DISClaimer Single Reviews (1/5/11)

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Happy New Year.
What a great way to start 2011: There’s not a stinker in this stack of platters.
You’ll find two DisCovery Award contenders here, The Don Ray Band and our winners, Brother Slade. Both of them are Nashvillians, by the way.
Similarly, we have two pop veterans in attendance, Johnny Mathis and Johnny Rivers.
But the Disc of the Day has no companions. The Zac Brown Band stands alone in its greatness.
BROTHER SLADE/Tom Petty Song
Writer: Marc Christian; Producer: Marc Christian; Publisher: Brother Slade, SESAC; Sully Boy (traqck) (www.brotherslade.com)
—This winsome four-piece band is based south of Music City in Franklin. On its debut single, the group sports a jangling, jaunty sound that’s mighty fine. The rootsy, drawling, conversational vocals are just right for the down-home lyric. The album is called No Relation, and it’s recommended.
THE BAND PERRY/You Lie
Writer: Brian Henningsen/Chris Henningsen/Aaron Henningsen; Producer: Paul Worley; Publisher: EMI Blackwood/How Bout That Skyline/Cactus Moser, BMI; Republic Nashville
—This trio of siblings broke through with a tender ballad in 2010. The follow-up is a slab of sass. Don’t be misled by the acoustic mandolin intro—this little doggie bites with sharp teeth. Attitude with a capital A.
MIKE DEKLE/Ode To Bob Dylan
Writer: Mike Dekle; Producer: Byron Hill; Publisher: Square D, ASCAP; Parlay (track) (www.mikedekle.com)
—Dekle is a Georgia songwriter noted for “Scarlet Fever” (Kenny Rogers), “Don’t Love Make a Diamond Shine” (Tracy Byrd), “Size Matters” (Joe Nichols) and “A Day in the Life of a Fool” (George Jones, Keith Whitley, Mark Chesnutt). His new Nashville-produced album is called Tributes. He sings with great country “heart.” Despite his hillbilly grit, he says in this song that he was inspired to become a songwriter by Dylan, rather than Haggard. It’s totally cool that he “wanted to be Mr. Tambourine Man.”
ZAC BROWN BAND/Colder Weather
Writer: Zac Brown/Wyatt Durrette/Levi Lowrey/Coy Bowles; Producer: Keith Stegall & Zac Brown; Publisher: Weimerhound/Lil’ Dub/Angelika/Southern Ground/Poppsolotamus, BMI; Atlantic (track)
—Zac sounds like a hillbilly James Taylor on this highly-melodic, folkie ballad. And, man, can his bandmates harmonize. Hang on to your hat when they get to the soaring midsection. I can’t get over how fantastic this group is. We are not worthy.
DON RAY BAND/On Top Of The Heap
Writer: Don Ray/Curt Ryle; Producer: Don Ray; Publisher: Margdon/Big Matador, BMI; Margdon (track) (www.donrayband.com)
—This Nashvillian has a growling, bluesy, bruiser delivery. On the title tune to his current CD, he is a working-class moaner with more than a little Southern-rock punch. For some grins, spin “Perfect Ten,” wherein he digs a fat chick to a rocking backbeat. “So Wicked” is voodoo swamper. “Boom Chika Wah Wah” and “Good Bad Boy” are irresistibly sexy. Heck, this whole album rawks. I bet these guys are great live.
JOHNNY RIVERS/New Home
Writer: Eric C. Bibb; Producer: Johnny Rivers & Oren Waters; Publisher: Bug, no performance rights listed; Soul City (www.johnnyrivers.com)
—This pop legend’s second country-leaning single is written by nouveau blues practitioner Eric Bibb (the son of folk star Leon Bibb), and that gives the lyric tremendous believability. Johnny has always enacted the poor boy effectively, and he continues that tradition here.
DANIELLE CAR/Walk Of Shame
Writer: Danielle Car; Producer: Chuck Alkazian & Danielle Car; Publisher: none listed; DC (track) (www.daniellecarmusic.com)
—I first encountered this Detroit country gal in last year’s Christmas column. It turns out that she also has a five-song EP that kicks off with this blistering, breakneck country rocker. Promising in the extreme.
JOHNNY MATHIS & ALISON KRAUSS/Let It Be Me
Writer: Gilbert Becaud/Mann Curtis; Producer: Fred Mollin; Publisher: France/Universal, ASCAP/SDRM; Columbia (track)
—This legendary crooner came to Nashville last year to make his latest CD. But despite the Music Row players and Music City repertoire (”Make the World Go Away,” “Crazy,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Please Help Me, I’m Falling,” “You Don’t Know Me” etc.), this is not an attempt at a “country” record. However, it is—as this string-embellished Everly Brothers remake perfectly illustrates—very, very pretty.
D.J. MILLER/A Little Naughty Is Nice
Writer: Charlie Black/Don Goodman/Robert Resnick; Producer: Morris, Goodman & Resnick; Publisher: none listed; Evegreen (615-327-3213)
—With its merry tempo and insistent guitar groove, it has the feel of a fun-ride Tilt-a-Whirl. Miller sings with verve and gusto while the track spins along.
PETE ANDERSON/Even Things Up
Writer: Pete Anderson; Producer: Pete Anderson, Michael Murphy & Tony Rambo; Publisher: Jessee Lee, BMI; Little Dog (track) (www.peteanderson.com)
—Guitar wonder and Dwight Yoakam hit producer Pete Anderson sings with a cool, sandpapery whisper on his current Even Things Up CD. The bluesy title tune has rumbling percussion and plenty of Pete-played harmonica and electric guitar. Music City’s Becca Bramlett is the esteemed guest lead vocalist on “Still in Love,” but otherwise this is Mr. Anderson’s showcase from top to bottom.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (12/21/10)

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I dread this column every year.

It’s not that I don’t like Christmas. Far from it. It’s just that so much bad music gets recorded in its name. And, as usual, there is far more of it than I can hope to cover in a column. Among the many left “out in the cold,” so to speak, are Clay Walker, D.J. Miller, Jackie Evancho, Suzy Bogguss, Jeff Cook, Pat Garrett, Sherwin Linton and Liz Anderson.

Working with what we could get into a review session, Highway 101 wins our Disc of the Day for this holiday season. They still sound sensational. Other recommendations for stocking stuffers are Mandy Barnett, Point of Grace and the cast of Glee.

Surprisingly, there are several DisCovery Award contenders. Rachel Holder and Danielle Car both sound like they have the pipes to become stars. But how can you deny an album called Merry Ex-mas, devoted to holiday songs for the divorced? Besides, just look at the names of the folks who’ve banded together as The Irreconcilables.

HIGHWAY 101/Six Gold Coins
Writer: Curtis Stone/Cactus Moser/Brian Henningson/Clara Henningson; Producer: Cactus Moser & Curtis Stone; Publisher: Cactus Doin’ Work/Hometown Jamboree/Skyline/Cactus Moser, ASCAP/BMI; Keytone (CDX) (www.highway101.net)
—This is drawn from the band’s DVD Christmas on Highway 101. It is arguably the best new original holiday tune of 2010. Nikki’s lead vocal is packed with emotion, and the band’s support is stellar. The ballad’s striking lyric is based on gold coins that anonymous donors drop into Salvation Army bell ringers’ kettles every year.

POINT OF GRACE /Labor Of Love
Writer: Andrew Peterson; Producer: Nathan Chapman & Stephanie Chapman; Publisher: New Spring, ASCAP; Word (CDX)
—The album is titled Home for the Holidays, and if there are any voices in Nashville who are more suited to Christmas music, I have yet to hear them. This new Yule song is a sweet, acoustic ballad about the event in the manger 2010 years ago.

THE IRRECONCILABLES/See Ya Santa
Writer: Don Pfrimmer/Will Robinson/Mike Reid; Producer: Fred Bogert, Mike Reid & Will Robinson; Publisher: EGBG/Detect an Intruder/Rivers and Roads, ASCAP/BMI; Merry Ex-Mas (track)
—New here’s a concept: Holiday songs for the divorced. The CD’s title is, naturally, Merry Ex-mas. It kicks off with this groovy, jazzy/bluesy outing. The track swings, and lead vocalist Joanna Cotten delivers the lyric with plenty of sass. Santa, you see, is a cheater. The other Irreconcilables are Fred Knobloch, Perry Danos, Paige Bainbridge, Danger Will (Robinson) and Oscar Franks.

MANDY BARNETT/Winter Wonderland
Writer: Felix Bernard/Richard B. Smith; Producer: Mandy Barnett; Publisher: WB, ASCAP; Rounder/Cracker Barrel (track)
—Mandy has the most “classic” sounding holiday disc of the year. All the tunes are standards, and the players are such A-listers as Harold Bradley, Hoot Hester, Gary Prim and Tony Migliore. This is the CD’s title tune and track #1, and it’s a sprightly outing, laced with plenty of Lloyd Green’s steel. Her vocal is, of course, flawless. (Full disclosure: I wrote the liner notes.)

DR. ELMO/Come On Boys, It’s Christmas
Writer: Potterton/Manry; Producer: Gary Potterton; Publisher: none listed, BMI; Laughing Stock/Time Life (track)
—“Dr. Elmo” is banjo playing Elmo Shropshire. If that doesn’t ring a bell, how about “Elmo & Patsy” who originated the classic “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer?” On his Bluegrass Christmas CD, he proves conclusively what a fluke that was. He can’t sing.

BURNS & POE/Hear The Angels Singing
Writer: Keith Burns/Michelle Poe; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Banshee/Bana Bear/Crane Wreck/Studio 33 Music Group/Poe Haus, BMI/SESAC; Blue Steel (www.burnsandpoe.com)
—Another new contribution to the Christmas repertoire. This one is a gentle ballad that features both vocalists singing softly to delicate, tinkling, acoustic accompaniment. Their harmonies on the choruses are just lovely.

GLEE/The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Writer: J. Marks; Producer: Adam Anders & Ryan Murphy; Publisher: St. Nicholas, ASCAP; Columbia (track)
—New cast member and native Nashvillian Chad Overstreet (Paul’s son) makes his disc debut on the Glee Christmas Album with this track. He plays “Sam” and gets several hearty standout lines during the ensemble singing of this standard. The male-male pairing of “Kurt” and “Blaine” on “Baby It’s Cold Outside” is raising eyebrows and getting lots of attention, but the rest of the Glee cast’s tracks are equally listenable.

BRITTANY ALLYN/Christmas Has A Way
Writer: Brittany Allyn; Producer: Chris Nole; Publisher: Mighty Pen, BMI; Mighty Pen (track) (www.brittanyallyn.com)
—The title tune to Allyn’s holiday collection is thin sounding. Plus, her singing sounds timid and tentative.

DANIELLE CAR/Save Your Cookies For Me
Writer: Danielle Car; Producer: Chuck Alkazian & Danielle Car; Publisher: none listed, BMI; DC (www.daniellecarmusic.com)
—This Detroit gal lays into this bluesy lament with blow-torch heat. She’s got some serious vocal firepower. By all means, lend her your ears.

LEE BRICE/O Holy Night
Writer: traditional, arranged by Lee Brice /Doug Johnson; Producer: Doug Johnson & Lee Brice; Publisher: public domain, arrangement Mike Curb/Sweet Hysteria/Sweet Radical, BMI; Curb (CDX)
—It wouldn’t be Christmas without a new version of “O Holy Night.” The song’s dynamics generally call for a vocalist of range, might and power. I wouldn’t think this guy would have the chops for it. And he doesn’t.

RACHEL HOLDER/Christmas Eve
Writer: Chris Frasca/Maria Chistiansen; Producer: Chuck Howard, Wilbur Rimes, Elmer Cole & Kevin Moore; Publisher: none listed; All Entertainment (www.rachelholder.com)
—At last! Some tempo. This toe-tapping bopper is underscored by slapping snare and bubbling bass. She sounds like she’s having a ball with this sexy little romance lyric. Deserving of massive airplay.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (12/15/10)

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The ladies rule the day.

There were only two of them in this listening session, but they bested the fellows to take our top two awards. Meaghan Blanchard hails from Canada. This talented singer-songwriter with a songbird’s voice wins the DisCovery Award.

Probably to no one’s surprise, Miranda Lambert has the Disc of the Day. But she was not without serious competition. The Randy Rogers Band, Trace Atkins, David Ball and Steve Holy also have excellent new sounds.

DAVID BALL/Hot Water Pipe
Writer: David Ball; Producer: David Ball & Dan Frizell; Publisher: Cedar Popping, BMI; Red Dirt (CDX) (615-347-9686)
—As country as grits. He sings with plenty of twang, and the chicken-pickin’ guitar work is splendid. And since this little toe tapper is about a cold, cold night, it couldn’t be more timely.

RICKY SKAGGS/Someday Soon
Writer: Gordon Kennedy/Ben Cooper; Producer: Ricky Skaggs & Gordon Kennedy; Publisher: GlennJoy/Alrighty Den, ASCAP/BMI; Skaggs Family (CDX) (www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com)
—Set to a steady, marching beat, this somber slowie is an end-of-life meditation. What a drag.

LARRY CHANCE/God Gave Me The Talent
Writer: Fred Imus/P. DiFranco; Producer: Dennis Money; Publisher: Imus, BMI; Laser (CDX) (www.larrychanceandhearts.com)
—There are two Larry Chance tracks on the current CDX. The first is a countrified remake of Jerry Butler’s classic “For Your Precious Love.” The second is this weepy lament. On both of them, you could drive a truck through his vibrato.

STEVE H0LY/Love Don’t Run
Writer: Joe Leathers/Ben Glover/Rachel Thibodeau; Producer: Lee Miller; Publisher: Mike Curb/Ghermkyle/9T One/Ariose/Little Champion/Dream Rock, BMI/ASCAP; Curb
—Beautifully produced. His plaintive, heartfelt tenor is initially supported by simple keyboard work. As the song builds, so does the instrumentation. The well-written power ballad is about keeping romance alive amid adversity and should resonate well with listeners.

JOHN CONNOLLY/The Wind
Writer: John Connolly; Producer: John Connolly & Donivan Cowart; Publisher: none listed, SOCAN; Sandbar (track) (www.johnconnolly.ca)
—The title tune to this Canadian’s six-song EP is a gentle, jaunty acoustic tune. His voice is breathy and soft, so the fiddle-and-guitar track is just the right sound. He wrote all six songs and definitely shows promise in that department.

MIRANDA LAMBERT/Heart Like Mine
Writer: Miranda Lambert/Travis Howard/Ashley Monroe; Producer: Frank Liddell & Mike Wrucke; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Pink Dog/Watsky/Reynsong, BMI/ASCAP; Columbia (track)
—The fourth single from Revolution is a cool, crunchy number with loads of tension and pent-up power. As usual, she sings like a fallen angel. The lyric paints her as a sinner with a heart of gold whom she thinks Jesus would understand. Performances like this are why this is the CMA Album of the Year.

GUY PENROD/Pray About Everything
Writer: Bob Regan/Jeff Stevens; Producer: Brent Rowan; Publisher: Green Hills/Big Loud Bucks/Travelers Ridge/House of Full Circle, ASCAP/BMI; Servant/Gaither (www.guypenrod.com)
—This Gaither Vocal Band mainstay has been testing the country waters for a few months now. This steel-embellished, uptempo outing is his strongest effort to date. The title phrase is his mom’s advice about life.

TRACE ADKINS/Brown Chicken Brown Cow
Writer: Kenny Beard/Rivers Rutherford/Casey Beathard; Producer: Michael Knox; Publisher: Melrose South/Universal/Macirhyoo/Sony-ATV Acuff-Rose/Six Ring Circus, ASCAP/BMI; Show Dog/Universal
—The farming couple takes a time out from laboring to strip and make love in the barn. It’s okay. The only ones watching are the title animals. This rocks in all the right ways.

MEAGHAN BLANCHARD/Chasin’ Lonely Again
Writer: Meaghan Blanchard; Producer: Meaghan Blanchard & Remi Arsenault; Publisher: none listed, SOCAN; Sandbar (track) (www.sandbarmusic.com)
—The title tune to this singer-songwriter’s collection is a lilting swing thing. Her floating soprano is backed by some very nifty, old-school, Les Paul style guitar picking. This is a delightful listening experience.

RANDY ROGERS BAND/Steal You Away
Writer: Jeff Middleton/Mark Mulch/Nick Mulch; Producer: Paul Worley; Publisher: Music of Stage Three/Stage Three/Mulch, BMI; MCA Nashville (CDX)
—I still dig his little vocal rasp. On this throbbing ballad of hot, yearning lust, the band creates a swirl of sexy, trembling sound while the singer falls into a fevered dream. Sheer sonic excellence.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (12/8/10)

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Brad Paisley performs “This is Country Music” at The 44th Annual CMA Awards (11/10). Photo: John Russell

The moment this listening session began, the rest of the platters might as well have packed up and gone home.

As soon as I saw Brad Paisley’s “This Is Country Music” in the stack, I knew what the Disc of the Day was going to be. And it is.

One interesting trend of this edition of DisClaimer was the presence of offspring of famous country families. Both of them, coincidentally, are named Nathan. Nathan Stanley is descended from Opry star Ralph Stanley. Nathan Osmond comes from the clan of Osmonds. He is also the DisCovery Award winner.

JOE HAND/Million Million Years
Writer: Joe Hand; Producer: Joe Hand; Publisher: McHand, BMI; Songsfamous (track) (www.joehand.com)
—Songwriter Hand has cleverly titled his CD Songs Famous People Should Sing. Furthermore, he specifies which artists he thinks each song is suited for. This upbeat, positive love song, he says, would be good for Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Vince Gill, Lonestar and/or Emerson Drive. It is somewhat wordy, but the chorus is hooky.

STEEL MAGNOLIA/Last Night Again
Writer: Joshua Scott Jones/Meghan Linsey/Hillary Lindsay; Producer: Dann Huff; Publisher: Universal/Kind Vibe/Meghan Linsey/Steel Mag/EMI Blackwood/Raylene, ASCAP/BMI; Big Machine
—Sweetly sexy. They hooked up last night, and both are ready for a repeat performance. The track bops nicely, and their harmony singing is splendid.

MATT BAILIE/Man Behind These Eyes
Writer: Matt Bailie/Donnie Van Zant/Aaron Sherz; Producer: Chip Martin & Matt Bailie; Publisher: MDB True Vibe Entertainment/Shanty Town, ASCAP/BMI; True Vibe (track) (www.mattbailiemusic.com)
—Did you write it with no melody on purpose?

BRAD PAISLEY/This Is Country Music
Writer: Brad Paisley/Chris DuBois; Producer: Frank Rogers; Publisher: House of Sea Gayle/Words & Music, ASCAP; Arista
—I was completely charmed by this when he introduced it during the CMA telecast last month. Evidently, a lot of radio folks were too, for it has become the second song from the awards show that they’ve asked for now (the other being the Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson duet). In addition to having the coolest lyric, it boasts an absolutely brilliant guitar solo. This just might be country music’s national anthem.

NATHAN OSMOND/Feels Like Heaven
Writer: Jim Collins/Marv Green/Dean Sams; Producer: Gary Baker & Nathan Osmond; Publisher: Hope N Cal/Living Big/Warner-Tamerlane, BMI; Ntune (track) (801-553-3480)
—Nathan is the son of Alan Osmond of The Osmonds. He’s definitely inherited the family’s musical genes. He sings with plenty of conviction and emotion. The title tune to his CD is a wide-open power ballad with a chorus that leaves him room to cut loose into his upper register. Seven tunes are co-produced with Gary Baker, and the other four are co-produced with Lonestar’s Dean Sams.

ALABAMA/Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way
Writer: Waylon Jennings; Producer: Alabama & Witt Stewart; Publisher: Universal Songs of PolyGram, BMI; Scatter/Big Machine (www.waylonjennings.com)
—This doesn’t stray far from Waylon’s original arrangement. A few lyrics are altered, which irritated me. And, frankly, I missed the swagger and snarl of Waylan’s delivery. It is drawn from a forthcoming tribute album titled The Music Inside: A Collaboration Dedicated to Waylon Jennings.

LUCY BILLINGS/Daddy’s Last Drive
Writer: Lucy J. Billings; Producer: John Jennings; Publisher: none listed; Sassy Time (track) (www.lucybillings.com)
—Producer Jennings is previously noted for his work with the esteemed Mary Chapin Carpenter. Why he chose to work with this bland, wimpy, limp vocalist is beyond me.

THE GRASCALS & DOLLY PARTON/I Am Strong
Writer: Jamie Johnson/Susanne Mumpower-Johnson/Jenee Fleenor; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; BluGrascal (track) (www.grascals.com)
—The Grascals upcoming CD is a Cracker Barrel project that teams the band with various country celebs (Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Tom T. Hall, Darryl Worley, Joe Nichols, The Oak Ridge Boys, Charlie Daniels). The package’s single is an empowering anthem that’s far more country than bluegrass. It’s about a child with cancer, and a portion of the album’s proceeds benefits St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

NATHAN STANLEY & VINCE GILL/The White Dove
Writer: Carter Stanley; Producer: Nathan Stanley & Alan Maggard; Publisher: none listed;  NS (track) (615-248-8105)
—Nathan is the 17-year-old grandson of Ralph Stanley. He has a pure and true Appalachian tenor voice, and his My Kind of Country CD indicates that he already has plenty of fans in the country community. His collaborators on it include Gene Watson, Patty Loveless, Marty Stuart & Connie Smith, Ricky Skaggs, John Anderson and Jimmy Dickens, as well as his father and grandfather. This performance with Vince on high harmony is the lovely, mournful bluegrass waltz initially popularized by his forebears The Stanley Brothers.

GURF MORLIX/Blaze Foley’s 113th Wet Dream
Writer: Blaze Foley; Producer: Gurf Morlix; Publisher: Texas Ghostwriters/Bug, BMI; Rootball (track) (www.gurfmorlix.com)
—Blaze Foley was one of the great characters in Texas music. Morlix, noted for his work producing Lucinda Williams and other roots music makers, is releasing an entire album of his late friend’s compositions. It is a listening delight, throughout. This title tune is a witty and wacky outing with Morlix rasping the lyric and strumming dandy twang guitar. On “If I Could Only Fly,” Foley’s best known song, he is joined by Kimmie Rhodes on harmony vocal. Heartily recommended.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (12/1/10)

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This week the newsmakers come not from the ranks of our country stars, but from the members of Nashville’s ever expanding pop/rock community.

A slew of Music City’s biggest headliners from this world have buzz-worthy current releases. Kings of Leon, Sheryl Crow, Paramore, Michael W. Smith and Leon Russell head a parade of record makers you need to support.

We have a tie for Disc of the Day. I simply could not choose between Sheryl Crow and Leon Russell, so I won’t. Buy them both at once. By the way, both Elton & Leon and Kings of Leon are available on vinyl LPs.

I don’t give out a Song of the Day award, but if I did it would be for “How We Love.” By the time Beth Nielsen Chapman finished singing it, tears were rolling down my cheeks.

Our DisCovery Award goes to the John Jorgenson Quintet. Its twirling gypsy sound will make you delirious.

PARAMORE/Playing God
Writer: Hayley Williams/Josh Farro; Producer: Rob Cavallo & Paramore; Publisher: WB/But Father I Just Want to Sing/Josh’s/FBR, ASCAP; Atlantic/Fueled By Ramen (track)
—The new single from the Brand New Eyes CD is a jangly rumbler with a hard rocking chorus. Hayley’s snarly soprano is especially effective in this diatribe against a judgmental partner. Rocking, literate and melodic, all at the same time.

MARSHALL CHAPMAN/Big Lonesome
Writer: Chapman/Krekel; Producer: Michael Utley & Marshall Chapman; Publisher: none listed; TallGirl (track) (www.tallgirl.com)
—The title tune to Marshall’s new CD is surprisingly countrified. Particularly since the harmony vocalist and guitarist is the late, rocking Tim Krekel, to whom the CD is dedicated. But there you have it, complete with twanging electric, steel and dobro. Fear not fans, on the rest of the album, she’s as eclectic as ever, serving up everything from blues (”Mississippi Man in Mexico”) to pop (”Falling Through the Trees”) to swing (”Sick of Myself”) to rock (”I Love Everybody”) and even a cover of “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” In fact, this is her best collection in years.

JARS OF CLAY/Out Of My Hands
Writer: Jars of Clay/Gabe Ruschival/Jeremy Lutito; Producer: Jars of Clay; Publisher: Bridge Building/Pogostick/Chigostick/Dudie, BMI; Gray Matters/Sony/
Essential (track)
—This million-selling Christian alt-rock band’s current The Shelter CD is comprised of collaborative tracks with other like-minded music makers (Brandon Heath, David Crowder, Amy Grant, etc.). This shuffled, meditative, melodic tune features Mike Donehey. Definitely pop-crossover material.

KINGS OF LEON/Radioactive
Writer: Caleb Followill/Nathan Followill/Jared Followill/Matthew Followill; Producer: Angelo Petraglia & Jackquire King; Publisher: Pistola/Sinderella’s Grass Slipper/McFearless/Coffee Tea or Me/Bug/Silent But Violent, ASCAP/BMI; RCA (vinyl 45)
—Anthemic, in a U2-ish kinda way. The guitars are a stuttering, twittering swirl of sound, and the lead vocal soars. The B-side of the 45 features the West Angeles Mass Choir, which underscores the song’s seriousness of purpose. The New York Times has called its Come Around Sundown parent album, “the rock blockbuster of the new season.” Ain’t that nice? Be looking for it somewhere in tomorrow’s list of announced Grammy Award nominees.

SHERYL CROW/Sign Your Name
Writer: Maitreya Sananda; Producer: Doyle Bramhall & Justin Stanley; Publisher: none listed; A&M (track)
—Sheryl’s current CD is called 100 Miles from Memphis because her hometown of Kennett, MO is, indeed, 100 miles to the north. The collection is informed by the soul music that Memphis is noted for, perhaps nowhere more so than on this cover of the sensuous Terence Trent D’Arby smash of 1988. Sheryl’s version is appropriately slinky, funky and groove soaked. The harmony singing comes courtesy of guest star Justin Timberlake, who is famously a Memphis native. (Elsewhere on the album, Keith Richards makes an appearance.) Essential listening.

JOHN JORGENSON/One Stolen Night
Writer: Jorgenson; Producer: John Jorgenson; Publisher: Jorgensongs/Bug, BMI; J2 (track) (www.johnjorgenson,com)
—This Middle Tennessee guitar slinger—formerly of The Desert Rose Band (1986-1994)and Elton John’s touring troupe (1994-2000)—has two current albums on the market. This is the swoon-y title tune to a gypsy/flamenco/jazz collection by The John Jorgenson Quintet (which also includes violinist Jason Anick, bassist Simon Planting, percussionist Rick Reed and rhythm guitarist Kevin Nolan). On this gorgeous CD, John plays guitar, bouzouki, clarinet and soprano sax. The other album is Istiqbal Gathering, a pop-classical collaboration with Orchstra Nashville and The Turtle Island Quartet. Recorded live, it is a rich sonic marvel with Jorgenson’s acoustic guitar surrounded by strings and things. Both albums are superb listening experiences.

ELTON JOHN & LEON RUSSELL/If It Wasn’t For Bad
Writer: Leon Russell; Producer: T Bone Burnett; Publisher: Young Carney, ASCAP; Decca (track)
—I am a huge, huge Leon Russell fan. So is Elton John, which is the reason for their new collaboration, The Union. Appropriately, the set’s first single belongs to the senior member of the team. Nashvillian Russell is just as soulful as ever, and John slips easily into his swampy, steamy vocal groove. Leon’s gin-house/gospel piano leads the way. Listening to these two masters together is beyond heavenly. This is easily one of the greatest albums of 2010, regardless of genre.

KIM RICHEY/Wreck Your Wheels
Writer: Kim Richey/Mando Saenz; Producer: Nielson Hubbard; Publisher: Chrysalis Songs/Red Equals Luck/Scramblemusic/Carnival, BMI/ASCAP; Thirty Tigers (track) (www.kimrichey.com)
—The title tune to Kim’s new CD is a steady-thumping romantic dreamscape that is sparely arranged to spotlight her languid vocal phrasing. Get a load of this supporting cast on the disc—Jeremy Lister, Will Kimbrough, Matthew Ryan and David Henry, plus producer Hubbard contributing bass, piano, glock, organ and overall haunting atmosphere. Delicious-sounding pop nirvana.

BETH NIELSEN CHAPMAN/How We Love
Writer: Beth Nielsen Chapman; Producer: Beth Nielsen Chapman; Publisher: Prismlight, SESAC/PRS; BNC (track) (www.bethnielsenchapman.com)
—As usual, she is gloriously melodic and ultra heartfelt on this stunning ballad from her new, self-produced Back to Love collection. Her yearning vocal and Gary Malkins’s elegant piano playing are joined by a magnificently supportive mass of violas, cellos and violins. If this doesn’t bring a lump to your throat, you are made of stone, my friend.

MICHAEL W. SMITH/Save Me From Myself
Writer: Lau Hojen/Soren Balsner/Morten Thorhauge; Producer: Michael W. Smith & Bryan Lenox; Publisher: Bert’s Songs/Universal, ASCAP; Sony/Reunion/
Provident (track)
—This CCM star hasn’t had a big pop crossover hit since 1991 (”Place in This World”). But his brilliantly produced new Wonder CD could definitely change that. This sonically dense lead off track/single piles electronics, keyboards and his tenor vocal on top of blustering beats in a way that is stirring, to say the least. The album also includes two secular love songs, “You Belong to Me” and “Forever Yours.”

DISClaimer Single Reviews (11/24/10)

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Before you dismiss this list as a pack of nobodies, check the fine print.

Between them, these minor leaguers have ties to such major leaguers as The Bellamy Brothers, George Jones, Jason & The Scorchers, former Georgia Satellite Dan Baird, Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker and Charlie Daniels. Plus, there’s a surprising amount of class on display.

The Atlanta-based foursome Ponderosa wins a DisCovery Award with its rootsy, rocking “Old Gin Road,” a preview of its CD dropping in January. Recorded in Nashville, this disc appears on New West Records, a label that last made news by releasing the soundtrack to Crazy Heart with its Oscar winning “The Weary Kind” track.

Rehab tours with the afore-mentioned Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker and has also collaborated with Hank Williams Jr. I’m not sure what to call the band’s sound, but whatever it is, it wins Disc of the Day. And, yes, the group’s roots were planted in a rehab facility.

JESSE BREWSTER/I’m Not Broken
Writer: Jesse Brewster; Producer: Jesse Brewster; Publisher: none listed; Crokked Prairie (track) (www.jessebrewster.com)
—His voice is somewhat lightweight for the heavy, rocking chorus instrumentation. He does get points for whistling the bridge.

COLDWATER CANYON BAND/Nobody Knows
Writer: Gary H. Fisher; Producer: Sean “CT” Thomas; Publisher: none listed, BMI; KountreeBoyZ Entertainment (track) (www.dehtyme.com)
—It has a mellow, west-coasty, breezy thing going on. The Eagles-derived harmonies, heartache lyric, whispered organ and meaty melody are all mighty easy on the ears. Absolutely lend these guys your time.

ERIC LEE BEDDINGFIELD & GEORGE JONES/The Gospel According To Jones
Writer: Barber/Beddingfield/Fears; Producer: Kent Wells; Publisher: Rebel Dawg/Bar Frog/Faverett Tracks, BMI; Rebel Dawg (track)
—The packaging is sensational, a multi-fold-out concept I’ve never seen before. The album is titled This Life Ain’t For Everybody. On this stand-out ballad, Eric is an existential honky-tonker addressing his barroom congregation by moaning and quoting the Possum’s song titles. The boy can definitely sing it country. George’s cameo vocal occurs at the finale.

REHAB/Welcome Home
Writer: D. Alexander/M. Hartnett/W. Scheiner; Producer: Ed Rowland; Publisher: Warner Robbins/M. Hartnett/Wayne Scheiner, BMI/ASCAP; Universal Republic (track)
—The singing and beats are so rapid-fire that it is almost like rap. But the lyric is loaded with hillbilly heart, the harmonies are straight from church and the sentiments are as country as all get out. A very creative sonic adventure.

BRUCE BROWN/Off The Edge
Writer: Bruce Brown; Producer: Bruce Brown & Casey Wood; Publisher: Brass Crab, BMI; BB (track) (www.brucebrownmusic.com)
—Bruce has been in the Charlie Daniels Band for more than 20 years. He’s a guitarist with a deft touch who’s also handy with a hooky melody. On this instrumental title tune to his new CD, he makes his axe “talk” almost like a human voice. It’s a really cool listening experience. Elsewhere on the album, he sings in a jazzy, groove-soaked kinda tone. Recommended.

PONDEROSA/Old Gin Road
Writer: Kalen Nash/Jonathan Thomas Hall; Producer: Joe Chiccarelli; Publisher: FSMGI/Chrysalis One/West Bay, IMRO/BMI; New West (track) (www.popnderosamusic.com)
—The debut single from the band’s Moonlight Revival CD is a grinding, soulful, melodic  country rocker, very much in the footsteps of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Which is to say it is very, very excellent, indeed.

STACIE COLLINS/Hey Mister
Writer: Collins/Collins/Hodges; Producer: Dan Baird; Publisher: Collinsville/Nashville Flash/Bug, SESAC/BMI; Rev (track) (www.staciecollins.com)
—I hear she burned the house down at her album-release party last week. She’s a harp-blowing rocker with attitude to spare. On this lead track to her Sometimes Ya Gotta CD, she wails with a funky backbeat and snarling electric guitars (thank you Warner Hodges and Dan Baird) behind her. Excitement on plastic.

JESSE AND NOAH /First Call After Last Call
Writer: Jesse Bellamy/Danny E. Simpson; Producer: Jesse Bellamy & Noah Bellamy; Publisher: Skunk Ape/Dancin’ Dawg/Paramount, ASCAP/BMI; Luna Chica (track) (www.jesseandnoah.com)
—With a title like this, you expect a little humor or maybe some honky-tonk guilt. Instead, it’s a romantic swoon about a musician who can’t wait to go home to his sweetie. Jesse’s lead vocal is strikingly reminiscent of their famous father David Bellamy’s croon.

THE LAWS/Try Love
Writer: John Lee/Michelle Lee/A.J. Master; Producer: J.P. Cormier; Publisher: SWITR/Can of Words/Moo Ka Moo, SOCAN/BMI; JML (track) (www.thelaws.com)
—The title tune to this Canadian husband-wife duo’s CD is rather underproduced. John’s lead vocal is expressive and soulful, but all that backs him are an acoustic guitar and mandolin. Folk hootenanny, anyone?

CASEY DILWORTH/Keepn’ It Simple
Writer: Darrell Hincks/Richard Fagan; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Broadminded, BMI; CD (track)
—The title tune to Casey’s CD is a gently strummed romantic ballad. He sings well, but I nodded off.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (11/17/10)

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The trend of the day is career transition.

A number of name-brand stars are reinventing themselves by recording in varying shades of bluegrass. We have previously noted this in records by Merle Haggard, Ken Mellons, Patty Loveless, Dolly Parton and others. This week, we find Joe Diffie and Michael Martin Murphey in their ranks, plus former country chart makers Donna Ulisse and Tim O’Brien continuing on this path.

Ironically, Ricky Skaggs, among the first to make a country-to-bluegrass transition, is now working under the influence of pop mastermind Gordon Kennedy to craft a distinctly non bluegrass sound. Lend him your ears.

Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson nail down the Disc of the Day award with the goose-bumpy duet they introduced on the CMA Awards telecast.

In an unusual listening session, the DisCovery Award also goes to someone with a ballad performance. That would be The Harters, a sibling trio produced by the esteemed Keith Stegall.

MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY/Blue Sky Riding Song
Writer: M.M. Murphey; Producer: Ryan Murphey; Publisher: 3M/Bro ‘N’ Sis, BMI; Rural Rhythm (track) (www.ruralrhythm.com)
—Murphey calls what he plays these days, “Buckaroo Bluegrass.” He sings mostly the same way, but now draws his backing musicians from a talent pool that includes Rob Ickes, Ronny McCoury, Sam Bush, Pat Flynn, Charlie Cushman and Andy Leftwich. His current CD draws its title, Riding Song, from this rapid-fire track. It showcases the fleet-fingered bluegrass sidemen more than it does its writer and singer. Instrumental sounds to tickle the brain.

LEANN RIMES/Crazy Women
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Curb
—“They hauled her off in high heels and handcuffs.” He treats her wrong, so she goes over the edge, torching his car, among other things. The conclusion to this snazzy rocker? “Crazy women are made by crazy men.” A winner.

JOE DIFFIE/Tennessee Tea
Writer: Joe Diffie/Billy Joe Foster; Producer: Joe Diffie & Luke Wooten; Publisher: Diffitunes/Billy Joe Foster, BMI; Rounder (track) (www.joediffie.com)
—After co-writing the 2005 chart topper “My Give a Damn’s Busted,” Joe took a left turn toward bluegrass music. His CD is titled, simply, Homecoming: The Bluegrass Album. His yearning vocal style fits the genre like a glove. On this sizzling barn burner, he wails up a storm while red-hot pickers flicker around him. The album’s cast is a who’s-who of acoustic music, including Rhonda Vincent, The Grascals, Alecia Nugent, Bradley Walker, Byran Sutton, Aubrey Haynie, Harley Allen, Carl Jackson, Mike Compton and Sonya Isaacs. With a talent level that high, you don’t have to be a bluegrass fan to love this album.

ALAN JACKSON/Ring Of Fire
Writer: June Carter/Merle Kilgore; Producer: Keith Stegall; Publisher: Painted Desert, BMI; Arista (track)
—As you might expect, it’s a somewhat mellower vocal take on this Cash classic. Groovy electric guitars replace the distinctive Mexicali trumpets heard on the original. Lee Ann Womack’s backup singing is also a plus. The song is so strong, that if you let it just carry you along like this, you’ll be rewarded. And Alan is.

DONNA ULISSE/Caney Creek To Canaan Land
Writer: Donna Ulisse/Rick Stanley; Producer: Keith Sewell; Publisher: Uncle Hadley/Pop ‘N’ Paw, ASCAP; Hadley Music Group (track) (www.donnaulisse.com)
—I was a big fan of this lady when she was an Atlantic Records country act in the 1990s. She’s been making bluegrass records for the past several years. The new one, Holy Waters, is a bluegrass-gospel collection that kicks off with this this spirited shouter. With the exception of a cover version of The Stanley Brothers chestnut, “Who Will Sing for Me,” the entire CD is self-composed.

JASON ALDEAN & KELLY CLARKSON/Don’t You Wanna Stay
Writer: Jason Sellers/Paul Jenkins/Andy Gibson; Producer: Michael Knox; Publisher: Sony-ATV Cross Keys/Becky’s Boy/Godfather Rich/Do Write, ASCAP; Broken Bow (track)
—Response to the pair’s performance of this on the CMA Awards has been so enthusiastic that the duet is now being serviced to radio. He’s up higher in the mix here than he was on the telecast, but she still owns the power ballad with that sensational range of hers. A thrilling listening experience.

RICKY SKAGGS/Mosaic
Writer: Gordon Kennedy/Ben Cooper; Producer: Ricky Skaggs & Gordon Kennedy; Publisher: Vistaville/Brown Eyed Blonde/Almighty Den, ASCAP/BMI; Skaggs Family/Fontana (track) (www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com)
—Ricky is at the top of his game on his latest gospel collection. This pop-flavored title tune features thumping drumming, electric guitar and organ. Elsewhere on the collection, you’ll find string sections, steel guitar, bouzouki, synthesizer, piano, choirs and Irish fife, among other eclectic sounds. Those who have become accustomed to his bluegrass discs are in for a shock. But this is wildly creative stuff. Check out the gloriously electrified and uplifting “My Cup Runneth Over,” for instance.

THE HARTERS/If I Run
Writer: Leslie Harter/Michael Harter/Rachel Williams; Producer: Keith Stegall; Publisher: Tunes of Bigger Picture/Bug/Rain Valley/Anozera/Sage House, ASCAP; Bigger Picture
—This trio of siblings stages its debut with a lovely. lustrous ballad that begins with Leslie trembling in anticipation, then being joined by her brothers in lushly harmonized choruses. Hang on for the bridge when everybody starts weaving vocal parts in and out of the mix. In a word, fabulous.

TIM O’BRIEN/You Ate The Apple
Writer: Tim O’Brien/Jonathan Byrd; Producer: Tim O’Brien; Publisher: Cornbread Nation/Bluewater, ASCAP/SESAC; Howdy Skies (track) (www.timobrien.net)
—This wry commentary on Eden is a folk ditty that kicks off Tim’s current Chicken & Egg collection. Stuart Duncan’s jazzy fiddle accompanies Tim’s scat singing brilliantly. The rest of the CD is a showcase for his always inventive songwriting style(s). The man is a Music City treasure.

THE STEELDRIVERS/The Reckless Side Of Me
Writer: Chris Stapleton/Mike Henderson; Producer: Luke Wooten & The SteelDrivers; Publisher: Sea Gayle/Son of a Miner/Irving/Chicken Shack, ASCAP/BMI; Rounder (track) (www.steeldrivers.com)
—The second SteelDrivers CD is also, alas, apparently the last one that will feature the gripping singing of Chris Stapleton. I hear he is now heading in a rock direction. The Restless collection kicks off with this uptempo rouser that typifies what is so great about this band—the combination of the bluegrass instrumentation and Chris’s bruiser, blue-eyed soul voice. The bluesy fiddling of Tammy Rogers, in particular, stands out on this track.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (11/10/10)

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Will the mystery makers please stop?

One of the more frustrating parts of this job is getting an indie record from an unknown that contains almost no information about them on it. I refer to this week’s DisCovery Award winners The English Project. No songwriter, publisher or production info on the disc whatsoever. Don’t you want someone to find you? I know next to nothing about these people, but “614” is the area code for Columbus, Ohio, so you might start your search there

The top award this week is a toughie. Both Taylor Swift and Sugarland are absolutely at the tops of their games, and Darius Rucker isn’t far behind. For sheer sonic creativity, I’m giving Disc of the Day to Sugarland. But by all means, program all three at once.

RACHEL TIMBERLAKE/Honky Tonk Queen
Writer: Rachel Timberlake/Dany White/Brett Stilwell; Producer: Danny White; Publisher: none listed; RT (track) (www.racheltimberlake.com)
—As its title suggests, it’s a hell-raising, beer-drinkin,’ redneck stomper. Unfortunately, the track raises much more of ruckus than her vocal performance.

SUGARLAND/Little Miss
Writer: Jennifer Nettles/Kristian Bush; Producer: Byron Gallimore, Kristian Bush & Jennifer Nettles; Publisher: Jennifer Nettles/Dirkpit, ASCAP/BMI; Mercury Nashville (track)
—Very cool. The production is a whirling, swirling delight with its multiple layers of percussion, keyboards and acoustic guitar. Their voices intertwine beautifully on the choruses, which, by the way, do not contain the title phrase. In a reversal of the ordinary, you’ll find “Little Miss” sprinkled throughout the verses. Wonderfully creative.

LONNIE SPIKER/The Gospel According to Hank
Writer: Lonnie Spiker; Producer: Justin Trevino; Publisher: Den N Dust, ASCAP; Heart of Texas (track) (www.lonniespiker.com)
—The steel-and-fiddle drenched track is country with a capital “C.” And any lyric that drops Hank Williams song titles left and right is okay by me. For all the unreconstructed hillbillies among us.

DARIUS RUCKER/This
Writer: Darius Rucker/Frank Rogers/Kara DioGuardi; Producer: Frank Rogers; Publisher: Universal/Cadaja/House of Sea Gayle/Sunshine Terrace/Bug, ASCAP/BMI; Capitol Nashville (track)
—I thought “Come Back Song” was a perfect little record. This returns Darius to his more familiar domestic-bliss mode. I dig the rapid-fire lyric delivery amid the beefy beats.

KELLY PARKES/Nothing
Writer: Jason Matthews/Lisa Carver/Gwen Sebastian; Producer: Darran Smith, Mike Borchetta & Judy Rodman; Publisher: Steel Wheels/Big Loud Bucks/Matthews Millions/Big Red Tractor/Chugwa Mountain/Midnight Ride, BMI/ASCAP; Lofton Creek/Edge (615-288-4234)
—Her heartbreak delivery is strong and true. The song’s sturdy choruses tremble with pent-up power. She’s gonna dust herself off and move on somehow, because “the only thing wrong to do is Nothing.” A promising debut.

TAYLOR SWIFT/Back to December
Writer: Taylor Swift; Producer: Nathan Chapman & Taylor Swift; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Taylor Swift, BMI; Big Machine (track)
—She runs into an old flame and finds herself swallowing her pride and apologizing while strings soar and an electric guitar shudders. The orchestral arrangement is simply sensational, and her delivery aches with believability. All in all, a stunning piece of work.

SYLKIE MONOFF/Laughin’
Writer: Sylkie Monoff; Producer: Sylkie Monoff; Publisher: none listed, GEMA/SESAC; Genuine (track) (www.sylkiemonoff.com)
—She’s a tad pitch-y, on the sharp side. But her production touch and songwriting are both adequate.

CHUCK WICKS/Old School
Writer: Chuck Wicks/Chris Tompkins/Rodney Clawson; Producer: Michael Knox; Publisher: Universal-MGB/CEW/Big Loud Songs/Angel River/Big Loud Bucks/Big Red Toe/Amarillo Sky, ASCAP/BMI; RCA
—Languid, in a hot summertime kinda way. Is November the right month for something like this? One thing I thought was cute was that he sent it out to reviewers on a cassette tape.

THE ENGLISH PROJECT/Here I Am
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; The English Project (614-348-3044)
—This is an Ohio duo consisting of Lindsey English and Dan O’Connor. Both of them sing quite capably. On this power ballad, she takes a verse, then he does. When they harmonize together, the track swells and crashes around them. Nicely done. Lend this your ears.

FOREST WAYNE ALLEN/Seven Day Bender
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed, BMI; Cabin Creek (www.forestwayneallen.com**)
—He can just barely sing, and the track sounds like a cheap demo.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (11/03/10)

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There is nothing particularly earth shattering to report this week.

The column is very much a mixed bag, everything from rocking Elvis to bluegrass Rhonda. Steven Dale Jones is holding down the singer-songwriter slot. Katie Armiger is here with youth appeal. Rosehill, Lathan Moore and Bill Rice have returned and confirmed themselves as promising.

Our two contenders for Disc of the Day are both relative newcomers on major labels, Josh Thompson and our winner, Easton Corbin. He just sings so darn well.

By virtue of the fact that she’s the only complete unknown in this stack of platters, North Carolina’s Madonna Nash takes home a DisCovery Award.

KATIE ARMIGER/Best Song Ever
Writer: Katie Armiger/Amanda Flynn/Bruce Wallace; Producer: Chad Carlson; Publisher: Purple Monkeys/Miss Tomasina/Miss Shaw/Purple Cape/Ole, SESAC/BMI; Cold River ()
—Very pop, like a ‘60s “girl-group” ditty. It is a deceptively bouncy revenge fantasy, complete with cheery “Woah-Oh’s.”

STEVEN DALE JONES/Grandmother’s Song
Writer: Jones; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; SDJ (track) (www.stevendalejones@yahoo.com)
—On his 10 Favorites CD, hit songwriter Jones offers his own takes on the Diamond Rio popularized “One More Day” and “I Know How the River Feels” plus a clutch of others just as well crafted. His singing is so fine throughout the set that you’ll wonder why he doesn’t record more. This track movingly describes an elderly musician in a nursing home, struggling to hold onto her dignity and her spirit. The sound of truth. It will touch you. I promise.

EASTON CORBIN/I Can’t Love You Back
Writer: Carson Chamberlain/Clint Daniels/Jeff Hyde; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Publisher: FSMGI/WCCR/State One Music America/Sony-ATV/Mammaw’s Cornbread, IMRO/BMI; Mercury Nashville (track) ()
—CMA New Artist of the Year nominee Corbin is back with a broken-hearted ballad. It showcases what a richly textured singing voice he possesses in that the verses are hushed meditations and the choruses are high-tenor shouts to the heavens. Very effective indeed.

ROSEHILL/Midnight America
Writer: Michael Dulaney/Steven Dale Jones; Producer: Radney Foster & Jay Clementi; Publisher: Michael Dulaney/Steven Dale Jones/Mojave Rain/Full Circle/WB/, ASCAP; Cypress Creek (track) (www.rosehill-live.com)
—I like these guys. Rosehill is comprised of Blake Myers and Mitch McBain, and back in June they won a DisCovery Award in this column. They sing with gumption and drive. And get a load of the production and songwriting credits. This super-melodic and hooky thing rocks splendidly. I’m in.

BILL RICE/Friday Night
Writer: none listed; Producer: Bill Rice & Roger Blevins Jr.; Publisher: none listed; Aaron Ave (830-253-8813)
—He has his buddies, his jalopy and his poor-folks fun. A nicely drawn portrait of small-town America. His vocal is appropriately dusty and yearning.

JOSH THOMPSON/Won’t Be Lonely Long
Writer: Josh Thompson/Arlis Albritton/George Ducas; Producer: Michael Knox; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Songs of Better Angels/Blank Sheet/Warner-Tamerlane/Salt Life/Big Hits of Amylase/Pure Blue, BMI; Columbia (track) ()
—Do not be deceived by the downbeat opening phrases. In no time, this transforms into a lively, chugging, honky-tonk, “kiss-off” number. He figures he’s lucky that she broke up with him at 7:00 on a Friday night, ‘cause that gives him plenty of time to get loaded, dance and pick up girls. Rowdy fun.

LATHAN MOORE/Love in Your Life
Writer: Matt McClure/John Paul Williams/Stan Swinarski; Producer: Rick Holt & Norro Wilson; Publisher: Bow to Stern/Blonde Leading Blind/Flatlanders, BMI; Blue Steel (track) (www.lathanmoore.com)
—This former DisCovery Award winner is back with a second single. I still like his robust singing voice, but this lyric is a little preachy for my taste.

RHONDA VINCENT/Sweet Summertime
Writer: Donna Webster; Producer: Rhonda Vincent & The Rage; Publisher: Sally Mountain, BMI; Upper Management (track) (www.rhondavincent.com)
—The Queen of Bluegrass is making a couple of gutsy moves in forming her own record label and producing herself. This single from her new Taken CD features rippling banjo and guitar work from Rage members Aaron McDaris and Ben Helson, respectively, not to mention a brilliant mandolin break from the lady, herself. The lilting, wistful tune also features sterling vocal harmonies from the guys. (Could it be that this song is the single because it name-checks Martha White, which just so happens to be her tour sponsor?) Guests elsewhere on the album include Dolly Parton, Rhonda’s daughters Tensel and Sally, Little Roy Lewis and Richard Marx (!).

MADONNA NASH/Dirty Little Secret
Writer: Madonna Nash; Producer: Dave Demay & Charles Fulp; Publisher: Madonna Nash/Mad Charm, ASCAP; Mad Charm (www.madonnanash.com)
—It says here that Ms. Nash won the 2010 Female Country Artist of the Year at the Carolina Music Awards. Her roaring, rocking single doesn’t have much of a melody, but there’s plenty of space in it for her to sell it on sheer attitude.

ELVIS PRESLEY/Suspicious Minds
Writer: Mark James; Producer: Erich Von Tourneau; Publisher: Sony-ATV, BMI; RCA (track) ()
—This song has charted country twice, once for Dwight Yoakam and even bigger as a Waylon Jennings & Jessi Colter duet. But unlike many of The King’s other singles, his original 1969 version of this didn’t chart country at all. And this pounding new production of it certainly won’t. That doesn’t mean it isn’t fascinating listening. Elvis’s and the female backup singers’ vocals are retained, but the surrounding track is a crashing, bashing re-imagining of the song (although I can still hear The Memphis Horns in the mix). It is from Viva Elvis, the companion CD to the Las Vegas extravaganza by Cirque du Soleil.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (10/27/10)

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Better late than never, they say.

As She’s Walking Away” is already in the top-10, but I’m just now getting around to it. That’s because I had to go out and buy the Zac Brown Band album that it is on. If this were most country acts, that would really tick me off. But I don’t mind financially supporting a group this good one bit. The best prices, by the way, are at the f.y.e. store on West End.

Oh, and did I mention that it also earns a Disc of the Day award for The Zac Brown Band & Alan Jackson?

Nashville newcomer Coy Taylor is our DisCovery Award winner for this column. But the best news of the day is the presence of enduring favorites Marc Beeson and Raul Malo and even older class acts like Curly Putman and Jack Greene.

COY TAYLOR/Bigger Than Life
Writer: Rivers Rutherford; Producer: Brady Seals; Publisher: none listed; CT (track) (www.coytaylor.com)
—This thumping country rocker has plenty of “bottom” in its mix. Coy Taylor’s drawling vocal has enough oomph to ride on top of the grinding guitars and insistent beats. He is a former Kentucky/Indiana/Cincinnati club attraction who recently moved to Music City. Promising, in a Jason Aldean/Rodney Atkins kinda way.

RAUL MALO/Living for Today
Writer: Raul Malo; Producer: Raul Malo; Publisher: Raul Malo, BMI; Fantasy (track) (www.raulmalo.com)
—Raul’s new CD is titled Sinners & Saints. This track has a vintage rock ‘n’ roll feeling with its stuttering organ, barrelhouse piano and sharp, echoey guitar pings. The melody is simple and straightforward, as are the rollicking groove and his vocal delivery. In the finale, “We’re just living for today,” is repeated over and over and over again, which explains the 5:14 running time.

KYLE PARK/All Night
Writer: Ben Clark/Kyle Park; Producer: Kyle Park; Publisher: none listed, BMI; Winding Road (track) (www.kyleparkmusic.com)
—This singer-songwriter’s five-song sampler begins with this breezy charmer. The chorus tune is ridiculously catchy. The acoustic guitars scamper around beautifully. And his boyish tenor sounds like innocent springtime. As I’ve mentioned about him before, he is also a terrific record producer.

JACK GREENE & GEORGE JONES/Two Old Cats Like Us
Writer: Troy Seals; Producer: Penn Pennington; Publisher: none listed; Pretty World (track) (www.jackgreeneopry.com)
—This veteran Grand Ole Opry star’s newest CD is titled Precious Memories, Treasured Friends. On it, he sings his signature song Statue of a Fool as a solo. But most of the selections are duets with the likes of Lorrie Morgan, Vince Gill, Charley Pride, Larry Gatlin and Merle Haggard. This lead-off song is a swinging, big-band romp with The Possum. Hearing these two voices with a loud, fat brass section is ear-opening, to say the least.

TOMMY ALVERSON/Texas One More Time
Writer: Tommy Alverson; Producer: Walt Wilkins, Tommy Alverson & Patrick McGuire; Publisher: none listed; Blue Boot (track) (www.tommyalverson.com)
—He sings well, and the band is top-notch. The colorless song, however, does nothing for me.

THE ZAC BROWN BAND & ALAN JACKSON/As She’s Walking Away
Writer: Zac Brown/Wyett Durrette; Producer: Keith Stegall & Zac Brown; Publisher: Weimerhound/Lil’ Dub/Angelika, BMI; No Reserve/Atlantic (track)
—The airy, sweet-sounding track contrasts with the downbeat, lost-love lyric. Heartbreak has seldom sounded prettier. And I like the idea of pushing the normally laid-back Alan into this wooshing, rush of a tempo tune.

THE LUCKY TOMBERLIN BAND/Honky Tonk Merry Go Round
Writer: Stan Gardner/Frank Simon; Producer: Lloyd Maines; Publisher: Sony-ATV Acuff-Rose, BMI; Texas World (track) (www.luckytomberlinband.com)
—Lucky’s lucky in that just about everyone in the group can sing lead, including such familiar names as Earl Poole Ball and Redd Volkart. On the CD title tune, a 1955 Patsy Cline chestnut, Lucky takes the lead duties, himself. But both Redd and Earl get to play dandy guitar and piano solos in mid-song. A good time is had by all.

CURLY PUTMAN & DOLLY PARTON/Made For Lovin’ You
Writer: Curly Putman/Sonny Throckmorton; Producer: Curly Putman & Adam Engelhardt; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree, BMI; CP (track)
—This living legend of country songwriting has a new CD called Write ‘Em Sad, Sing ‘Em Lonesome. He sounds simply splendid on it, giving us his own versions of his classics “My Elusive Dreams,” “Green Green Grass of Home,” “Older the Violin,” “Couldn’t Love Have Picked a Better Place to Die” and the like. There are three duets, one with Deborah Allen, one with Sarah Johns and this lovely ballad with Miss Dolly. The song was originally a 1993 hit for Doug Stone. The album is a fund-raiser for the Scott Putman Memorial Scholarship fund at Cumberland University in Lebanon, TN.

MARC BEESON/Merciful Love
Writer: Allen Shamblin/Marc Beeson; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Built on Rock/Springfish, ASCAP; MB (track) (www.myspace.com/marcbeeson)
—I ran into Marc at the ASCAP awards, and the next thing I knew, a 12-track CD was in my mailbox. It’s a compilation of his latest demos, and it reminded me of how much I’ve always liked his singing, as well as his writing. This title tune, “Merciful Love” is guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings with its portrayal of an aging couple. She’s in a home and has forgotten all her songs, but she still smiles when he walks through the door. In addition to Allen, Marc’s songwriting collaborators on the collection include Tim Johnson, Mike Reid, Don Pfrimmer, Dave Robbins, Billy Austin and Rodney Clawson. Listening to something like this tells me why I fell in love with Nashville in the first place. You need to hear it, too.

POINT OF GRACE/Love And Laundry
Writer: Leah Crutchfield/Mallary Hope/Brian Nash; Producer: Nathan Chapman; Publisher: Sony-ATV/Songs for My Good Girl/ Kohaw Music obo itself and Rock Island Road Music LLC (ASCAP) c/o The Bicycle Music Company, BMI/ASCAP; Word (CDX)
—I heard these gals sing this on the Opry a few weeks ago and was instantly smitten with it. There hasn’t been a working-wife lyric this good in ages. Every detail is the absolute truth. And the propulsive production doesn’t hurt one bit. Essential listening.