It’s the Day of the Duos.

The three best country singles this week all come from teams—Florida Georgia Line, Maddie & Tae and Big & Rich, the last with an assist from Tim McGraw.

I had a dickens of a time picking between them. Sound-wise, I tilt toward the Big & Rich collaboration. Song-wise, Maddie & Tae definitely have the edge. Call it a draw for the Disc of the Day honor.

There’s no uncertainty about our DisCovery Award winner. LANco earns that prize easily.

BIG & RICH FT. TIM MCGRAW/Lovin’ Lately
Writers: Big Kenny/John Rich/Tim McGraw; Producer: Big & Rich; Publishers: Big Love/Songs of Kobalt/J Money/Kobalt Songs/Stylesonic, BMI/ASCAP; B$R (track)
– Sensual and melodic, this sways in a gentle breeze of a production. The harmony vocals mirror one another beautifully. Superb in every way.

C.J. SOLAR/Hard One To Turn Down
Writers: none listed; Producers: Brent Anderson/C.J. Solar; Publisher: Sea Gayle; Sea Gayle (track)
– He’s a strong singer, with excellent country phrasing. The heartbreak song is solid, too, with a meaty, memorable chorus. Keep an eye on this guy.

MADDIE & TAE/Sierra
Writers: Maddie Marlow/Taylor Dye/Aaron Scherz; Producer: Dann Huff; Publishers: Super Big/Big Machine, ASCAP/BMI; Dot
– The fourth single from this team’s debut CD is its cleverest song yet. Maddie & Tae saucily call out a cold-hearted bitch named Sierra while a burbling, bopping track bounces behind them. Irresistible.

KENT ROSE/All That American Night
Writers: Kent Rose; Producer: Chris Casello; Publishers: Memory Train, BMI; Memory Train
– Chicagoan Kent calls himself, “The Voice That Remembers” to call attention to his throwback style. This peppy, catchy, tuneful track has a hint of rockabilly in its grooves, and there’s a touch of Roy Orbison and/or Buddy Holly in his throaty singing.

MIKE SMITH/Little Bit of Us
Writers: Mike Smith/Bobby Ross Avila/Issiah Avila/Frank David Stallworth; Producer: The Avila Brothers; Publishers: Smithouse/Defenders of Music/Universal/Sublime Basement Tunez/Franky Fade, ASCAP/BMI; 22
– Extremely pop, right down to the Doobie-esque guitar riffs. Pass.

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/H.O.L.Y.
Writers: busbee/Nate Cyphert/William Wiik Larsen; Producer: Joey Moi; Publishers: BMG Platinum/Pulse Ventures/BBRCOFFEE/IDAP/BMG Rights Management,BMI/ASCAP; Big Machine
– Well sung and nicely produced. The power ballad’s lyric stirs in religious words to illustrate how deeply in love he is.

MAIDEN DIXIE/The Whiskey’ll Miss Me
Writers: Channing Himes/Jonathan Krentz/Graham Becker; Producer: Makoa Johnson/Maiden Dixie; Publishers: none listed; Navigator (track)
– Whichever one of you is singing harmony, you’re off pitch. Also, the arrangement drags.

CRAIG MORGAN/I’ll Be Home Soon
Writers: Justin Ebach/Steven Dale Jones/John King; Producers: Craig Morgan/Byron Gallimore; Publishers: Wordspring Music/ Word Music/ Son Of Austin Songs/Songs of Black River/ Songs of Razor and Tie; ASCAP/SESAC; Black River (track)
– This is one of the finest male singers this format has. He soars magnificently in the chesty choruses of this mighty tune. The finale is thrillingly soulful.

LANco/Long Live Tonight
Writers: Brandon Lancaster/Jason Reeves; Producer: Jay Joyce; Publishers: Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Concession 114 Music/Neon Cross Music/WB Music Corp./Sonic Graffiti, BMI/ASCAP; Arista (track)
– LANco is a five-member ensemble that stages its debut single with a punchy backbeat and exciting harmony vocals. The tempo is pulse pounding and the lead singer has loads of heart. A winner.

THE CADILLAC THREE/Drunk Like You
Writers: Jaren Johnston/Neil Mason/Jesse Frasure; Producer: Dann Huff; Publishers: Sony-ATV/Texa Rae/Nettwerk One B/Revelry/Nevada House/Rio Bravo/Telemitry, ASCAP/BMI; Big Machine
– If her love gets him so high, how come this sounds like such a downer?

We have a variety-pack of country styles today.

Keith Urban rocks. The Rifters are folky. Chris Janson has a country love ballad. Michael Martin Murphey has a cowboy song. Bonnie Bishop brings blue-eyed soul. Ray Scott portrays a smoldering outlaw. Tom Huddleston tries to channel The Hillbilly Shakespeare with an old-school sound.

Our contenders for Disc of the Day are Urban, Janson, Scott and our winners, Love and Theft.

The DisCovery Award goes to The Rifters. This New Mexico acoustic trio describes its sound as “blue-gramma-grass,” but it sounds like gently strummed contemporary country-folk to me.

THE RIFTERS/The Architecture of a Fire
Writers: D. Richmond/C. Pyle; Producer: The Rifters, Don Richmond; Publisher: none listed; Howlin’ Dog (track)
– The title tune of this trio’s current CD is a languid, hushed folk ode characterized by soft acoustic guitar/fiddle/steel/mandolin accompaniment and gentle vocal harmonies. It’s quite entrancing. Stay tuned for the even more hooky following track, “A Hundred Miles.”

EASTON CORBIN/Are You With Me
Writers: Tommy Lee James/Terry McBride/Shane McAnally; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Publishers: Pretty Woman/Super Phonic/BMG Chyrsalis/Orbison/Turn Me On/Crazy Water/Little Blue Egg/Kobalt, BMI/ASCAP; Mercury (CDX)
-He dreams of freedom and days of joy. And he wants to know if she’s game to come along. This mid tempo outing has a juicy melody and a beefy production. Corbin’s vocal pleads, but lacks fire and desire.

KEITH URBAN/Wasted Time
Writers: Greg Wells/J. Hart/Keith Urban; Producers: Greg Wells/Keith Urban; Publishers: Firehouse Cat/BMG Gold/360/Ray Daniels/Jayded Ink/Songs of Universal/Mary Rose, ASCAP/SESAC/BMI; Capitol (CDX)
– Electronic throbbing and rocking percussion underscore Keith’s soaring tenor vocal performance. The best days of his life, he says, are summer wasted time. I get it. Sing on.

LOVE AND THEFT/Whiskey On My Breath
Writers: Stephen Barker-Liles/Adam Craig/Russell Dickerson/Mark McGuinn/Tyler Reeve/Trent Tomlinson; Producers: Josh Leo/Love and Theft; Publishers: Hate and Purchase/EMI April/Rockapop/Sony-ATV Tree/Internal Combustion/Atlas/Warner-Tamerlane/Kirbfinder’s Mucho Love/Brown Hound/Big Spaces/BootHeel/Big Mosquito/Amplified, ASCAP/BMI; Curb (CDX)
-Fabulous, stacked vocal harmonies. The stately ballad faces all the sins he’s committed. He knows he’s going to heaven anyway, but he needs to pull himself together because he doesn’t want to meet Jesus with whiskey on his breath. A terrific song, and an equally terrific performance. By all means, play this.

RAY SCOTT/High Road
Writer: Ray Scott; Producer: Dave Brainard; Publishers: Cherry Heart/Songs of Universal, BMI; DeciBel (CDX)
– As always, his ultra-masculine singing is infused with conviction and emotion. The “outlaw” lyric admits that he burns beer joints down and he’s headed straight to perdition. As a songwriter, he sure knows how to get the job done. As a recorded presence, he’s charisma on the hoof.

TOM HUDDLESTON & THE SADDLE SPRING BOYS/Hey Good Lookin’
Writer: Hank Williams; Producers: Rodney Crowell, G. Marq Roswell, Carter Little & Ray Kennedy; Publishers: none listed; Legacy (track)
– The new I Saw the Light bio flick is getting lukewarm reviews. But everyone seems to agree that Huddleston’s acting nails Hank Williams’ personality. As a singer, he lacks the pinched-nerve hillbilly soul of Hank. But The Saddle Spring Boys have The Drifting Cowboys’ sound down to a T.

BONNIE BISHOP/Not Cause I Wanted To
Writers: Al Anderson/Bonnie Bishop; Producer: Dave Cobb; Publishers: none listed; BB/Thirty Tigers
-This longtime Music Row favorite has teamed up with red-hot producer Dave Cobb for her latest CD, Ain’t Who I Was. It includes a version of her song that won a Grammy for Bonnie Raitt in 2012. I love her slightly sandpapery style and aching phrasing. Jimmy Wallace’s organ sighs mournfully in the background.

CHRIS JANSON/Holdin’ Her
Writers: Chris Janson/James Otto; Producer: Byron Gallimore; Publishers: Red Vinyl/Buckkilla/Words & Music/Songs of Universal, BMI; Warner Bros.
-A rounder is on the wrong path. But he’s saved by a good woman’s love. This country ballad has a slow-burn vibe that heats up into a bonfire of passion. What a performance.

LILI BELLE/Angel
Writer: Lili Belle; Producer: none listed; Publisher: lili Belle, BMI; LB (track)
– The title song of this artist’s debut EP is a sweet, lilting gospel tune. She sings with an excellent clarity, and at just age 22, she is clearly already on the right path as a writer. The steel-laced production is nicely soft and subtle. For a taste of how she fares on a country tempo tune, check out “A Guy Like That.”

MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY/Campfire on the Road
Writers: John Robert Williamson; Producer: Bobby Blazier; Publisher: none listed, APRA/Emusic PTY LLD; Murphey Kinship
-Murphey’s seventh Western-song collection is titled High Stakes. It includes this lovely Australian cowboy ballad that echoes the style of the late John Denver. The beauty of the great outdoors is something I never tire of hearing poets and songwriters convey. This one’s a keeper.

Let’s be like an awards show today and give out accolades in multiple categories. In a challenging field that includes such stars as Luke Bryan, Randy Houser, Blake Shelton, Jake Owen and Charles Kelley, veteran Alan Jackson wins the Male Vocalist Disc of the Day honor.

With no competition at all, Carrie Underwood easily takes home the Female Vocalist Disc of the Day. Also with no competition in sight, Restless Heart wins the Group Disc of the Day prize.

The DisCovery Award goes to the lone newcomer in today’s stack of platters, Travis Rice.

ALAN JACKSON/The One You’re Waiting On
Writers: Adam Wright/Shannon Wright; Producer: Keith Stegall; Publishers: Tiltawhirl/Casa de Casa/Razor and Tie, BMI; ACR/EMI
-It’s a quiet country ballad about a gal waiting all night for her fellow to show up. Alan’s vocal is a burning ember of want and need. The steel guitar and mandolin passages are breathtaking. In a word, gorgeous.

CHARLES KELLEY/Lonely Girl
Writers: Chris Stapleton/Jesse Frasure; Producer: Paul Worley; Publishers: WB/House of Sea Gayle/ClearBox Rights/Rio Bravo, ASCAP/BMI; Capitol (track)
– The deep-thump in the percussion, the riffing guitar and piano passages and Kelley’s high-tenor vocal performance send this into the sonic stratosphere. Sizzling romance in every note.

RANDY HOUSER/Song Number 7
Writers: Austin Wilson/Ben Hayslip/Chris Janson; Producer: Derek George; Publishers: Legends of Magic Mustang/W.B.M./WB/Thankful For This/Red Vinyl/Words and Music, SESAC/ASCAP; Stoney Creek
– As the songs flow through the speakers during an evening, love burns brighter and brighter. Song number seven takes him all the way to heaven. As always, Randy roars as a vocalist. He’s a mighty man.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD/Church Bells
Writers: Zach Crowell/Brett James/Hillary Lindsey; Producer: Mark Bright; Publishers: External Combustion/Songs of Southside Independent/Who Wants to Buy My Publishing/Atlas/WB/Songs of Brett/Hillarody Rathbone/BMG Rights, ASCAP; Arista/19 (track)
– The album is called Storyteller, and this track has a heck of a plot. The beautiful, wild-child, poor gal snags a rich man. But he turns out to be a drunk wife beater. Until she poisons him to death. All of this is set to a stomping rhythm track and a soaring, hooky melody. A smash.

MICHAEL RAY/Think A Little Less
Writers: Jon Nite/Thomas Rhett/Barry Dean/Jimmy Robbins; Producer: Scott Hendricks; Publishers: EMI April/Jon Mark Nite/EMI Blackwood/Cricket on the Line/Songs of Universal/Creative Nation/Country Paper/Pulse Nation/Extraordinary Alien, ASCAP/BMI; Atlantic
-He implores her to kiss more and think less, so he can get her out of the bar and out of her clothes. Well-written, produced with clarity and sung with finesse.

JAKE OWEN/American Country Love Song
Writers: Ross Copperman/Ashley Gorley/Jaren Johnston; Producers: Shane McAnally/Ross Copperman; Publishers: none listed, BMI/ASCAP; RCA (CDX)
-The quasi-spoken verses open up into rapidly sung choruses. The track has an echoey resonance that suits the upbeat lyric nicely. Still, there was something “in one ear and out the other” about the whole thing.

TRAVIS RICE/Women, Water & Beer
Writer: Travis Rice; Producer: Noah Henderson; Publishers: none listed; TR
-This rural Tennessee country performer is an industrial-strength hunk. As a vocalist, he is a fairly generic honky-tonk baritone. As a songwriter, he shows promise.

BLAKE SHELTON/Came Here To Forget
Writers: Craig Wiseman/Deric Ruttan; Producer: Scott Hendricks; Publishers: Round Hill/Big Loud Proud/Red Toe Rocker/WB/Doc and Maggie/Thankful For This, ASCAP; Warner Bros.
– It is a measure of how big a star Blake has become that this practically tuneless song is the fastest-rising single on country radio.

LUKE BRYAN/Huntin’, Fishin’, And Lovin’ Every Day
Writers: Luke Bryan/Dallas Davidson/Rhett Akins/Ben Hayslip; Producers: Jeff Stevens/Jody Stevens; Publishers: Sony-ATV/Peanut Mill/EMI Blackwood/Two Chord Georgia/Brooks County Boy/WB/Tar Cam Knox/Thankful For This, BMI/ASCAP; Capitol (CDX)
– They say, “Write what you know.” These outdoorsy guys certainly do that here. And it is impossible not to feel the simple joy that Luke brings to his performance. Cheerful, smiley and catchy as all get out.

RESTLESS HEART/Wichita Lineman
Writers: Jimmy Webb; Producers: Dave Innis/Harry Smith; Publishers: none listed; Breezewood (MP3)
– Beautifully done. This homage to Glen Campbell is pristinely produced and arranged, with the orchestrations retaining all the warmth and heart-tugging yearning of the original, yet polishing the song with a new, burnished glow. Vocally, the boys get it totally right. It’s tough to measure up to a masterpiece, and they do. Awesome job.

 

This week’s column abounds with newcomers.

But it’s a veteran star, Mary Chapin Carpenter, who easily walks off with the Disc of the Day award.

As I said, there is no shortage of claimants for the DisCovery Award. All making their bows in DisClaimer are Dave Insley, The Darlins and our winning Two Way Crossing. I love the way the male and female voices interact in that band.

I’d have given the honor to Thomas Michael Riley, who is also new in this column. But according to his website, he has 10 albums and has already won plenty of honors in Texas. So that would seem weird. But I do like him a whole lot.

KENT BLAZY/Footsteps Of Dylan
Writer: Kent Blazy, Producer: Kent Blazy, Publisher: none listed; KB (track)
– Singer-songwriter Kent Blazy has two new collections. One, titled Me & Garth, contains his versions of songs that the superstar popularized (”Somewhere Other Than the Night,” “Ain’t Going Down,” “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” etc.). The other is called New Songs From Old Guitars. It includes this ode to a man who revolutionized American songwriting. Fittingly, it begins as an acoustic-guitar tune then shifts gears into a wailing rocker. Throughout, Blazy’s voice is urgent and passionate. Recommended.

DEREK HOKE/Southern Moon
Writers: Derek Hoke/Dexter Green; Producer: Dexter Green; Publishers: Slow Hoke/Made With Black Ink, BMI/ASCAP; Little Hollywood
– He has an attractive tenor voice, and the track has a bluesy, swampy vibe shot though with organ and harmonica passages. This is the title tune of a Nashville-recorded collection that is all self-penned. Hoke’s live shows are dandy, too.

THE DARLINS/Crush
Writers: Jude Toy/Erinn Bates; Producer: Buddy Hyatt; Publishers: none listed, BMI/SESAC; The Darlins (track)
– This female duo has a sensuous sound on this slow burning track. A resonator guitar weaves through the arrangement as they languidly drawl their desire in harmony. Feverish.

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER/Map Of My Heart
Writer: Mary Chapin Carpenter; Producer: Dave Cobb; Publishers: Why Walk, ASCAP; Lambent Light
-I love the brisk, crisp texture of this lightly rocking performance. Carpenter sounds like “the Everly Sisters” as the rhythm section throbs relentlessly and the electric guitar gooses the track with some deep twang. It goes without saying that her lyrics are totally evocative. Brilliant work. The forthcoming (May 6) album that contains this will be titled The Things That We Are Made Of. Get this now on her website for an advance taste.

TWO WAY CROSSING/Deja Vu
Writers: Jenny Marvin/Ryan Sorestad; Producers: Jay Tooke/Craig Wilson; Publishers: none listed; TWC (track)
– The title tune to this five-piece band’s six-song EP starts softly. Then everyone kicks in on harmonies and instruments, and it’s katie-bar-the-door. These kids have the goods. A celebration in sound.

ZAC BROWN/Grandma’s Garden
Writers: Skip Ewing/Donny Kees; Producer: Dave Cobb; Publishers: Sony-ATV Acuff Rose/Write On, BMI; Elektra (track)
– Producer Dave Cobb was inspired at his grandmother’s funeral in Georgia to craft a concept album called Southern Family. It boasts a bevy of talent including Jamey Johnson, Morgane & Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Brandy Clark and Jason Isbell. Along with John Paul White’s performance of “Simple Song,” Brown’s track is a centerpiece, since it directly addresses lessons passed through the generations. Lee Ann Womack supplies a lovely harmony vocal. Sweet and touching. The whole album is a gem.

DAVE INSLEY/Just The Way That I Am
Writers: Dave Insley; Producer: Dave Insley; Publisher: none listed; Dir (track)
– The rootsy, ragged title tune of Insley’s Austin album twangs in all the right places. He’s not the world’s strongest singer, but there’s sincerity in every note. Guests on the album include Kelly Willis, Redd Volkaert and Dale Watson. If you’re headed for the Texas capital, you’ll find Insley and his Careless Smokers holding forth at The White Horse every Saturday night.

DARWIN MACON/This Ain’t The Love
Writers: Darwin Macon/Brad Ward; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Lil Red Caboose, BMI; DM
– The tempo is so sluggish that it’s the aural equivalent of walking through molasses.

TED RUSSELL KAMP/Life On The River
Writers: Ted Russell Kamp/Kirsten Proffit; Producer: Ted Russell Kamp; Publishers: Steady Teddy, ASCAP/BMI; Pomo (track)
– Bass player Kamp has worked as a sideman for everyone from Shooter Jennings to Wilson Phillips. But his self-penned albums are gradually bringing him the solo spotlight he deserves. His baritone vocal on this lead-off track of his CD Flying Solo is wonderfully resonant. As a songwriter, he knows just where to put the hooks. You recording artists out there should start plundering his songs pronto.

THOMAS MICHAEL RILEY/Ten Toes Up
Writers: Thomas Michael Riley; Producer: none listed; Publishers: Thomas Michael, BMI; TMR
– It’s a lively country rocker with an electric guitar answering each of his wry vocal lines. I’m completely smitten with this. Send me more, more, more of his true-Texas music.

It’s high time we did some tidying up around here.

Several of these indie acts have been in the to-be-listened-to pile of platters for weeks. They’re usually pushed aside by major-label artists, but today they’re in the spotlight.

The Disc of the Day belongs to Chuck Wicks.

But the real news du jour is in the DisCovery Award department. We have three winners — a female, a male and a group. The female DisCovery is power voiced Jessie G. Our male winner is jaunty Tim Elliott. The group DisCovery is the sister act Southern Halo. Congratulations, one and all.

DIANA UPTON HILL/Southern Gentlemen
Writers: Georgia Thomas Edgeworth/Robin Grant; Producer: Bryan White: Publishers: Moonlight Through the Pines/Saved By the Belle, ASCAP/BMI; Third Floor
– The drums are slamming in this rocked-out mix. Indeed, she’s almost drowned out by them. Her pert soprano checks off the states of Dixie in the choruses. Which is cute.

CHUCK WICKS/She’s Gone
Writers: Chuck Wicks/Brett Tyler/Jeffery East; Producers: Chuck Wicks/Andy Dodd; Publishers: none listed; Blaster (track)
– I like the open, quiet spaces in the production. They allow his voice to crack in all the right places and draw your attention to the spare, lonely lyric. The rising intensity in the sound is cool, too. Recommended.

WILL CARTER/I Don’t Know Why
Writers: Will Carter/Jude Dyllan; Producer: Jude Dyllan; Publishers: Will Carter/Jude Dyllan, BMI; WC
– He sings well. The song does nothing for me.

SMITH & WESLEY/Sweet Life
Writers: Scott Smith; Producer: Shane Hill; Publishers: Dream Walkin’, ASCAP; Garage Door
– Twin-guitar Southern rock with bro-country lyrics. It conspicuously lacks a melody.

CLARE DUNN/Tuxedo
Writers: Clare Dunn/Ben West/Brett James; Producers: Clare Dunn/Ben West; Publishers: BMG Gold/Leer Jet 87/BMG Platinum/For the Kids Platinum/Legitimate Effort/WB/Songs of Brett, BMI/ASCAP; MCA (CDX)
– Country quasi-rap in the verses. Big-voice choruses. The echo on her alto puts her right in your face. Inventive songwriting and innovative production touches.

TIM ELLIOTT/Boom
Writers: Tim Elliott/Bob Moffatt/Clint Moffatt/Chris Womack; Producer: Kent Wells; Publishers: Boggs River/Chase the Music/Reynsong, ASCAP/BMI; BRE (CDX)
– Very clever. He counts down the numbers until the lovin’ starts. The production burbles along at a percolating pace, and his voice has a youthful innocence. Endearing.

KELLEY SALLEE SNEAD/Always A Stranger
Writers: Snead/Frederick/Sallee Snead; Producers: Doak Snead/Tony Garber; Publisher: Doak Snead, BMI; KSS (track)
– Veteran songwriter Doak Snead’s wife has a form of Parkinson’s that has taken away her ability to sing. He and co-producer Tony Garber have compiled the best of her song demos, fully produced masters, work tapes and home recordings to make the album Roses & Tumbleweeds: A Retrospective. She is a fine vocalist, equally at home on ballads and uptempo fare. The CD is available on iTunes, CDBaby and Amazon.

SOUTHERN HALO/Little White Dress
Writers: Natalie Morris/Cat Gravitt/Gerald O’Brien; Producers: Cat Cravitt/Gerald O’Brien; Publishers: Southern Halo/Razor and Tie/Ink Pen Mama, BMI/SESAC; Southern Halo
– This is a trio of singing sisters who harmonize like angels. The song is as catchy as all get out, with a solid backbeat, cool guitars and a wedding-day chorus to die for. Super listening.

JESSIE G/Drop A Line
Writers: Jessie Goergen/Joshua Withenshaw/Davis Branch; Producers: Gretchen Wilson/Jessie G; Publishers: Straight Off the Boat/Home Is a Time Not a Place, ASCAP/BMI; JG (track)
– Gretchen Wilson is behind the board for this minor-key, bluesy stomper. The singer has firepower to spare. A left-field winner.

RODEO GYPSY/Southern Proof
Writers: Bridgette Powell/Dustin Sciaraffo/Jonathan Robinson; Producer: Sam Tate; Publishers: Tuf Monkey, BMI/ASCAP; BAM (track)
– Rodeo Gypsy is a trio comprised of Bridgette Powell, Dustin Sciaraffo and Becca Cummins. Their debut outing is an acoustic ditty with stark bongo-dobro-guitar-bass accompaniment. The harmonies are dandy. The lyric is of the Dixie-proud variety. It might not be the most commercial thing I’ve ever heard, but it certainly is pleasant listening.