DISClaimer Single Reviews (10/5/11)

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Things are definitely looking up.

I can’t remember a recent listening session with so many well-done platters. Jake Owen has the audio production to beat. Mark Willis has the week’s most striking song. Gloriana is glorious. Kenny Chesney’s bringing the star power. David Bradley has humor and good times on his side.

And then there’s the Disc of the Day. The new trio Pistol Annies is comprised of  three deluxe singer-songwriters—Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley.

Their record will take your breath away.
Since those ladies are the only ones with a debut CD today, they also win the  DisCovery Award.

DAVID BRADLEY/If You Can’t Make Money
Writer: Jon Randall/Brad Paisley/Bill Anderson; Producer: Brady Seals; Publisher: Reynsong/Wha Ya Say/House of Sea Gayle/Sony-ATV Tree/Mr. Bubba, BMI/ASCAP; Gecko (track)
—Get a load of those songwriter credits. Too bad they couldn’t find anybody talented to pen this thing. It’s a chugging bopper with plenty of humor in the lyric and a party crowd shouting in the background. A good time was had by all.

JAKE OWEN/Alone With You
Writer: Catt Gravitt/J.T. Harding/Shane McAnally; Producer: Joey Moi &  Rodney Clawson; Publisher: Songs of Maxx/Tunes of R and T Direct/Razor & Tie/Songs Music/A Mighty Seven/Songs for Beans/JTX/Little Blue Egg/Crazy Water/Kobalt, SESAC/BMI/ASCAP; RCA (track)
—Wonderfully atmospheric, with a deep-twang sonic bed, a sexy mood and a swirling melody. This fevered dream of pent-up desire is nothing short of a minor masterpiece. Do you hear that noise? It’s superstardom knocking on Jake’s door.

AMY DALLEY/Coming Out Of The Pain
Writer: Dalley/Sizemore; Producer: New Voice Entertainment; Publisher: Bro N Sis/Madjacksongs, BMI; AmyDalley (track) (www.amydalley.com)
—The title tune to Dalley’s new CD comes on like gangbusters with its gunshot percussion and grinding guitars. It’s a driving, female-empowerment song of survival.

SCOTTY McCREERY/The Trouble With Girls
Writer: Phillip White/Chris Tompkins; Producer: Mark Bright; Publisher: Songs of Universal/Jorjax/Big Loud Songs/Angel River/Big Loud Bucks, BMI/ASCAP; Mercury/19 (track)
—Scotty’s sophomore single is a softly drawled ballad of romantic confusion. His vocal performance sounds like the teen he is, but Bright’s production is a model of sophistication.

MATT GARY/Beautiful Life
Writer: Frank J. Myers/Gary Baker/Nicky Chinn; Producer: Frank Myers; Publisher: Sixteen Stars/Frank Myers/HoriPro/WB/On the Bluff/Ten Ten/Nicky Chinn, BMI/ASCAP; 17/Quarterback (www.mattgarymusic.com)
—There’s hard times all around, but when you have love, nothing else matters. This soaring, propulsive rocker practically begs you to turn it up.

KENNY CHESNEY/Reality
Writer: Kenny Chesney/Brett James; Producer: Buddy Cannon & Kenny Chesney; Publisher: none listed, ASCAP; BNA (track)
—The track behind him is boiling hot, perhaps a little too much so. The song and his vocal performance are both totally classy.

NEAL McCOY/A-OK
Writer: Barry Dean/Luke Laird/Brett Eldredge; Producer: Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton & Brent Rowan; Publisher: none listed; Blaster (www.nealmccoy.com)
—The whistling and finger-snap opening correctly predict that you’re in for a breezy, good-times tune. Lightweight, but harmless.

GLORIANA/(Kissed You) Good Night
Writer: Tom Gossin/Josh Kear; Producer: Matt Serletic; Publisher: Gossin/Global Dog/Lunalight, ASCAP; Emblem/Warner Bros.
—I remain a fan. Young love has seldom sounded so tuneful, harmonious and downright delicious. Everything about this audio confection pleases me. Play it again.

PISTOL ANNIES/Hell On Heels
Writer: Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley; Producer: Frank Liddell & Mike Wrucke; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Pink Dog/Reynsong/Ayden/Ten Ten, BMI/ASCAP; Columbia (track)
—The Pistol Annies CD leads off with this bluesy, moody title tune that grabs you by the ears and doesn’t let go. This thing hisses like a rattlesnake ready to strike. All three of these gals have smokey, sensuous vocal chops with attitude to spare.

MARK WILLS/Crazy Being Home
Writer: Chris Lindsey/Brad Warren/Brett Warren/Robin Lindsey; Producer: Chris Lindsey; Publisher: none listed; Gracie/Starlight (track)
—This is what is so great about country music. No other genre tells stories this powerfully. And what other style would even think to write a song about a soldier’s post traumatic stress disorder? Strong stuff. Wills walks it like he talks it: He has gone to Afghanistan seven times to sing for the troops.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (9/28/11)

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The hills are alive with the sound of bluegrass.

This week at the Convention Center, it’s round-the-clock picking and singing at the IBMA World of Bluegrass confab. Among the week’s highlights are the presentation of the IBMA Awards at the Ryman Auditorium on Thursday evening. The discs in this week’s column all belong to nominees.

The record to beat for Album of the Year belongs to Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers. I don’t know how it will fare at the Ryman, but in this publication it is the Disc of the Day.

For my DisCovery Award, I am choosing IBMA Emerging Artist nominees Darin & Brooke Aldridge.

DOYLE LAWSON & QUICKSILVER/Gone At Last
Writer: Paul Simon; Producer: Doyle Lawson; Publisher: Paul Simon, BMI; Mountain Home (track) (www.doylelawson.com)
—These guys just don’t know how to make a bad record, and their current Drive Time CD is no break in their streak of excellence. It kicks off with this lickety-split bluegrass take on Paul Simon’s rousing 1975 hand clapper, originally recorded with Phoebe Snow and the Jessy Dixon Singers (Jessy passed away on Monday at age 73). Quicksilver is nominated this week as the bluegrass Vocal Group of the Year, and on his own, Lawson is nominated for Gospel Performance and Recorded Event for his collaboration with fellow stars Paul Williams and J.D. Crowe.

BLUE HIGHWAY/Sounds Of Home
Writer: Shawn Lane; Producer: Blue Highway; Publisher: Cat Town, BMI; Rounder (track) (www.bluehighwayband.com)
—The title tune of Blue Highway’s current album is a tender ballad of nostalgia for creaking floorboards, rain on the roof, rustling leaves and the song of a mockingbird. Lead singer Tim Stafford remains a heart-piercing vocalist, and the moan of the Dobro that echoes his phrasing is audio poetry. The group is nominated for IBMA Vocal Group and Instrumental Group of the Year. Rob Ickes is once again up for Dobro Player of the Year. He practically owns this category, having won every year in 1996-2000, in 2003 and 2004, then again yearly from 2006-2010.

STEVE CANYON & THE STEEP CANYON RANGERS/Rare Bird Alert
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Rounder (track) (www.stevemartin.com)
—This track is nominated for Bluegrass Instrumental Performance of the Year at Thursday’s IBMA Awards. It is a sprightly, merry thing that bubbles right along. The Rare Bird Alert CD also includes such delights as “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs,” “Women Like to Slow Dance” and a remake of Martin’s 1978 hit “King Tut.” It is an Album of the Year nominee, and the band is up for Entertainer of the Year. He might not be the greatest banjo player in history, but this multi-media superstar is a huge benefit to the bluegrass genre.

JOSH WILLIAMS/Dream Of Me
Writer: Murray E. Cannon; Producer: Josh Williams; Publisher: Universal Sawgrass, BMI; Rounder (track)
—Last year’s Emerging Artist winner and a three-time Guitarist of the Year has an album titled Down Home that is a perfect jewel. He has been making records since he was 10 years old, but it is his first truly mature work. This take on the Vern Gosdin classic showcases lovely harmony singing. Other highlights include his version of The Delmore Brothers’ “Blue Railroad Train,” a dandy bluegrass arrangement of “Streets of Bakersfield,” a remake of Jimmy Martin’s “The Last Song,” a revival of Earl Scruggs’ “Polka on the Banjo” and songs by Tom T. Hall and Tommy Jackson, plus Carl Jackson’s title tune. On Thursday, Williams again competes for Bluegrass Guitarist of the Year and is also up for Male Vocalist.

DALE ANN BRADLEY/Somewhere South Of Crazy
Writer: Dale Ann Bradley/Pam Tillis; Producer: Alison Brown; Publisher: Dale Ann Bradley/Vibe Room/Lucky Squirrel/BPJ Administration, BMI; Compass (track)
—This Kentucky soprano is as country as a mountain breeze. She won the IBMA Female Vocalist prize in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and is nominated again this year. This wistful title tune of her current CD features soft harmony work by co-writer Pam Tillis plus guitarist Steve Gulley. And get a load of her supporting cast—Sierra Hull on mandolin, producer Alison Brown on banjo, fiddler Stuart Duncan and Mike Bub on bass. The rest of the album’s repertoire includes the Seals & Crofts pop classic “Summer Breeze,” Reba Rambo’s “New Shoes,” Leslie Satcher’s “Old Southern Porches” and the George Jones oldie “Will You Visit Me on Sunday.”

MICHAEL CLEVELAND & FLAMEKEEPER/Goin’ Up Dry Branch
Writer: Buddy Spicher/Jimmy Martin; Producer: Jeff White & Michael Cleveland; Publisher: Bocephus, BMI; Rounder (track) (www.flamekeeperband.com)
—This toe tapper is my favorite hoedown of the day. Cleveland’s flawless fiddle technique is the envy of his industry, and Flamekeeper totally kicks butt. This track from the group’s aptly titled Fired Up CD is nominated as Instrumental Performance of the Year. The band is competing for Instrumental Group. Cleveland vies for his ninth IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year trophy and the group’s Marshall Wilborn in nominated for his third consecutive Bass Player of the Year honor.

THE GRASCALS/Dooley
Writer: none listed; Producer: The Grascals; Publisher: none listed; Time Life/Blugrascal (track) (www.mayberrysfinest.com)
—The seven-song Dance Til Your Stockings Are Hot and Ravelin’ album is The Grascals tribute to the music of The Andy Griffith Show. The call-and-response vocals on this bluegrass classic are done in a mellow, tongue-in-cheek style (”Dooley,” “Slippin’ up the holler,” “Dooley,” “Gimme a swaller and I’ll pay you back some day.”) The Grascals are again nominated as IBMA Entertainer of the Year. The group’s Kristin Scott Benson is up for her fourth consecutive Banjo Player of the Year prize, and its “I Am Strong” collaboration with Dolly Parton is nominated for Recorded Event.

DARIN & BROOKE ALDRIDGE/Let’s Not Go There
Writer: Dixie Hall/Tom T. Hall; Producer: Jerry Salley; Publisher: Good Home Grown, BMI; Moutain Home (track) (www.darinandbrookealdridge.com)
—This husband-wife duet is sometimes billed as bluegrass music’s “sweethearts.” Jerry Salley has produced an album of remarkable clarity and class on these newcomers. On this ballad, Darin’s high tenor is matched by Brooke’s even higher harmony voice. Later in the track, Salley adds a thrilling harmonized third voice. Lovely work. Darin and Brooke are nominated for this year’s Emerging Artist award.

LARRY SPARKS/Almost Home
Writer: Michael Keith/Dave Lindsey; Producer: Larry Sparks; Publisher: Palm Island Press/Cross Timbers/Lindsey and Sons, BMI; Rounder (track) (www.larrysparks.com)
—Sparks has a classic, “high lonesome” bluegrass voice. He’s a veteran of five decades in this business, but he’s still in there swinging, since his Almost Home collection is competing for Album of the Year. Its title tune ripples with Appalachian authenticity.

SIERRA HULL/Easy Come, Easy Go
Writer: none listed; Producer: Barry Bales & Sierra Hull; Publisher: none listed; Rounder (track) (www.sierrahull.com)
—The former teen mandolin prodigy is now a student at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Her current Daybreak CD includes this lilting ode with the autobiographical line, “I’m not a child anymore.” She sings in a tender, daughter-of-Alison soprano, and the mandolin playing that made her a star remains dazzling. This week, she’s aiming for her first Mandolin Player of the Year award, as well as for the Emerging Artist trophy.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (9/21/11)

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Let’s take a break from the Music Row mainstream and listen to some platters that have, shall we say, a little more class?

I refer to records like the new ones by the likes of Matraca Berg, Jeff Bridges and Glen Campbell. Glen brings his Goodbye Tour to the Ryman for shows on Nov. 30 and Dec. 5. Based on his touching musical eloquence on The Tonight Show last week, those should be pretty emotional occasions.

For profoundly moving musical moments, Matraca Berg’s The Dreaming Fields and Glen Campbell’s The Ghost on the Canvas are sharing today’s Disc of the Day award.

The newcomers this week were Taylor Made, Krysti Worley, James Justin & Co., The Farm Inc. and Brian Coy & The Remaining Few. None of them was award worthy.

BRIAN COY & THE REMAINING FEW/Highest Of The Low
Writer: Brian Coy; Producer: Britt Lloyd & Adam Odor; Publisher: none listed; RF (www.theremainingfewmusic.com)
—The bass and guitars are so overly amped that you can hardly hear his muffled voice. Maybe that’s a plus.

BURNS & POE/I Need A Job
Writer: Keith Burns/John Ritter; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Blue Steel (www.burnsandpoe.com)
—It’s an uptempo twang fest with Keith doing the vocal heavy lifting. Best jab at D.C.: “Fire them all, then they’ll be screaming like you and me” or, if you prefer, “Tell them S.O.B.’s I need a J.O.B.”

TAYLOR MADE/Good Love
Writer: Candy Cameron/Tyler Hayes/Michael Boggs; Producer: Dale Morris & Dan Mitchell; Publisher: Rave On/Calhoun Enterprises/Roxboo/My Maxx/Razor & Tie/Upsurge/EM CMG, ASCAP; LGR (615-946-6055)
—This group features a husky-voiced female lead singer who displays plenty of panache on this bluesy outing. The song is catchy, too. Promising.

GLEN CAMPBELL/A Better Place
Writer: Glen Campbell/Julian Raymond; Producer: Julian Raymond & Howard Willing; Publisher: Seventh Son/Maxava, ASCAP; Surfdog (track)
—In a word, heartbreaking. The lead-off track from this mighty music man’s Ghost on the Canvas farewell album is an aching meditation on mortality. “Some days I’m so confused, Lord. My past gets in my way….One thing I know, the world’s been good to me/A better place awaits, you’ll see.” The sterling collection includes six instrumentals, two tunes from Paul Westerberg, one from Jakob Dylan and five originals that pierce your soul. The recording cast includes Chris Isaac, Dick Dale, Brian Setzer and Billy Corgan. The man is saying goodbye with style.

DRAKE JENSEN/All You Need
Writer: D. Jensen/K. Copeland; Producer: Kim Copeland; Publisher: Soaring Eagle/Sage House, SOCAN/ASCAP; Soaring Eagle (track) (www.drakejensen.ca)
—The sophomore single by this Canadian is a dull, plodding outing, but he’s still country to the core.

JEFF BRIDGES /What A Little Bit Of Love Can Do
Writer: S. Bruton/G. Nicholson; Producer: T Bone Burnett; Publisher: Brutunes/Bug/Gary Nicholson/Sony-ATV, BMI/ASCAP; Blue Note (track)
—For his solo CD, Bridges re-teams with his Crazy Heart soundtrack producer T Bone Burnett and works with such guest celebs as Rosanne Cash, Sam Phillips and Ryan Bingham. This kick-off track rumbles along tossing hooks left and right. I’d have preferred a more “open” stripped-down production approach rather than this somewhat heavy handed style. But there’s no denying the Oscar winning actor’s musical talent.

THE FARM INC./Home Sweet Home
Writer: Danny Myrick/Rick Hoffman/Krista Marie/Damien Horne; Producer: Danny Myrick & Nick Hoffman; Publisher: Root 49/Danny Myrickmusic/Tailing Loop/Krista Marie/Mista D, BMI; All In/Elektra/Warner Bros.
—This trio debuts with a stuttering rocker with choppy verses that only hits its stride when it swings into the sunny, melodic harmony-soaked choruses. Then there’s the quasi chanting toward the finale. The whiplash shifts in tone are jarring. A little more consistency, please.

MATRACA BERG/Racing The Angels
Writer: Matraca Berg/Gretchen Peters/Suzy Bogguss; Producer: Matraca Berg; Publisher: Songs of Universal/Hannaberg, BMI; Dualtone (track) (www.matracaberg.com)
—Matraca’s new The Dreaming Fields CD contains her version of her current Kenny Chesney hit “You and Tequila,” but there’s plenty more to recommend it. This ballad, for instance, is a lovely, lilting thing that imagines death as a flight heavenward. For a more bluesy, saucy side of this talented lady, check out “Your Husband’s Cheating on Us.”

JAMES JUSTIN & CO./Dark Country
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; JJM (track) (www.jamesjustinmusic.com)
—It starts with the sound of thunder, then turns into a moody country rocker with spooky, echoey guitar jangles and a high, pleading vocal. This is evidently their second album, but it’s the first I’ve heard. My gut instinct is to guide them toward Americana Land.

KRYSTI WORLEY/A Bible And A Six-Pack
Writer: Becky Hobbs/Red Jenkins; Producer: Bill Green & Lynn Massey; Publisher: Becka’s Mecca/Red Hot, BMI/STIM; Electric Cactus (210-654-8773)
—Ya gotta love the title. Her overly bright and shiny sound, however, is trying way too hard to be liked.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (9/14/11)

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Country music has returned.

With Sunny Sweeney, Merle Haggard and newcomer Glenn Kearney leading the charge, this listening session was packed with hard-core sounds. There’s not a pop platter in the stack.

A lot of this week’s tunes are ballads, but some of these sounds can really rock your world.  Definitely turn it up when you put on Sunny, Kyle Park or our Disc of the Day winner, MCA’s Kip Moore. I was a huge fan of Kip’s “Mary Was the Marrying Kind,” and “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck” delivers on that initial promise in spades.

Honky-tonk balladeer Kearney competes with Canada’s Ashley Robertson, New Orleans newcomer Josh Charles and Sea Gayle/Arista’s Brent Anderson for this week’s DisCovery Award. Inventive songsmith Brent gets the nod.

KYLE PARK/Make Or Break Me
Writer: Kyle Park/Ryan Beaver; Producer: Kyle Park; Publisher: Walk in the Park/St. Beaver, BMI; Winning Road (track) (www.kylepark.com)
—Produced with plenty of oomph—crashing guitars, thudding percussion, slippery steel and admirable energy. The driving, melodic country rocker has a splendid undertow beneath his boyish tenor delivery. Listenable in the extreme.

SUNNY SWEENEY/Drink Myself Single
Writer: Monty Holmes/Sunny Sweeney; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Funky Merle/EMI April/Ash Street/Richardson Zuleger/Bluewater/Big Music Machine/Three Minute Movie/Super 98, ASCAP/BMI; Republic Nashville (track)
—It’s a gutsy, gal honky-tonker loaded with drawling attitude. The steel-soaked track stirs up a ruckus while she serves notice that she’s going on a tear. It’s enough to make you believe in real country music all over again. Grade: A-plus.

GLENN KEARNEY/Broken Heart
Writer: Tommy Barnes; Producer: Steve Tveit; Publisher: Glenn Kearney, BMI; GK (www.glennkearneymusic.com)
—His aching baritone is as warm as a campfire on this weeper ballad. Classic sounding.

BRENT ANDERSON/Amy’s Song
Writer: none listed; Producer: Frank Rogers; Publisher: none listed; Sea Gayle/Arista (track)
—I like his soft, lightly rasping vocal delivery on this yearning salute to the Pure Prairie League 1975 hit “Amie.” The group’s alumni Craig Fuller and Vince Gill provide the vocal harmonies.

JOSH CHARLES/Life Ain’t Fair
Writer: Josh Charles/Milton L. Brown; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Downhome (www.joshcharlesmusic.com)
—This downbeat, hard-luck-in-hard-times lament is performed at a languid, resigned pace that underscores its message of defeat. Definitely a song for today.

JOSH THOMPSON/Change
Writer: Josh Thompson/Phil O’Donnell/Chris Wallin; Producer: Phil O’Donnell; Publisher: none listed, BMI/ASCAP; Columbia (CDX)
—The lyric’s message is the more things change, the more they stay the same. Josh’s plain-spoken delivery is set to a deliberate, shuffling tempo underscored by sighing, keening electric guitar work. At first listen, it seems a mite dull, but I have a feeling it could grow on me.

KIP MOORE/Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck
Writer: Kip Moore/Dan Couch; Producer: Brett James; Publisher: Music of Stage Three/Songs of Comman/Roll Through/BMG Chrysalis/Songs From the Couch, BMI; MCA Nashville (CDX)
—This former DisCovery Award winner has a cool, blue-collar-rocker vibe that gets more and more intense as this thumper progresses. I dig everything about this—the way it’s written, the way he wails it, the insistent percussion, the instrumental fade, everything.

FREDDY POWERS & MERLE HAGGARD/Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn
Writer: Freddy Powers; Producer: Merle Haggard, Freddy Powers & Lou Bradley; Publisher: Air Fred, BMI; Hag (CDX) (www.freddypowers.com)
—Powers is a veteran country-jazz fusion man who has always been cooler than the breeze. He and Hag swap lines with warmth, camaraderie and gentle swingability here, while his guitar filligrees embellish the the track beautifully. The sound of two masters at work.

ASHLEY ROBERTSON/Return to Me
Writer: Ashley Robertson; Producer: Ashley Robertson; Publisher: none listed, SOCAN; AR (Canada) (www.ashleyrobertson.com)
—Minor key, melodically repetitive and faintly Celtic sounding. Utterly unprogramable.

SEAN PATRICK McGRAW/What I’d Do
Writer: Sean Patrick McGraw/Ann Chappell/Jason Jones; Producer: Sean Patrick McGraw; Publisher: none listed, ASCAP; Little Engine (track) (www.seanpatrickmcgraw.com)
—This longtime Music Row fave is back with a shuddering ballad of heartbreak and regret. The song is so tuneful and ultra hooky that if his version doesn’t strike paydirt, somebody else should cover it pronto. A super effort.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (9/7/11)

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This edition of DisClaimer has exactly the right mixture of superstars, mid-levels and unknowns.

In the first column, we have Vince Gill, Jason Aldean and Zac Brown Band, the last-named of whom wins our Disc of the Day award.

Strong second-tier acts with winners in this stack of platters include Kevin Fowler, Lantana, Coldwater Jane and Ashley Gearing. All are worth your spins.

The three unknowns vying for this week’s DisCovery Award are Roy Solis, Jessica Caylyn and Tim Foust. I’m going with rumble-tonsiled Tim, whoever he is.

ROY SOLIS/Tailgate Party
Writer: Roy Solis/Johnny Garcia/Troy Powers; Producer: Johnny Garcia; Publisher: Avenue 1/Busy at Play/Mia’s Pub, BMI/ASCAP; RSM (www.roysolismusic.com)
—Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: It’s about parking the four-wheel drive pick-up out in the country with beer and friends and girls. The electric guitar work rocks righteously. Maybe that’s because producer Garcia is a top-notch guitarist, noted for his longtime work with Trisha Yearwood.

ZAC BROWN BAND/Keep Me In Mind
Writer: Zac Brown/Wyatt Durrette/Nic Cowan; Producer: Keith Stegall & Zac Brown; Publisher: Weimerhound/Lil’ Dub/Angelika/Souhern Ground, BMI; Atlantic (track)
—Their trademark group harmonies are right up front-and-center. And they get to the hook almost instantly, in a matter of seconds. It has a delightfully funky little back beat that bops infectiously up to a strikingly languid bridge, then returns brighter than ever. The whole thing, including the closing guitar solo, is dazzling.

LANTANA/A Few Little Things
Writer: Aimee Mayo/Tommy Lee James; Producer: Beau Bedford; Publisher: Universal Careers/Silverkiss/Still Working for the Man/Ballad Boy/BMG Chrysalis, BMI; Millijewel  (www.lantanamusic.com)
—This female Texas trio harmonizes brightly on this chugging toe tapper with a lyric of love lessons. Pleasant, if not exactly life changing.

VINCE GILL/Threaten Me With Heaven
Writer: Vince Gill/Amy Grant/Will Owlsley/Dillon O’Brian; Producer: Vince Gill, John Hobbs & Justin Niebank; Publisher: Vinny Mae/Grant Girls/The Loving Company/Willie-O/Dillon O’Brian, BMI; MCA Nashville (CDX)
—Deeply soulful. Gooebump inducing. I reviewed this last spring, but now is its time. To recap: This gorgeous meditation would be heart melting even acoustic and unadorned. As it happens, the production swells with inspiring choral backing, celestial guitar work and echoey ambiance. If it doesn’t produce a lump in your throat, you are made of stone.

TIM FOUST/You’re So Yesterday
Writer: Tim Foust/Joe Bilotta/Biran Pothier; Producer: Brian Pothier; Publisher: Soaring Swans, BMI/ASCAP; Flying Pig (CDX) (www.flyingpigproductions.com)
—He has one of those Josh Turner low-dipping vocal registers. The track thumps in all the right places, and as you might guess from the title, the lyric is a clever one. Recommended.

COLDWATER JANE/Marionette
Writer: none listed; Producer: Kevin Kadish & Wayne Kirkpatrick; Publisher: none listed; Mercury (track)
—I was quite fond of this act’s debut single, “Bring on the Love.” The follow-up sophomore effort has a little less crunch but a lot more breeze. Their vocals are enchanting, and the production sails along over the audio waves with marvelous clarity and energy. I remain a fan.

ASHLEY GEARING/Me, My Heart And I
Writer: Brian Davis/Ashley Gearing/Kyle Jacobs; Producer: The Fringe; Publisher: Mike Curb/Melrose Nashville/Curb Songs/Jacobsong, BMI/ASCAP; Curb
—So long, buster: She’s hitting the road, and rocking righteously while she’s at it.

JASON ALDEAN/Tattoos On This Town
Writer: Neil Thrasher/Wendell Mobley/Michael Dulaney; Producer: Michael Knox; Publisher: Warner Tamerlane/Boatwright Baby/Desert Treasure/Feet in the Creek/BMG Gold, BMI/ASCAP; Borken Bow (track)
—The follow-up to the mega crossover hit “Dirt Road Anthem” is a power ballad with a mighty audio undertow. His drawled vocal is mixed hot, the better to deliver the nostalgic message, yet the guitars are screaming and the rhythm is pounding right behind him. Strong stuff. Completely undeniable.

KEVIN FOWLER/That Girl
Writer: Kevin Fowler/Trent Willmon/Clint Ingersol; Producer: David Lee Murphy; Publisher: Kevin Fowler/Mayes County/Happy Cattle, BMI/ASCAP; Average Joes (track) (www.kevinfowler.com)
—I dig this guy’s voice with its slight touch of grit. The song is super solid. But the real star here is a frothing, lathered-up, ferocious, whiplash-rocker production. This thing will pin your ears back, for sure.

JESSICA CAYLYN/Just Can’t Help Myself
Writer: Emily Shackelton/Jessica Caylyn/Boh Cooper/Steffon Hamulak; Producer: Steffon Hamulak; Publisher: Liz Rose/Kobalt/Oceanwaveheart/Little Boh/Mousam River/Sea the Desert, BMI/ASCAP; JC (track) (www.jessicacaylyn.com)
—She tackles the melody and stays atop the crashing track like a pro. It’s not an especially memorable voice, but this is still a promising debut.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (8/31/11)

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Talk about eclectic.

This stack of platters contains everything from Johnny Rivers doing acoustic pop on a soul oldie to Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s new group swinging through a jazzbo Bob Wills standard. There’s a disc of reggae performances of country songs, as well as a stunning country-rock set by Richie Owens & The Farm Bureau.

It will come as no surprise to anybody that Lady Antebellum has the Disc of the Day. “We Owned the Night” will own your ears.

It might come as more of a shock to find that hit country writer Dave Berg has a dazzling, unclassifiable and brilliantly produced pop platter up his sleeve. Give that man a DisCovery Award.

PAUL NUNN/Bein’ Strong
Writer: Albert Maylen; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed, BMI; PN (www.paulnunnband.com)
—This cleanly produced country ballad is an audio pleasure. He sings in a pure heartache tenor, and the band knows exactly when to fill in notes and when to shut up. Which is the mark of true country artistry.

LADY ANTEBELLUM/We Owned The Night
Writer: Dave Haywood/Charles Kelley/Dallas Davidson; Producer: Paul Worley & Lady Antebellum; Publisher: Warner Tamerlane/DWHaywood/Radiobulletspublishing/EMI Blackwood/String Stretcher, BMI; Capitol Nashville (MP3)
—The tingling mandolin notes give way to Charles’s robo cool voice and then to a firestorm of thudding percussion, vocal harmony, rocking guitar and a shout-to-the-heavens melody. Those little yelps of joy don’t hurt, either. In a word, Awesome.

JEFF DAYTON/Never Been Better
Writer: Dayton; Producer: Jeff Dayton; Publisher: Jeff Dayton, BMI; Little House (track) (www.jeffdaytonmusic.com)
—Getting older doesn’t have to be a downer. His old man “might’ve been stronger, faster, younger,” but he’s “never been better.” What a cool attitude, and the rocking track backs it up all the way.

BILLY RAY CYRUS/Nineteen
Writer: Gary Nicholson/Jeffrey Steele/Tom Hambridge; Producer: Buddy Cannon; Publisher: Sony-ATV Cross Keys/Gary Nicholson/Jeffrey Steele/Bug/Songs of Windswept Pacific/Tom Hambridge, ASCAP/BMI; Buena Vista (track)
—The number 19 is on the high school football star’s jersey. It’s also the age when he dies at war as a hero. Stirring stuff. Billy Ray’s entire I’m American CD is loaded with well written tunes in this vein. Worth your while.

DAVE BERG/Believed In
Writer: Dave Berg; Producer: Dave Berg & John Hurley; Publisher: Cal IV/Stupid Boy, ASCAP; DB (track) (www.daveberg.com)
—Top Music Row tunesmith Berg has a new, 14-song showcase titled Not Quite So Alone. It doesn’t contain any of the many hits he has written for others. Instead, it is full of solo-written (gasp!) gems like this pop-ish, rhythmic set opener. The production dazzles and his dry, earnest, folkie vocals are quite engaging. Seek this one out—it is a really refreshing audio change of pace.

LUKE BRYAN/I Don’t Want This Night To End
Writer: Luke Bryan/Dallas Davidson/Rhett Akins/Ben Hayslip; Producer: Jeff Stevens; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Peanut Mill/EMI Blackwood/String Stretcher/Rhettneck/WB/Melissa’s Money/Get a Load of This, BMI/ASCAP; Capitol Nashville (track)
—The monotonic verses don’t do much for me, but the soaring choruses sure do take off.

RICHIE OWENS & THE FARM BUREAU/Rye Whiskey
Writer: none listed; Producer: Bil VornDick & Richie Owens; Publisher: Indian Gap, ASCAP; Red Dirt (track) (www.richieowensandthefarmbureau.com)
—Veteran Nashvillians will recall Richie as a valued fixture of our music community of long standing. He’s Dolly Parton’s cousin and has played in her band. He’s also worked with a wide variety of others, including Leon Russell, The Georgia Satellites, Vince Gill, Steve Forbert, Jason & The Scorchers, The Kentucky Headhunters and The Bangles. His new band, The Farm Bureau, tears this folk standard to shreds and reconstructs it as a churning, frothing Americana rocker. By the way, the rest of Richie and his band’s CD is absolutely and equally superb.

ROMAIN VIRGO & LARRY GATLIN/California
Writer: Larry Gatlin; Producer: Cristy Barber, John Rich, Dean Fraser, Charlie Pennachio, Chris Chin & Raymond Barber; Publisher: MCA/Sony-ATV Tree/Parker Lou, no performance rights listed; Elektra (track)
—Reggae’s Gone Country is a new, various-artists collection that revisits country classics (”King of the Road,” “Wolverton Mountain,” “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” “The Gambler,” “Flowers on the Wall,” etc.) as reggae tracks. The only one of the songs’ originators to show up for the revamp is Gatlin, and dang if he doesn’t pull it off. Way to go. For another ear-opener, check out Tarrus Riley’s rhythm-happy take on “The Chair.”

JOHNNY RIVERS/I’ve Got To Use My Imagination
Writer: Barry Goldberg/Gerry Goffin; Producer: Johnny Rivers; Publisher: Screen Gems EMI, BMI; Soul City
—Johnny Rivers’s recent visit to Music City included a well-received guest spot on the Grand Ole Opry. His take on this Gladys Knight & The Pips classic strips it down to a swampy, acoustic-based lament. He remains a pre-eminent blue-eyed soul man.

THE WRONGLERS/Time Changes Everything
Writer: Tommy Duncan; Producer: Eric Drew Feldman & Jimmie Dale Gilmore; Publisher: Red River Songs, no performance rights listed; Neanderthal (track) (www.thewronglers.com)
—The four words that follow “The Wronglers” on the jacket are “featuring Jimmie Dale Gilmore.” And that’s about all you need to know. The album title tells you the rest, Heirloom Music. The songs are string-band chestnuts performed by this sterling ensemble with the ethereal voice of Gilmore in the lead. Originators include Bill Monroe, The Carter Family, The Delmore Brothers, Charlie Poole, Flatt & Scruggs, Johnny Bond, Doc Watson and, as is the case here, Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys. Old-time music lovers or those charmed by the O Brother sounds, step right up.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (8/24/11)

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There are plenty of marquee males marching into this listening session.
You’d be a fool to ignore the new sounds being made by Eric Church, Chris Young, Billy Yates, The Kentucky Headhunters or Billy Burnette. All of them are guaranteed to brighten your day.
But the fairer sex comes up with this week’s column’s honors. I have raved before about Joy Williams and her partner John Paul White in The Civil Wars. Listen to this duo and be enchanted.
Among all the stars on tap today, only one is a bona fide country queen. That would be Connie Smith, who has the Disc of the Day.
There is a singer-songwriter up in the Cumberland River town of Ashland City, TN who was utterly unknown to me until today. She sings in a throaty, husky alto that is gripping. As a songwriter, she is equally gritty on ballads (”Should I Run”), boppers (”Love a Good Love Song”) and story songs (”Daddy Went to Prison”). Her name is DeeAnn Dominy, our DisCovery Award winner whom some Music Row star maker needs to sign up pronto.
DEEANN DOMINY/I Still Believe
Writer: DeeAnn Dominy; Producer: DeeAnn Dominy & Jack Harris; Publisher: DeeAnn Dominy, ASCAP; Dizzee (track) (www.DeeAnnDominy.com)
—This Ashland City gal has a six-song sampler called Based on a True Story. This simply produced track showcases her husky vocal style and an extraordinary gift for truthful, down-to-earth lyrics. Talent scouts take note: There’s a whiff of stardom here.
CHRIS YOUNG/You
Writer: Chris Young/Luke Laird; Producer: James Stroud; Publisher: Runnin’ Behind/EMI April/Universal Careers/High Powered Machine, ASCAP/BMI; RCA (track)
—Chris switches gears to a groove tune. As always, he sings with brilliant, burnished luster, even when the lyric is a romantic trifle like this one.
BILLY YATES/Just Be You
Writer: Billy Yates; Producer: Billy Yates; Publisher: Graysongs, BMI; M.O.D. (track) (www.billyyates.com)
—The title tune to Billy’s latest is a lilting, light hearted ode to straightforward honesty and simplicity. The gist of it is, don’t sell yourself out, don’t worry about making it big, have a good time and be whoever you are. Highly personable and wonderfully engaging. I dare you not to tap your foot and smile.
BILLY BURNETTE/Rock N Roll With It
Writer: Billy Burnette; Producer: Billy Burnette; Publisher: Rock N Roll With It/Bi-Lo-Tex, BMI; Rock N Roll With It (track) (www.billyburnette.net)
—Burnette returns with a dynamite set of self-penned tunes, including some with such stellar collaborators as Gary Nicholson and Shawn Camp. The title number is a delightful, neo-rockabilly romp with some terrific guitar picking and a slap-back beat that just doesn’t quit. Jitterbug yourself into a frenzy.
THE CIVIL WARS/Poison & Wine
Writer: none listed; Producer: Charlie Peacock; Publisher: none listed; Sensibility (track)
—This Nashville male-female duo (John Paul White and former CCM disc maker Joy Williams) has a CD titled Barton Hollow that is a fabulously mesmerizing audio experience. This haunting, throbbing track has been featured on the soundtrack of TV’s Grey’s Anatomy and is now the subject of the team’s new video. Call it country, pop, Americana, folk or whatever you like, but this entire album is essential listening. Buy it at once.
ERIC CHURCH/Drink in My Hand
Writer: Eric Church/Michael Heeney/Luke Laird; Producer: Jay Joyce; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Sinnertina/Sony-ATV Acuff-Rose/Universal Careers/High Powered Machine, BMI; EMI Nashville (track)
—This rumbles out of the chute like a muscular, stompin’ bull on a rampage. The cleverly penned lyric drawls of howling party times. Play it and make every day a weekend vacation. If you don’t already own every note of music this man has made (most definitely including the brand-new Chief), you are out of your cotton-pickin’ mind.
RICK KRAUSS/If I Could Do It Over
Writer: Rick Krauss; Producer: Rick Krauss; Publisher: Rick Krauss, BMI; Relkay (track)
—Not to be confused with Nashville’s Alison or Viktor, this guy is a Maryland troubadour with an 18-song presentation called The Edge of Heaven. This is labeled as the “single,” but like the rest of the tracks, it screams “demo.”
CONNIE SMITH/Long Line of Heartaches
Writer: Marty Stuart/Connie Smith; Producer: Marty Stuart; Publisher: Marty Stuart/Connie Smith/Bug, BMI; Sugar Hill (track)
—Connie’s first new album in 13 years dropped yesterday. On its title tune, this peerless stylist cries from the heart while Gary Carter’s emotional steel guitar echoes every note. I remain hopelessly in love with this woman and her stunning voice.
THE KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS/Dixie Lullaby
Writer: The Kentucky Headhunters; Producer: The Kentucky Headhunters, Wayd Battle & Richie Owens; Publisher: Them Young Boys/Mr. Eric/B. Headed/Bug, ASCAP/BMI; Red Dirt (track) (www.thekentuckyheadhunters.com)
—The reunited Headhunters kick off their comeback album with this Southern-fried garage rocker, sporting plenty of grinding guitar and vocal attitude. Welcome back, boys. You have been sorely missed.
SHAWN CAMP/Jesus, My Old Dog and Me
Writer: Shawn Camp/Will Nance/Steve Dean; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Ann Wilson/Bridge Building/Dino’s Song Shop/Shawn Camp/Sony-ATV, BMI; Cloud 10 (track) (www.dogcountrysongs.com)
—Dog Country is a CD compiling songs written about man’s best friend. Participating tunesmiths include Jason Wyatt, Mandy York (”Bebe’s Riding Shotgun”), Ron Wallace (whose song features the timeless line, “I wish that I was half the man that my dog thinks I am”), Steve Oliver, Rusty Van Sickle (who contributes two songs), Mark Nesler and Melissa Duval. Shawn has the sweetly sad ballad set closer. A portion of the album’s proceeds benefits Happy Tales Humane in Franklin, TN.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (8/17/11)

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We sometimes forget that the Americana field has more than its share of name-brand stars.
Amid the hundreds of unclassifiable, and usually forgettable, acts who populate this genre are a number of folks who are justifiably famous throughout the music world. In recent country columns, we have noted the new releases by Emmylou Harris, Michael Martin Murphey, Ricky Skaggs, Gene Watson & Rhonda Vincent, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Kasey Chambers and Buddy Miller, all of whom fit comfortably under the Americana umbrella.
Today, we have such stellar contributors as Steve Earle, Jakob Dylan, The Avett Brothers and Gillian Welch on our desk. Our Disc of the Day goes to someone who should be just as well known as they are, Sugar Hill’s Sarah Jarosz.
The DisCovery Award goes not to a person, but to a thing. It is a highly inventive, home-grown Nashville concept album called The 1861 Project.
GILLIAN WELCH/The Way It Goes
Writer: Welch/Rawlings; Producer: David Rawlings; Publisher: Acony/Do Write/3rd Revision/Bug, BMI; Acony (track)
—If Gillian’s music on her new The Harrow & The Harvest CD had a color, it would be sepia. On this track, as throughout, her guitar intertwines delicately with David Rawlings’ instrument. The fatalistic/nonsense lyric is given a typically dry reading with David drawling harmony on the title phrase. The whole collection is somewhat same-y sounding, but their groove is so hypnotic that it really doesn’t matter.
PATTY GRIFFIN/I Love
Writer: Tom T. Hall; Producer: Peter Cooper & Eric Brace; Publisher: Sony, BMI; Red Beet/CMF (track) (www.songsoffoxhollow.com)
—The tribute CD I Love: Tom T. Hall’s Songs of Fox Hollow begins with Patty’s luminous rendition of the songwriter’s most famous “children’s” song. Lloyd Green’s steel guitar sighs sympathetically behind her. Elsewhere on the album, Buddy Miller gets to do a delightful “Sneaky Snake.” Bobby Bare sings “I Care.” Jim Lauderdale essays “I Like to Feel Pretty Inside.” Tom T., himself, drops by to help Fayssoux Starling McLean perform the set’s one new song, “I Made a Friend of a Flower Today.” Ditties such as “Everybody Loves to Hear a Bird Sing,” “The Song of the One-Legged Chicken,” “How to Talk to a Little Baby Goat” and “I Wish I Had a Million Friends” are recommended for children of all ages.
MINTON SPARKS/Her Purse
Writer: Minton Sparks/John Jackson; Producer: Brandon Bell & Kristin Tschida; Publisher: Mountain Sparks, ASCAP; Mountain Sparks (track)
—Minton Sparks is arguably Nashville’s most creative entertainer. She inhabits the character of a middle-aged Southern lady. Her pieces are spoken, with John Jackson’s guitar providing audio coloring. She always carries a pocketbook on stage, so beginning her current CD with this track describing the contents and the sentiment of her mother’s is perfectly suitable. She is best experienced in person, but Minton Sparks Performing Live at The Station Inn in the Heart of Downtown Nashville is the next best thing.
STEVE EARLE/This City
Writer: Steve Earle; Producer: T Bone Burnett; Publisher: Exile on Jones St., ASCAP; New West (track) (www.steveearle.com)
—Steve wrote this for the New Orleans based HBO television series Treme, on which he appears in one of the secondary roles. Or did, until his character was shot dead last season. It is a brooding ballad of the city’s steadfast refusal to drown. His bluesy delivery is backed by stuttering trumpet, slow bass thumping and strummed acoustic guitar, all of which are just stark enough to put the focus firmly on the message. Grammy and Emmy nominated, it appears on his terrific new CD I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive, which is his most “country” collection in years. His debut novel, also out now, has the same title.
PEGI YOUNG/Foul Deeds
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Vapor (track) (www.pegiyoung.com)
—The title tune of the album by Neil Young’s wife Pegi is a loping waltz about abandonment. Her light soprano has a tart/sweet quality that sounds best on starker tracks like this one, rather than on the more electrified ones.
SARAH JAROSZ/Run Away
Writer: Sarah Jarosz/Alissa Bonagura; Producer: Gary Paczosa & Sarah Jarosz; Publisher: SoRaw/Almo/My Plum Songs/Alright Love!, BMI/ASCAP; Sugar Hill (track) (www.sarahjarosz.com)
—She tours on the bluegrass circuit, but her music is really closer to acoustic pop. This lead-off track of her new Follow Me Down CD captures how blissfully airy and haunting she can be. Instruments swirl in jazzy circles around her hushed, fluttering vocal. This woman is essential listening.
JAKOB DYLAN/Down On Our Own Shield
Writer: Jakob Dylan; Producer: T Bone Burnett; Publisher: Sugarmoonmusic, ASCAP; Columbia (track)
—I’m rather late in writing about this, but Jakob’s Women + Country album has been a nearly constant presence on my house sound system for months. With the aid of the ubiquitous Mr. Burnett, Bob’s son has achieved a stunningly ear grabbing sound that combines earthy rhythm, echoey twang and campfire folk. Harmony vocals by Neko Case and Kelly Hogan are particularly noteworthy. I chose this rumination, but you can “drop the needle” on “Everybody’s Hurting,” “Nothing But the Whole Wide World” or any of the other tracks and fall in love with this extraordinary record.
THE AVETT BROTHERS/Murder In The City
Writer: none listed; Producer: Rick Rubin; Publisher: none listed; American Recordings (track) (www.theavettbrothers.com)
—As a general rule, I don’t like live albums. But this is one group whose superb recorded works are sometimes outshone by its concert performances. The Avett Brothers Live, Volume 3 is not some “filler” release between studio recordings. Rather, it is an exciting document that stands on its own as a listening experience. If you’re already a fan, your favorites (”I and Love and You” for instance) are probably here. This starkly strummed family portrait is greeted with wild cheers by the crowd. But, then, so is just about everything else.
JOHN ANDERSON/The Turning Of A Field
Writer: Stan Webb/Thomm Jutz/Peter Cronin; Producer: Thomm Jutz; Publisher: Stan Webb/Thomm Songs/Samoline, SESAC; Cohesion Arts (track) (www.1861project.com)
—The 1861 Project is an ambitious song cycle about the Civil War. This 17-song CD is subtitled, “Volume 1: From Farmers to Foot Soldiers.” The unmistakable voice of John Anderson kicks things off with this evocative portrait of a man plowing his land as war winds rise in the distance. Other notables who portray the various songs’ characters include Irene Kelley, Marty Stuart, John Brannen, Richard Dobson and Dana Cooper. Impressive acoustic-folk work.
ROBERT ELLIS/What’s In It For Me
Writer: Robert Ellis; Producer: Robert Ellis & Paul Moore; Publisher: Roger Elvis/New West Independent, BMI; New West (track) (www.robertellismusic.com)
—This ballad from his Photographs CD is carefully arranged with an echoey background vocal chorus, deliberately chorded piano and a judiciously played steel guitar. The Texan’s trembling vocal of a loser coming home is note perfect.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (8/10/11)

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With temperatures hovering near 100 muggy degrees, day after day, we have definitely reached the Dog Days of Summer in Tune Town.
In weather like this, who the heck feels like making the effort to find new music?
I do. I always do, especially when folks are playing at the top of their games.
This week, those folks include Reba, Jeff Bates and, especially, Danny Gokey. As for Miranda Lambert, she is completely in another league. As excellent as she has been so many times before, she outdoes herself with “Baggage Claim.” Give that Texas Tornado a Disc of the Day.
Newcomer Andy Gibson is off to a flying start. I don’t know when I have heard a debut single as terrific as his “Wanna Make You Love Me.” Welcome to the party, pal. You definitely have what it takes. Here’s a DisCovery Award to wish you well and send you on your way.
RELUCTANT SAINTS/Right Behind You
Writer: B.C. Wilson; Producer: Reluctant Saints & Jonathan Beckner; Publisher: none listed; Inio (track) (www.reluctantsaints.com)
—These roots rockers are receiving airplay on Atlanta’s biggest country station with this choppy, blue-eyed-soul bopper. The playing is cool, and the song is solid. What is lacking is a charismatic lead vocal.
REBA /Somebody’s Chelsea
Writer: Reba/Liz Hengber/Will Robinson; Producer: Dann Huff; Publisher: Zavitson/Red Sox Fan/Sony-ATV Cross Keys/Texoma Ten/Detect An Intruder/Big Loud Bucks, ASCAP/BMI; Starstruck/Valory (track)
—Lovely. A woman yearns to be part of a never-ending love story in this aching, heart-in-throat ballad.
COLTON JAMES/Date With Dixie
Writer: Colton James/Greg Crowe; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed, BMI; Ride ‘N’ High
—Trashy sounding. The too-busy rhythm track is irritating. His vocal tries to hard. The crowd whistling and shouting is overload. The lyric shamelessly name-checks “Free Bird,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Keep Your Hands to Yourself,” “The South’s Gonna Do It Again,” “Whiskey River,” “Dixieland Delight” and other Southern staples.
MIRANDA LAMBERT/Baggage Claim
Writer: Miranda Lambert/Natalie Hemby/Luke Laird; Producer: Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainley & Glenn Worf; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Pink Dog/Tiltawhirl/Universal-Careers/High Powered Machine, BMI; Columbia
—She’s wise to his “business trip” and is giving him his walking papers. The crunchy track is beyond cool with its chugging acoustic guitar, organ solo and slapped drumming. And it goes without saying that her vocal is busting with piping-hot personality. Play it again. And again.
TYLER DEAN/That Smile
Writer: Doug Johnson; Producer: Doug Johnson; Publisher: Mike Curb/Sweet Radical, BMI; Curb (CDX)
—Young sounding. The track is as breezy as his soft, romantic vocal.
DANNY GOKEY/Second Hand Heart
Writer: Cary Barlowe/Josh Kear/Shane Stevens; Producer: Mark Bright; Publisher: none listed, SESAC/ASCAP/BMI; 19/RCA (CDX)
—I love this guy’s voice. Here, he’s throaty and slightly raspy on the verses, then brightly mighty and skyward soaring on the choruses of this mid-tempo heart song. An absolutely stirring single.
JEFF BATES/He Wasn’t Like Us
Writer: Jeff Bates/Ben Hayslip/Brandon Kinney; Producer: Mickey Jack Cones & Kenny Beard; Publisher: Warner-Tamerlane/How ‘Bout That Skyline/Kinney Empire/WB/Melissa’s Money/Get a Load of This, BMI/ASCAP; Black River (CDX)
—Jeff returns with a terrific message song about bullying. The ballad follows the progress of a picked-on “slow” kid who grows up to be Jesus. This man’s gripping, deeply soulful voice is particularly potent here.
ANDY GIBSON/Wanna Make You Love Me
Writer: Jim Collins/Bobby Pinson; Producer: James Stroud; Publisher: Music of Cal IV/Music of Stage Three/Bobby’s Song and Salvage/BMG Chrysalis, BMI; R & J (CDX)
—Now here’s a toe tapper with a relentless, heartbeat rhythm. The production is totally in the pocket, the song craftsmanship is superb and, best of all, the singer’s delivery completely owns it with heartfelt tenor honesty. Who is this guy? Why isn’t this on a major label?
SUSAN HERNDON/Land Of The Living
Writer: Herndon; Producer: Lloyd Maines, Bob Livingston & Susan Herndon; Publisher: Okie Turtle, ASCAP; SH (track) (www.susanherndon.com)
—The groove has bopping panache. Her songwriting is characterized by simple charms. She won’t take home any vocal blue ribbons, but still has a sweetly innocent style.
FOLK FAMILY REVIVAL/Come Get Me
Writer: Mason Lankford/Barrett Lankford; Producer: Jeffrey Armstreet; Publisher: Magnolia Red/Poodawalamus, ASCAP; Magnolia Red (track) (www.folkfamilyrevival.com)
—This country rocker takes hold and never lets go. The hallmarks of the band are take-no-prisoners drumming, twanging guitar work and a drawling, conversational lead vocalist with chesty, out-of-breath phrasing. Rootsy and winning.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (8/3/11)

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It’s nice to know that country hasn’t forgotten its sense of humor.
Reckless Kelly’s “Good Luck & True Love” made me smile because of its cleverness. Sam Roark found me grinning from ear to ear with her merry “Check Out Girl.” Buddy Jewell had me openly chuckling from his performance of “Jesus, Elvis & Me.” And, trust me, you have GOT to listen to “No Beer Here” by Amy Ames. It is a complete hoot.
There was no contest for the DisCovery Award. Our winner is clearly Casey James. He might come from American Idol, but this Texan is more than a karaoke singer. He can actually play the guitar.
Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones of the duo Steel Magnolia recently became engaged to be married. Let me be the first with a congratulations gift, a Disc of the Day prize.
BILL GENTRY/This Letter
Writer: Arlos Smith/Rick Giles/Walker Hayes; Producer: Chad Carlson; Publisher: Jeff, Jack and the Mule/Plaid Cactus/1808/Purple Cape/Breaking New Ground/On a Walk/Sony-ATV Tree, SESAC/BMI; Tenacity (www.billgentrynatioin.com)
—The track is gorgeous, full of echoey bass, sighing steel, deftly twanged guitar and swooping fiddle. The producer seems to have fallen in love with it, too, for it sometimes threatens to overwhelm the clearly enunciated tenor vocal. The song’s too-predictable lyric is a case of romantic mistaken identity. The track fades with the same lovely instrumental work that introduces it. Worth some spins.
STEEL MAGNOLIA/Bulletproof
Writer: Lori McKenna/Chris Tompkins; Producer: Dann Huff; Publisher: Melanie Howard/Big Loud Songs, ASCAP; Big Machine (track)
—These newly engaged kids sing their faces off on this snarky rocker about surviving a bitter breakup. Meghan, in particular, is white-hot vocally here. Splendidly listenable.
MICHAEL MANDELLA/Simple Things
Writer: Eddie Cunningham/Jeffrey Steele; Producer: Michael Mandella; Publisher: none listed; MMM (track) (www.michaelmandellamusic.com)
—This slab of California beefcake (he’s posing shirtless on the CD cover) has titled his album American Outlaw. But its debut single is an attempt at down-the-center country balladry. I say, “attempt” because all the echo chamber in the world can’t hide those vocal pitch disasters. We’re talking painful, people.
CASEY JAMES/Let’s Don’t Call It A Night
Writer: Casey James/Brice Long/Terry McBride; Producer: Chris Lindsey; Publisher: EMI Foray/Songs of Send Me the Checks/Orbison/Turn Me On/BMG Chrysalis, SESAC/BMI; 19/BNA
—Another day, another American Idol alumnus. This one finished third on the show in 2010. His single is a nicely bluesy outing with a slow-burn, come-on lyric. Promising.
RECKLESS KELLY/Good Luck & True Love
Writer: Willy Braun; Producer: David Abeyta, Cody Braun & Willie Braun; Publisher: C&P Fah-Q, BMI; No Big Deal (track) (www.recklesskelly.com)
—I’ve always liked these guys. Their latest Austin outing is the album title tune that bops along with a personable vocal drawl, jingle-jangle guitars and cool “answering” harmony voices. In addition to great music, this project has spectacular graphics. Buy it.
BUDDY JEWELL/Jesus, Elvis & Me
Writer: Chris Stapleton/Tim James; Producer: Michael Bush & Buddy Jewell; Publisher: EMI April/Harry Fox/New Sea Gayle/Play Fairchild, ASCAP; Diamond Dust (CDX)
—Highly entertaining. The neo-rockabilly track gallops along while the lyric rattles off witty Elvis and holy-roller one liners. One favorite: “She loves to hear the preachin’ at a Southern revival/She takes a custom-made, blue-suede King James Bible.” Another: “She was singing ‘Rock of Ages’ first line third verse/It was all that I could do to keep from fallin’ in love/When she followed ‘Hallelujah’ with ‘thankyouverymuch.’”
AMY AMES/No Beer Here
Writer: Amy Ames/Eddie Hedges; Producer: Eddie Hedges; Publisher: Amy Ames/Eddie Hedges, BMI; Grand Channel (CDX) (www.amyames.com)
—This toe tapper has zippy fiddling, dandy banjo plunking and hilarious backup men practically burping their lines. The whole thing is so goofy and zany that it doesn’t even matter that she can just barely sing. Must be heard to be believed.
JOANNA MOSCA & RICHIE McDONALD/Where Does Good Love Go
Writer: Tania Hancheroff/Jimmy Ritchey/Billy Lawson; Producer: Bryan White; Publisher: Universal/Z Tunes/Fox Ridge/Artone, BMI/ASCAP; Dolce Diva (CDX) (917-701-5914)
—Richie leads things off with his hearty tenor. Her pert delivery takes over for a couple of lines before he begins harmonizing expertly. The mid-tempo tune is quite nicely penned. Another plus: it’s as country as grits.
NICK VERZOSA/She Only Loves Me When I’m Leavin’
Writer: Nick Verzosa/Matt Harlan; Producer: Walt Wilkins; Publisher: Tiyaga/Ghost Moon, BMI; Indie Extreme (www.nickverzosa.com)
—Send this to remedial melody camp. Uptempo dullsville.
SAM ROARK/Check Out Girl
Writer: Ron Davies/Ron Kimbro/Michael Witty; Producer: Joe Sun; Publisher: Meeshides/Cheap Cigar/Sleepover Boy, ASCAP; KAT (www.samroark.com)
—Samantha sings the sprightly, smiling tale of the grocery check-out gal who steals the cash from the register, hits the road with a touring band and then ditches the guys by taking off in their bus. I like the little breaks in her voice, the dobro-laced production and the rollicking tempo. Delightfully different.