love

In her 22 years as a professional musician, Melissa Etheridge  has garnered an impressive career including over 27 million record sales, 2 Grammys and an Oscar. These achievements would be noteworthy by themselves, but Etheridge is probably best known for her courage: she famously came out as a lesbian in 1993 and publically dealt with a cancer scare in late 2004 onward. If there's one thing that can be said about Melissa Etheridge, it can be that she is a confident, brave woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind. This attribute of Etheridge shines through "Fearless Love" like a raspy confessional ray of rock sunshine. Even moreso if you see her perform it live with the benefit of seeing her face.  You are made very aware that this is a deeply personal song. The closing line, and recurring theme, "I won't settle for anything less" sums up the song and, in a way, Etheridge's career.... Read More »

Josh Turner — All Over Me

Often, Josh Turner may be unfairly compared to the late Johnny Cash because of his deep baritone voice - but Johnny Cash he is not.  This is not a knock on Josh, because honestly, who really is as good as Johnny Cash?  One thing Josh has been great at doing however, just like Johnny, is finding a way to make that strong voice sing an up-tempo, fun song that just makes you want to tap your foot.   Like its predecessors "Firecracker" and "Why Don't We Just Dance," "All Over Me" continues this trend. Lyrically, the song is not the strongest and generally, that all but guarantees I will not enjoy it, but somehow Josh continues to draw me in when normally I would be opposed.  "All Over Me" is upbeat, fun, catchy and a great choice for a single...if it hadn't been following "Why Don't We Just... Read More »

Rihanna — Rude Boy

Rihanna's "Rude Boy" is on fire.  Just a week and a half after Rihanna's "Rude Boy" video leaked onto the internet, the single off of her latest album, Rated R, is already #23 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #6 on the UK's Singles chart with its upbeat percussion and synth pop vibes.  Even the racy lyrics, which range from the blunt double entendres of "tonight I'mma let you be a rider, giddy up, giddy up, giddy up" to the more onomatopoetic phrases like "I wa-wa-want what you wa-wa-want, give it to me baby like boom boom boom," breathe new life into the R&B world.  The 'rude boy' theme pulls directly from the Jamaican-inspired street culture that has paved a path for a subculture of music and fashion that emphasizes the Rastafarian movement's ever-popular reggaeton rhythms rocking dancehalls and clubs from Jamaica to Great Britain.  Will Rihanna make the States pick up the 'rude boy' trend that... Read More »