B105 TODAYS BEST COUNTRY » Reviews

George Strait, 'Love Is Everything' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:40:37 +0000

George Strait steps back in time for his newest release, 'Love Is Everything.' In the past, the singer always found a way to add a touch of contemporary to his traditional sound. There's nothing to separate this from albums he made throughout the '80s and '90s, but that's not necessarily a criticism.

Kellie Pickler, 'Someone Somewhere Tonight' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:00:05 +0000

Kellie Pickler delivers an inspired performance with a new single called 'Someone Somewhere Tonight.' The song -- originally recorded by Kenny Rogers -- is a soaring ballad that touches a range of emotions. Few will find nothing relatable on the singer's first release from an upcoming album.

Trace Adkins, 'Love Will …' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:50:18 +0000

The idea behind Trace Adkins‘ new album ‘Love Will …’ makes so much sense you almost wonder why he hadn’t done it sooner. This collection of love songs is as obvious as the tagless T-shirt, yet for years we went without both. ‘Love Will …’ stops short of being able to melt wax on its [...]

Keith Urban, 'Little Bit of Everything' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:20:18 +0000

Perhaps it should be no surprise that after five months spent judging 'American Idol,' Keith Urban has delivered his most pop-friendly single to date in 'Little Bit of Everything.' The talented singer and guitarist uses tricks in production that a less established singer would be skewered for. The result is a delightful summer jam that's short on nutritional content.

Lauren Alaina, 'Barefoot and Buckwild' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:00:59 +0000

Meet the new Lauren Alaina. With just a few weeks of her senior year of high school remaining, the singer introduces a grown-up new look, grown-up style and grown-up attitude with her latest single, 'Barefoot and Buckwild.' It's especially difficult to find songs that fit when you're short on life experience, so the one-time 'American Idol' runner-up wrote her own ...

Lady Antebellum, 'Golden' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Thu, 09 May 2013 19:19:33 +0000

The best moments on Lady Antebellum's fourth album 'Golden' find Charles Kelley or Hillary Scott singing solo, with minimal help from the other on harmonies. There is no shortage of songs that act as features for the two talented vocalists. The evolution of the trio finds them becoming a dual threat super power instead of a two-headed pop-rock-country group.

Pistol Annies, 'Annie Up' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:00:33 +0000

Strong production keeps 'Annie Up' -- the new album from Pistol Annies -- from being something their debut effort certainly was not: boring. The women thrive among thick, bluesy guitars that moan and wail throughout the 12 cuts. It's a throwback sound that fits the trio as well as the daring outfits they've become known for wearing.

Jana Kramer, 'I Hope It Rains' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:00:23 +0000

'I Hope It Rains' makes three heartbreaks in three singles for Jana Kramer. The new track from her self-titled debut album is more fun than the bittersweet 'Why Ya Wanna' and catchier than her Top 30 hit 'Whiskey.' The singer finds that sweet spot between revenge and psycho and works the vocals into a potential hit.

Thomas Rhett, 'It Goes Like This' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:50:17 +0000

‘It Goes Like This’ is the safest of the three singles Thomas Rhett has released, but he sacrifices nothing in sharp songwriting in his effort to land a hit on country radio. The charismatic songwriter is a natural storyteller, and his lyrics bounce to life with each verse and chorus. Rhett’s previous two singles didn’t realize their [...]

Kenny Chesney, 'Life on a Rock' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:19:17 +0000

Kenny Chesney's 'Life on a Rock' album is as revealing of a record as 'Be as You Are' -- more so in some ways. The songwriting isn't as sharp as the 2005 project (the most closely comparable to 'Life on a Rock' in style and substance), but the experiences are as mixed and honest.

'Iron Man 3′ Review

Matt Singer — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:55:41 +0000

From the earliest days of his appearances in Marvel Comics' 'Tales of Suspense,' Tony Stark has always been modeled after aviator/inventor/industrialist Howard Hughes. With 'Iron Man 3,' Stark assumes a new dimension of Hughes' persona: that of the paranoid shut-in who, in his later years, became notorious for roaming his private floor of the Desert Inn Hotel in Las Vegas, freaking out about invisible germs and collecting jars of his own urine. 'Iron Man 3's' Tony Stark, played once again by the inimitable Robert Downey Jr.isn't quite that bad, but he's getting there.

After the events chronicled in 'The Avengers,' where Manhattan was nearly leveled by invading aliens and Tony himself was almost killed, he's become obsessed with upgrading his armor -- leaping all the way from the Mark VII to the Mark 42 in a matter of months. When anyone mentions New York or aliens, Tony gets panic attacks. There's a reason Daredevil, not Iron Man, is the Marvel hero known as "The Man Without Fear." Poor Tony is terrified.

Granger Smith, 'Dirt Road Driveway' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:00:26 +0000

If you look back over Granger Smith's early album covers, you'll find that he presented himself as a hat act. Sonically he's come a long way since those efforts, with his latest album 'Dirt Road Driveway' falling squarely in the singer-songwriter sub-genre of country music. It's an album that would sound best at a coffee house, not a honky tonk.

Chris Cagle, 'Dance Baby Dance' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:19:00 +0000

‘Dance Baby Dance’ is one of the finest songs of Chris Cagle‘s career — perhaps his best ballad. A few fathers (and maybe a couple of mothers) will be wiping away tears before the end of the first verse. He hits that sweet spot between familiar and hokey. ‘Dance Baby Dance’ is a circle of [...]

Willie Nelson, 'Let's Face the Music and Dance' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:30:25 +0000

'Let's Face the Music and Dance' is a great place for a young country music fan to meet Willie Nelson. It won't be his most famous, and it won't create any hit singles. This wonderfully consistent effort proves what longtime fans of the legend already know: At 79 years old (80 on April 30), Nelson is still as important and skilled a vocalist as there is in country music.

List Shows Calorie Count of Popular Beers, But How Do They Taste?

Ken Hayes — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:42:32 +0000

I saw this list on yahoo today that shows the calorie counts of your favorite beers. Naturally, my favorite beers aren’t really on the list, but they do have some popular ones that I’ve tried. Here’s what you can expect from these beers. Here’s the full list with calorie counts from Yahoo.com. So let’s just [...]

Luke Bryan, 'Crash My Party' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:06:50 +0000

Luke Bryan's new song 'Crash My Party' would fit well on his last album 'Tailgates and Tanlines.' The ballad is a continuation of themes introduced with 'I Don't Want This Night to End' and 'Drunk on You,' two No. 1 hits for the ACM Entertainer of the Year. At first listen, it's difficult to become excited about a song that's so familiar.

Scotty McCreery, 'See You Tonight' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:26:28 +0000

Scotty McCreery makes his songwriting debut on 'See You Tonight,' a mid-tempo love song that finds the 19-year-old not settling for a phone call or some distant "I love you" from the girl who holds his heart. It's the start of a new chapter for McCreery -- one that's much more important than his last.

Brad Paisley, 'Wheelhouse' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:59:46 +0000

Brad Paisley's 'Wheelhouse' delivers a familiar mix of humor, life lessons and scorching guitar solos, but it does it in a way different from any of the other eight albums the 'Beat This Summer' singer has released. He took his old formula, balled it up, lit it on fire and tossed the ashes in the garbage. The result is a meaty and ambitious project that doesn't always click, but clears new ground when it does.

Carrie Underwood, 'See You Again' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:19:28 +0000

Carrie Underwood changed directions with the release of ‘See You Again’ as the fourth single from ‘Blown Away.’ The ballad is anything but dark and stormy. Instead it’s an inspirational reminder that will be especially meaningful to fans who have lost someone close recently. The album version begins with a thin piano and drum machine, both [...]

Hunter Hayes, 'I Want Crazy' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:10:52 +0000

In his new song 'I Want Crazy.' Hunter Hayes doesn't soar like Ronnie Dunn or croon like Chris Young. His vocal performance is an exercise in diction -- and memory. Simply put, he packs a ton of words into a tight space without straining or slurring one idea into another. It's not easy.