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Album Review: Hellbound Glory – Old Highs and New Lows

May 4, 2010 by 6 Comments
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What's the deal with the young guys sounding like old guys? And it's not just the voice. Sure, Hellbound Glory frontman Leroy Virgil sings like Ryan Bingham with a Hank Jr. fixation, but he also writes (11 of 12 tracks on this, the Reno band's sophomore outing) like a man who cut his teeth on the best of Johnny Paycheck and Waylon Jennings. Old Highs & New Lows, the follow-up to 2008's Scumbag Country, is a drug-addled party of a record that succeeds by marrying boozy roadhouse charm with an … [Read more...]

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Succinct Album Reviews: Lonestar, Party Heard Around the World

April 27, 2010 by 2 Comments
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Upon hearing the new Lonestar album, Fake Jamey Johnson became inarticulate with anger. (I think he may still harbor some ill feelings about being passed up as Richie's replacement.) … [Read more...]

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Album Review: Laura Bell Bundy – Achin’ (No Shakin’)

April 13, 2010 by 8 Comments
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It's true that she's a Tony-nominated Broadway star gone country (and another blonde twentysomething, to boot), but don't count Laura Bell Bundy out just yet. The singer has just released an exceptionally strong country EP in Achin', a surprisingly hushed, down-and-out country soul collection, such as a major labels seldom produce. Bundy earns every bit of the 'country Norah Jones' description she's been selling on sultry opener "Drop On By," but that's actually among the less country songs … [Read more...]

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Album Review: Johnny Gimble – Celebrating With Friends

March 31, 2010 by 4 Comments
gimble cover

Good western swing music never gets old, but the 1999 stroke of fiddle master Johnny Gimble was a scary reminder that its legends do. Thankfully, Gimble survived, and is still in form most musicians can only aspire to on the recent CMH Records release Johnny Gimble: Celebrating With Friends, a star-studded 80th birthday celebration delayed a few years by permissions issues. (Gimble will turn 84 in May.) The delay means that the album's release coincides with another anniversary – 2010 marks … [Read more...]

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Succinct Album Reviews: Gary Allan, Get Off On the Pain

March 9, 2010 by 5 Comments
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Here's my succinct review of Gary Allan's new one, out today. For a lengthier - and perhaps slightly more informative - treatment, check out the review I wrote for The 9513 a couple weeks ago. … [Read more...]

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Succinct Album Reviews: Easton Corbin, Self-Titled

March 2, 2010 by 2 Comments
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Sometimes, I'm just not feeling very loquacious... so I'll do these. … [Read more...]

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Album Review: Haywire – Josh TurnerJ

February 9, 2010 by 9 Comments
turner haywire

Josh Turner could sing the phone book and make it sound appealing. Here, he almost does: Haywire is a repetitive disappointment of an album, a collection of individually likable (or at least tolerable) songs and performances that are less than the sum of their parts when listened to in succession. Love songs are the order of the day. There are slow ones and fast ones, but few distinctive enough to overcome the considerable disadvantage of being surrounded by so many other love songs. Contrast … [Read more...]

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