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Top 50 Songs of 2007

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

stoney.jpg

As promised last month, here are my top 50 songs of 2007.  Stoney heads the list with the #1 song of 2007.  Veteran Jack Ingram cracked two top 10 hits, while the young and talented Johnny Cooper barely missed out on two top 10s.   Brandon Rhyder, Jason Boland & the Stragglers, Aaron Watson, Rich O’Toole, Brandon Jenkins, and Wade Bowen all appear twice on the list as well. 

1. Oklahoma Breakdown - Stoney LaRue
2. Measure of a Man - Jack Ingram
3. Up and Gone - Jason Boland & the Stragglers
4. Never Come Back - No Justice
5. One Step Closer - Wade Bowen
6. Home Again - Brandon Rhyder
7. Lips of an Angel - Jack Ingram
8. Driftin’ in the Wind - Bart Crow Band
9. Texas to You - Johnny Cooper
10. Careless - Micky & The Motorcars

11. Let It All Go - Johnny Cooper
12. Long Line of Losers - Kevin Fowler
13. Call of the Road - Brandon Jenkins
14. One More Goodbye - Randy Rogers Band
15. Trains I Missed - Walt Wilkins
16. Perfect Girl - Ty England
17. Any Way You Want Me To - Jamie Richards
18. Kelly Comes to Town - Rich O’Toole
19. Comfortable in This Skin - Mark McKinney
20. It’s Your World - Jason Allen

21. I Don’t Want to Get Up - Cory Morrow
22. San Angelo - Aaron Watson
23. Color You Gone - Jay Boy Adams
24. Dead and Gone - Bois D’Arcs
25. Between Here and the Front Door - Brandon Rhyder
26. Hard to Be Good in Texas - Candy Coburn
27. The Bourbon Legend - Jason Boland & the Stragglers
28. Home to Texas - Ryan James
29. 22 Days Too Long - Adam Hood
30. All American Country Girl - Aaron Watson

31. What’s Wrong With Me - Todd Fritsch
32. Wild & Willin’ - Jesse and Noah
33. Make It Up to You - Keith Davis
34. Cotton Field Girl - Robin English
35. Gotta Get Out - Larry Joe Taylor
36. Queen of the Misfits - Rich O’Toole
37. Good Things - Drew Kennedy
38. My Side of Town - Ryan Turner
39. Why Did We Ever Say Goodbye - Brandon Jenkins
40. If Only the Good Die Young - Max Stalling

41. Lonely - Jackson Taylor Band
42. Rolling Stone - Level Route
43. Lay it All on You - Wade Bowen
44. Cowboy Cool - Sonny Burgess
45. Crazy Like You - Josh Grider Band
46. That Ole Blacktop - Pat Waters
47. Million Miles Away - Shy Blakeman
48. Last Last Time - Bleu Edmondson
49. Catch Me Falling - Bailey
50. Cool Grass - Darren Kozelsky

OK, so you’re probably thinking “what happened to Miranda, Pat, and Ragweed?”  Well, I hardly consider them to be primarily Texas artists now.  Yes, they are still some of our favorites, but they play nationally more these days, so I didn’t include them on the list.  In fact, Jack is barely qualified now, but I left him on for one more year.  With that in mind, the following songs would have undoubtedly been on the list if they were included:

1. Famous in a Small Town - Miranda Lambert
2. Dixie Lullaby - Pat Green
3. Way Back Texas - Pat Green
4. I Believe You - Cross Canadian Ragweed
5. Late Last Night - Cross Canadian Ragweed

There were so many great songs from 2007 that did not make the cut.  But they are excellent songs nonetheless.  Soft to the Touch from Bonnie Bishop, Pass Me That Bottle by Jimmy Kaiser, If I Could by Sunny Sweeney, Sonny Burgess’ A Little Bit Stronger, and Spinning Around the Moon from Cory Morrow are just a few off the top of my head.

2008 is right around the corner and we look forward to more great music from these Texas artist next year.  You know these guys and girls will be back and other bands that weren’t on the list this year (ie. Eli Young Band, Deryl Dodd, Reckless Kelly, etc) will be heard from again too.  Everybody have a safe holiday and we’ll see ya again next year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from your favorite Richard.

Posted in December 2007, 2007 | No Comments »

95.9 the Ranch Sound of Texas 2007

Wednesday, November 21st, 2007

 

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Since I’m in a time crunch because of Thanksgiving, I’m going to take the easy road this month.  In reviewing the 95.9 the Ranch Sound of Texas 2007 album, I’ll just make a quick comment on each song and leave it at that.

Oklahoma Breakdown (Live) - Stoney LaRue - clearly the song of the year in the state of Texas, so why not lead off with it?  Things Look Good Around Here (Live) - R. Creager - Strange choice to include this song, or Creager altogether.  I love Roger but he hasn’t released anything in a while so why is he on a 2007 album?  These Tears - Reckless Kelly - Without any new material in 2007, they could have gone back to 2006 for Break My Heart Tonight, but they went with this song from the Wicked Twist Road album.  Not a bad choice though.  So Close Now - Eli Young Band - Any Eli Young Band song is good.  They didn’t release anything in 2007.  This was their last release at the end of 2006 so probably the reason for the choice.  Gotta Get Out - Larry Joe Taylor - This isn’t his best work, but it was his best of 2007.  It’s a top 50 song for the year.  Wear My Ring - Bart Crow Band - Interesting choice.  Personally, I would have gone with Driftin’ in the Wind, as it was a top 10 song this year.  Wear My Ring was released in 2006.  Trains I’ve Missed - Walt Wilkins & the Mytiqueros - Best release from Wilkins in a while.  Song is top 25 for 2007.  My Side of Town - Ryan Turner - This is a good song, however, not as good as some of his previous releases (She’s No Amy and Back in Your Arms).  But it’s a top 50 song.  Home Again - Brandon Rhyder - One of the better tracks on the album.   This is a top 10 song for the year. All American Country Girl - Aaron Watson - Excellent song from an excellent artist.  I might have gone with San Angelo, but I don’t think you could have gone wrong with either.  Red Dress - No Justice - This happens to be my favorite No Justice song, so I’m giving them a pass.  But the reality is, this song was released in 2006 and Never Come Back was a top 5 song for 2007.  One Step Closer - Wade Bowen - Bowen keeps putting out hit after hit.  And this one is another top 5 hit for the year.  Carolina Morning - Micky and the Motorcars - Another pass because this is my favorite Motorcars song, but Careless was a top 10 song for 2007.  Why Do We Ever Say Goodbye - Brandon Jenkins - Although this is a top 50 song, it’s not one of my favorites.  I would have preferred to have Call of the Road, which is a top 10-15 song for this year.  She Don’t Want Nobody - Mike McClure Band - I could be mistaken but I think this song was released in 2006.  But without anything else for 2007, this song works just fine in my book.  Up & Gone - Jason Boland & the Stragglers - Great choice from Boland.  Any Boland song is alright in my book, but this was clearly his best hit of 2007.  Bourban Legend, released late in 2007 is better, but Up & Gone had some staying power at the top of the charts for a long time.  Kelly Comes to Town - Rich O’Toole - Could have gone with this or Queen of the Misfits.  Kelly Comes to Town is probably a top 15 song so this is a fine selection.  Spinning Around the Moon - Cory Morrow - His previous works were so much better, so it doesn’t matter to me if it’s this song or I Don’t Want To Get Up.   Neither makes the cut compared to the Morrow of 5 years ago.  Should’ve Broke Your Heart - Ryan James - I think I would have gone with Home to Texas.   22 Days Too Long - Adam Hood  - Outstanding song.  This song was a top 25-30 song for 2007.

Again, I kept this short in the essence of time, but I would recommend this album to my friends.  There are strange song selections, but whatever the criteria The Ranch used, I don’t think there is a bad song on the album.  Next month, I will have my year end, top 30 (or maybe 50) songs in Texas for 2007.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Posted in November 2007, 2007 | No Comments »

Kevin Fowler’s Bring It On Delivers Big

Wednesday, October 24th, 2007
fowler1.jpg Kevin Fowler has consistently delivered entertaining music since the turn of the century.  His music is honest, yet humorous.  It’s clever, yet heartfelt.  This is what we have grown to expect from Fowler, and he delivers once again with his latest album Bring It On.   The leadoff single is currently his release to radio - Long Line of Losers.   In Fowler’s Southern country rock style he hits a homerun right off the bat and includes outstanding fiddle and steel guitar work.  This song is absolutely hilarious singing about his checkered genes and bloodlines.  In fact, it took only 2 weeks
after it’s release to reach the top 25 on the Texas Music Charts.  After only 5 weeks, it was in the top 5, then went to number one the following week, where it has remained for the last 6 weeks.   This is followed up with Feels Good, Don’t It.  In typical Fowler style, it’s an uptempo song but sounds a little bit too much like Montgomery Gentry.  That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I’m not feeling this song from Fowler.        

One of the highlights from this album is Ain’t Dead Yet.  This is a song about all the warning in life about what will kill us - burgers, beer, toothpaste, cigarettes, you name it.  “But we ain’t dead yet.  No we ain’t dead yet.  Ol’ ticker’s still a tickin’ and we’re still alive and kicking.  No we ain’t dead yet” says it all about the world we live in, where supposedly it’s not safe to eat this or that, or do this or that.  Fowler pulls in the legendary George Jones to sing with him on Me and the Boys.  Bringing in Jones immediately makes this a great song, as they sing about spending an evening with the boys.  Of course, those boys are Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, and Johnny Walker, and I don’t think anybody has a problem seeing that actually happen with these two.  Excellent song in the mold of the Chestnutt’s The Lord Loves the Drinking Man.  I Pulled a Hank Last Night also has the unmistakable sound of Kevin Fowler and takes a trip down memory lane with Hank Williams and talks about a killer hangover.  The musical quote from “Honky Tonk Blues” in the instrumental break is a touch of class and a tribute to the legendary Hank himself.  What’s Your Point is an in you’re face go to hell song.  It’s Fowler at his best.   ”Tell me something I didn’t know.  I ‘m a hard headed son-of-a-gun.  That’s the just the way I roll.  I doubt I’ll ever change.  Don’t waste your breathe on me.   Oh, I’ve heard it all before, yea, what’s your point?”  The title track Bring It On is another Fowler upbeat raucous machismo song.  I’m not sure it’s one of my favorites, but I can see it being a real crowd pleaser in his live shows. Cheaper to Keep Her is so well-written and so true.  It’s an honest song about how it’s cheaper to keep her than to divorce her, which is really what he wants to do.  I think a lot of married men have been in his shoes at some point and probably thought the same thing.   Fowler goes out of character and slows it down in, no pun intended, Slow Down.   It’s a song about life being out of control and reigning himself in and getting his act together before it kills him.    Now You’re Talking is another song that sounds a lot like Montgomery Gentry, but they too, kind of represent the outlaw image, so it’s not surprising that Fowler will resemble them at times.   It’s still a good song, and I could see this being his next radio release. I’ve read that Best Mistake I Ever Made is schedule to be his next radio release, and let’s hope not!  This is my one dud song that seems to find it’s way onto every album.  This song is not Fowler at all and seems completely forced.   It’s a song about getting married in Vegas and having kids.  “Just because we didn’t mean to do it don’t mean that it ain’t right.”   I just feel like I’ve heard this song before with Kenny Chesney singing There Goes My Life.  The mere fact that this song reminds and even sounds like a Chesney song, makes it not presentable to radio.  This song is not Kevin Fowler at all.  At least he does add a little bit of humor into the song.   I love the song Let’s Start Livin’.    It’s a fun loving party song that sounds a lot like a Deryl Dodd song.  I just can’t put my finger on which one it is.  At any rate, it’s a very cool song.   The album closes with the steel guitar, fiddling playing Honky Tonk Junkie and this might be one of the best songs on the album.   “I get the jonesin’ for Jones.  I’ve got a hankerin’ for Hank.  Yea, when I’m feeling down, I need them around, to help me through the pain.”  It’s an excellent way to close the album.Fowler’s outlaw persona will never grow old in the Texas honky tonks, and he produces once again on the Bring It On album.  I’m not sure there are any signature songs like Beer, Bait, and Ammo or Don’t Touch My Willie, but there are 12 outstandiing songs in this 13 song set.  And they are undeniably Kevin Fowler.  He has a distinct sound, as well as delivery.  This was a long awaited arrival and well worth your money.  Bring It On from Kevin Fowler will make great stocking stuffers this Christmas.     

Posted in October 2007, 2007 | No Comments »

The Greatness of Josh Grider’s Million Miles To Go

Friday, September 21st, 2007
Three years ago, newcoming Josh Grider released his first album - self titled Josh Grider Band.  There were several outstanding songs on that album, and Everybody Knows was the 27th most played song on Texas radio for 2006.  That’s quite an accomplishment coming on the first album.  
Josh Grider
 
The followup sophomore release to that, Million Miles To Go, was released in August, and I eagerly anticipated listening to it.  Grider bookends the album with a song talking about being almost “there” and closes with realizing he still has a long way to go.  In between, you can see the potential for something great from Josh Grider.         

Stumbling on the Edge of Greatness is an autobiographical look at the Texas musician.  Grider sings about the trials and hardships of trying to make it in a tough musical market and dreams of making a name for himself.  I’m sure all of you have witnessed your favorite band loading and unloading equipment just to play in front of 50 people.  This is Grider’s tribute to all those bands.  This one line says it all -  “I got no flight plan, just a big white van, a trailer and a band and we just ride around…hopin’ the people dig our sounds.”  Poorer Days really delivers a similar message, but moreso about learning from past mistakes and moving forward.  It’s not a song that you will hear on mainstream radio, but it works just fine in Texas but he’s lived it and it’s not fabricated.  Crazy Like You is the first single released to radio and is already up to #22 on the Texas Music Charts.   The song was written about his wife and I love the pace and beat of the song.  And the song is so true.  “Everybody’s crazy so what you need to do is find somebody crazy like you, someone that you can fuss and fight with and when you make up you can love all night with.”  By far, the best song on the album.  Having Texas legend Walt Wilkins providing vocal backup doesn’t hurt either.   

Fellow artist Drew Kennedy co-wrote Hand to Hold with Grider, and Grider is joined by his wife Kristi on the album for this song.   She takes the lead on this song that has a serious touch of reality and being lonely.  Another song on the album that strikes the lonely cord is the fiddle-led shuffle Rusty Cowboy.  Probably Will is a song that sounds really nice to the ear and talks about the struggles between his heart and his mind, and what he will probably do when she wants him back.  Very catchy.  I’m probably about to hit a touchy subject for some.  Whether you agree with the war in the middle-east or disagree, I think everybody agrees that supporting the troups and showing appreciation is absolutely the right thing and the most patriotic thing that any of us regular people can do.  However, when I hear Toby Keith and Daryl Worley, and countless others disquise the reality of what is going on in Iraq with macho lines like “stick a boot in your ass” and crap like that, you think enough is enough.   It’s not as if I don’t like their work, but just not here.  Then you have tasteful patriotism from artist like Shelly Wright that draw from personal friends and family that live with the reality of the war.  Travis Blues is Grider’s attempt at this, and it too is done with great taste.  Young Travis in this song is his best friend’s brother and takes a different approach to writing about Iraq, by asking questions in the song about what it’s like and what he’s seeing over there.   

Grider’s best performance on the album may be on the love song Emma.  The lyrics are strong and Grider is even better.  When I first listened to Love Went Wrong, I thought to myself the same thing - where did this song go wrong.  But after the second and third listen, it grew on me and I realized the greatness of it.  It’s different for sure, but I felt like I was listening to something from the 1950s, and that’s not a bad thing at all.  Tragic Circumstance is an old school song about living fast and paying the price later.  The  meaning of the song has been done hundreds of times in different ways by so many different artists, but Grider holds his on here.  Broken on Broadway is the one throwaway song that I mention on almost every album review.  It just doesn’t work for me.  The album closes with the title track, Million Miles To Go.  It’s a fitting closer as it’s very similar to the opener, Stumbling on the Edge of Greatness.  It’s pretty much the same message recapping the past several years of his life on the road, but has a strong Kenny Rogers feel to it.  That alone makes it a good song.  

Million Miles To Go is an excellent album.  However, I’m not sure it matched his previous album from three years ago.   The autobiographical look at life on the road is almost overdone on the album.  There are too many songs that deal with being on the road and traveling from show to show and back home.   At the same time, though, that theme kind of lends itself to support the title of the album.   One does have to appreciate the honesty of telling his own stories and experiences.   I think there is a bit of energy missing from this album that was present on the first one, but there is enough good work, that I’m not willing to give up on Grider.  I think his potential is enormous and a great future is not out of his reach.  He himself has acknowledged that with the title of this album - Million Miles To Go.  Except, I would say he’s not quite that far away.  Josh Grider is Stumbling on the Edge of Greatness.

 

Posted in September 2007, 2007 | No Comments »

Brandon Rhyder Live Is Recommended Listening

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
rhyder.jpg Brandon Rhyder Live is set to be released August 31.  The album is produced by Texas legend Radney Foster and released on APEX records.  The album, which includes live versions of previous releases such as Back Roads, Freeze Frame Time, and Man of Conviction, also includes some new material.  Among those is a studio version of Home Again, the albums first release to radio.  The album was recorded live at Banita Creek Hall in Nacogdoches and the Midnight Rodeo in College Station.
     

Man of Conviction kicks off this live album.  The song is about going through rough times, which nobody likes to do, but it’s the reality of it.   The line “Don’t
you cry for me I made this bed” is a very powerful and truthful line in this song.  The live crowd adds to what was already a great song.  One Step Closer is a song previously released by friend and co-writer Wade Bowen.   I love the opening line to this song:  “My windshield’s cracked, just like my heart.  My tires are all flat,  just like my brain.  My engine’s running rough, just like my soul.  I don’t know how much further we can go burning this much oil.”  While Bowen’s version is little more polished, Rhyder’s version is more believable as he just sounds completely rundown.  Let The Good Times Roll is about a man who  is trying to impress a woman and doesn’t want the night to end.

No One Stays In Love Alone is probably my least favorite song on this album.  I think because I liked the title so much, the song itself was a bit of a letdown.  The title lends itself to the premise of a great country song, but it’s not.   This is followed by a couple of poignant songs.  My Son is about a man and his new son - any new father can appreciate this song.  I Can’t Hang On first appeared on the 2005 Conviction album.  This is song about a woman’s relationship that is dead, but she can’t get over him and what he said.  Black Cat, from the 2003 Behind the Pine Curtain album, has never been a favorite of mine.  If Rhyder felt he needed to include another song from this album, I think Questions would have been a better choice.  But Black Cat isn’t awful by any means and doesn’t take away from how good this album is.  One of the new songs on this album is Do You Remember.   I love the beat of this song, and it even sounds a little bit like one my favorite bands, The Ely Young Band.  This song is also well-written as well as pleasant to listen to.
 If you fancy yourself as a songwriter, every once in awhile you hear a line from a song and think “where in the hell did he come up with that.”  That’s where I found myself the first time I heard the first line of Back Roads.  “The back roads of this county are crossed like the laces on my cowboy boots.”   I was already hooked by the time I heard the second line.  That is greatness in songwriting.  It’s even better on the live version, which is one of the tracks recorded at Banita Creek Hall.  The song is well-written, singing about life in a small town.  Another song from Rhyder’s early years on this album is Have I Waited Too Long (2001 Because She Loves Me album) shows just how far he has come in 6 years.  Again, it’s not that it’s really bad, it’s just not nearly the quality of work he has produced on Conviction and this Live album.
 Freeze Frame Time, which was released on the 2005 Conviction album, is one of the most beautifully written songs in the last 10 years.   Just the opening line of the song sets the stage for what the listener is about to hear.  “It’s a beautiful morning to see the sun rise.  It’s moments like this wish I could freeze frame time.”  This is a refreshing song about a man who has everything in his life going perfectly for him.  Rhyder includes two studio songs at the end of this album.  The first of these is Before I Knew Your Name.   This is a song about a man who wishes to go back in time before he met the woman that wrecked his heart and pride.  The album closes with perhaps Rhyder’s best work, Home Again.  The song has a nice upbeat rhythm to it and again sings about growing up in a small town.  Anybody that has grown up in a small town and left home can relate to the sentiments of this song.   Especially for those who grew up in small town East Texas.
 

When you listen to Brandon Rhyder Live, you feel almost as if you were there for the recording of this album.  That’s probably the Radney Foster influence on this album.  But the music is unmistakably Brandon Rhyder.   He sounds a lot like Foster, but at the same time has his own distinctive sound.    As his career has progressed, he continues to get better.  And the new tracks on this album very much compliment that.  Even some of the previously recorded songs are better the second time around.  I think Rhyder would have been better served to focus on songs from the Convictions album and the newer material, but perhaps he felt the need to get some of his work from his previous albums out for the public.  Unfornately, they weren’t much appreciated then, and probably won’t be now either.  But that doesn’t nothing to lessen this fine work.  This is a highly recommended album and I would also suggest catching Brandon Rhyder in person when he comes to your town.  That’s exactly what I plan to do at the Firewater Bar & Grill in Dallas for his CD release party this Thursday.
 

 

 

Posted in August 2007, 2007 | No Comments »

Adam Hood Finds His Different Groove

Friday, July 20th, 2007

I can’t say honestly that I had ever heard of Adam Hood.  But the first time I heard the first release from the Different Groove CD, 22 Days Too Long, I told myself I needed to find more of his music.  This upbeat, twangy song, about missing his daughter already before he hits the road, includes excellent vocals and guitar work.  He follows 22 Days with Shelly.  After only two songs, I was getting the feeling from Hood that he writes from the heart and personal experiences. He paints a picture in his music.  You can close your eyes and see the scene that he Adam Hood
sings about.  Never Comes Easy is a simple, but pleasant song about the changes in one’s life and getting started in the industry, and how change never comes easy.  
In Cars, Trucks, and Me, Hood sings about being on the road and how eventually every city and every highway looks the same.  While everybody else is impressed with where he’s been, he isn’t impressed because he’s just passing through.  He never gets to see the attractions.  I’m not crazy about the tempo, but I’m really digging the lyrics.  It’s a nice reminder that the life of entertainer, while appearing glamorous, isn’t always what people make it out to be.  Buzzes Like Neon is a pretty weird song.  I’m not really even sure what it’s about, but it’s got a nice rhythm to it.  You probably won’t catch me singing along with it, or even admitting that I like the song.  Probably the low light for me on this album is Fool Of An Honest Man.  It’s a bluesy song about a cheating woman and how he keeps giving and giving.  I’m not sure what it is, but it seems like every album has one of these songs.  You listen to it over and over and you just can’t get into.  This is that one Adam Hood song for me.
On the title track Different Groove, Hood sings about sitting on the front porch searching for his groove, playing the same chords over and over looking for a different groove, “that makes me smile.”   Late Night Dinner is another song that Hood paints a picture of the scene so well that you can almost see it.  This song is flat out honky-tonk and you won’t hear this on any Nashville commercial radio.   But it’s excellent work.
A trip to Louisiana for a show inspired the Cajun heavy “Varnado”. Hood co-wrote this song with friend Justin Johnson.  It sings about a bad experience in the swamplands of Lousiana. This song has a fun beat to it, and I can see the dance floor filling up for this one.  I could just as easily see it being played in a small down hayride or howdown.   

The alum’s final song is Whole Town Talking.  This is a very powerful song and may actually be Hood’s best song.  At least lyrically it might be. “It’s a little bit hard to take, when the heart she left to break has got the whole town talking about me” is just heartbreaking and strong.

I’ve read comparison of Adam Hood’s sound to Bruce Springsteen.  I’m not sure I would go quite that far, but he is certainly worth a listen.  I thought he sounded closer to Eric Church, which still isn’t a bad comparison.  Especially since I think Church sounds a lot like Springsteen too.   Adam Hood brings something different to the table with his music.  Some guys have it, and some don’t.  Hood his it.    Most of his songs sound as if he is writing an autobiography of himself in his music.  Maybe he is, and maybe he isn’t, but if he can make the listener feel like he is reflecting on his own experiences, and a lot of them, the listener can relate to, then he’s got them.  And he’s got me.  I highly recommend Different Groove from Adam Hood.  And I’m really looking forward to seeing him in person.

Posted in July 2007, 2007 | No Comments »

Stoney LaRue leads first half of 2007

Friday, June 22nd, 2007

As we near the end of the first half of 2007, I thought it would be a good time to review the songs so far this year, and put together my list of top songs.  So, here it is:

1. Oklahoma Breakdown, Stoney LaRue - Song has been in the top 5 for 21 straight weeks (since 1/29), including 4 weeks at #1.  More impressively, after a 3 week run at #1,returned to #1 five weeks later.

2. Lips of An Angel - Jack Ingram - Fifteen straight weeks in the top 5, including 11 in a row from 1/29 through 4/9.

3. Dixie Lullaby - Pat Green - Song never reached #1 on the chart, but spent 14 consecutive weeks in the top 5.

4. Up and Gone - Jason Boland - Peaked at #1 for 2 weeks and has spent the last 15 weeks in the top 5, currently at #2.

5. Texas to You - Johnny Cooper - Eighteen year old peaked at #5 on 4/16, but has 17 weeks in the top 25.

6. Careless - Mickey & The Motorcars - Also peaked at #5 (4/9).  That was the only week in the top 5, but has current steak of 16 straight weeks in the top 25.

7. Color You Gone - Jay Boy Adams - Veteran singer returned to the scene with this hit that spent 20 weeks in the top 25.  Peaked at #7 (4/30).

8.  San Angelo - Aaron Watson - Another song that peaked at #5 (4/2).  Song is on current streak of 17 weeks in the top 25.

9.  Between Here and the Front Door - Brandon Rhyder - Didn’t reach top 25 until 2/19 and has spent the last 15 weeks in the top 25.  Has yet to crack top 5.

10. Late Last Night - Cross Canadian Ragweed - Actually released at the end of 2006, spent the first 18 weeks of 2007 in top 25, including 1 week in top 5 (2/12).

11. Queen of the Misfits - Rich O’Toole - Former Texas A&M pitcher spend last part of 2006 in top 10 with this song, then had 15 weeks in the top 25 to start 2007.  This included 8 weeks in the top 5, peaking at #4.

12. Why Did We Ever Say Goodbye - Brandon Jenkins - Sixteen straight weeks in the top 25 for the big man, although never in the top 5.

13. One More Goodbye - Randy Rogers Band - First hit the chart on 3/26 and has now been there for 13 straight weeks.  This included a four week stay in the top 5.

14. Never Come Back - No Justice - This song was another late addition, hitting the chart on 3/19.  First cracked the top 5 on 5/21, then peaked last week at #1.  By year’s end, this will easily be a top 5 song.

15. Lay It All On You - Wade Bowen - Spent the first 15 weeks of 2007 in the top 25, including two stints in the top 5 (5 weeks total).

Others worth mentioning: 

What’s Wrong With Me, Todd Fritsch
Gotta Get Out, Larry Joe Taylor
Home To Texas, Ryan James
Million Miles Away, Shy Blakeman
Drifin’ in the Wind, Bart Crow Band
Pass Me That Bottle, Jimmy Kaiser
Perfect Girl, Ty England
Soft to the Touch, Bonnie Bishop
A Little Bit Stronger, Sonny Burgess
If I Could, Sunny Sweeney

Feel free to send your comments and debate this list.  I’m interested to see what songs you think should have made the list.

Posted in June 2007, 2007 | 2 Comments »

Cory Morrow Delivers Huge Disappointment

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
morrow.gif When I was first introduced to “Texas Music” in the mid to late 1990’s, it was Pat Green, Jack Ingram, and Cory Morrow that I was first exposed to.  Those guys popularized Texas Music, and represented something that
strayed from commercialized Nashville.  Since then, Pat Green has crossed over to the dark side, and Jack Ingram isn’t far behind.  I still like both and both sound great, but still their music has changed.  And honestly, you can’t fault them for that.  If you have a chance to take your music to the rest of the world and make a butt load of money doing it, then why not?  However, guys like Cory Morrow,  Ray Wylie Hubbard, Deryl Dodd, and Tommy Alverson have always stayed true to their roots.        

And then there’s this - Cory Morrow’s attempt at a “Best of” album, calling it Ten Years.  While I applaud Morrow for not taking the easy route and just relaying previous cuts on a “best of” album, I don’t understand the need to try to make them sound more commercial.  This album seems to be a desperation attempt to keep up with Green and Ingram, and it falls well short.  Morrow’s off-stage problems have been well-documented, but until now, he had maintained his edge as a singer/songwriter and entertainer.  I’m almost at a loss for words after listening to Ten Years, but I will try my best to continue.

The album kicks off with a brand new single, Spinning Around The Moon.  It’s the first of two new tracks on the album, and probably didn’t need to be included.  It might be a good song, but Morrow sounds awful on it.  His voice is ragged and sounds like he has throat problems.  This is followed by Nothing Better, which was from the 2003 Full Exposure Live album.  This was the first sign that this was going to be a really bad album.  The new version did not live up to the original - and wasn’t even close!  I Don’t Want to Get Up is the second of the new cuts and much better than the first one.  The song is currently ranked #4 on the Texas Music Charts, although I’m not sure it’s that great of a song.  I think the airplay is more out of respect for Morrow’s previous accomplishments and reputation rather than the quality of this song.

The Preacher is a song from Morrow’s self-title debut album - The Cory Morrow Band.  This was a great song in the 90’s when it was originally done.  This is one of the few songs that Morrow didn’t mess with too much, and that’s a good thing.  The sound is the same, even if Morrow’s voice is not.  Always And Forever is beautiful love song from the 2000 Double Exposure album, and it is still great on this album.  This is nicely done as Morrow didn’t change much with this song.  Beat of Your Heart from the 2005 Nothing Left to Hide album, was the first hint of attempting to adhere to the Nashville sound.  While I like the song, it’s not the Cory Morrow we’ve grown accustomed to.  And even this remix of the 2005 version is rough and ragged.

Next, we get two songs from the 2002 Outside the Lines album.  Drinkin’ Alone is an outstanding self-pity song, which is pretty prophetic for Morrow - “why do I drink so much, why do I smoke all night” - in that drugs and alcohol have derailed a once promising career, and his voice sounds like he’s been drinking and smoking for years.  This version sounds nothing like the original, which was really good.  More Than Perfect was She’s My Everything before Brad Paisley recorded that.  This is a beautiful song, err, was a beautiful song I should say, about the perfections of the woman he loves.  This version however, is terrible.

21 Days, from Full exposure Live is one of my all-time favorite Cory Morrow songs.  Morrow has completely destroyed it in the remade version of it though.  Nothing about it sounds familiar.  In fact it sounds like a bad cover band palying at the local VFW.  Big City Stripper, off of 1998 The Man That I’ve Been album is another favorite of mine that has been ruined on this album.  It’s inexplicable what Morrow has done to some of his best work.  I hope his intent wasn’t to attract a Nashville contract, because this body of work will not accomplish that, and he’s going to alienate a lot of his hardcore following in the process.  Hopefully this is just a bump in the road for Morrow, and he bounces back with better work in the future.

Cory Morrow was once at the forefront of the Texas music scene, but is on the fast track to being yesterday’s news.  When I initially saw the song list for this album, I was confused by selections, but more so by the omissions - Nashville Blues and Texas Time Travelin’.  These are songs that Morrow made his reputation on and he completely forsake them as not to irritate the Nashville audience he attempted to attract.  Is this the beginning of Cory Morrow turning his back on his Texas roots a la Pat Green?  Sadly, his trials and tribulations off stage are defining him more so than his music.  Morrow said of his 2005 drug possession and drunk driving arrest that it gave him a chance to re-evaluate his personal life and choices.  And that’s fine.  I can respect that.  But now would be a good time for him to re-evaluate his professional life and choices.  In hindsight, I think he did make a good professional choice by not re-recording Nashville Blues and Texas Time Travelin’ because I would hate to see what he would have done to those two great songs.  As they stand now, they are are untarnished, and still outstanding signature songs.

Posted in May 2007, 2007 | No Comments »

A Bright Future For Sunny Sweeney

Monday, April 23rd, 2007

If you desire the sound of Loretta Lynn and Tanya Tucker, and the sensual appeal of Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, then Sunny Sweeney is just what the doctor ordered.  This East Texas beauty is the newest find of Big Machine records, the same record company who’s current roster includes Jack Ingram and Taylor Swift.  Her album “Heartbreaker’s Hall of Fame” is

 Sunny Sweeney

Sweeney’s debut album for Big Machine Records.  Sweeney rocks and twangs throughout the album, sounding a lot like Heather Myles.  Sweeney doesn’t resemble anything on country radio today, but I’m betting she’ll make a breakthough.  She brings an outstanding passion to traditional country music. 

Sweeney kicks the album off with the Jim Lauderdale penned Refresh My Memory.  What a strong way to begin the album.  This song is nontradionally tradional country music if that makes sense.  With a Tanya Tucker-like sound, Sweeney sarcastically pleads to the man who has forgotten how to love her.  “Refresh my memory won’t you please.  Aren’t you the one that means the world to me?”  Sweeney follows this up with a cover of Libbi Bosworth’s East Texas Pines.  I love it when a Texas girl proudly sings about home.  Sweeney has a sound that combines Dwight Yoakam and Delbert McClinton, only she’s not a man.  Those are definitely two good artists to draw comparisons to.  Next Big Nothing is a humorous, self-depreciating song facetiously suggesting that this small town Texas girl will amount to nothing in the music world.  “No one knows my name in Tennessee.”  That’s ok Sunny, Texas is well aware of who you are.  This song reminds me of Buck Owens’ “They’re Gonna Put My In The Movies”.  This song very well could become a radio hit. 

The legendary Jim Lauderdale teams up with Sweeney in Lavender Blue, a Keith Sykes original.  Sweeney’s sound blends beautifully with Lauderdale.  The song is so 80’s sounding, yet it’s fresh and delightful to listen to.  Ten Years Pass is one of the few originals for Sweeney on the album.  The early returns suggest she should consider more of her own work for her next album.  The song talks about returning to her home town to face her past demons.  “Small town smell is creeping in, reminds of what we were back when.  Ten years pass and nothing’s changed, this Texas town is still the same.”  Exellent stuff.  Similarly, Sweeney is still coming to terms with her past and present on Here Lately.  Maybe because it follows Ten Years Pass, I’m not sure, but this one didn’t do it for me.  I think the instrumental work is better than the vocals on this song, but it’s an ok song about getting over a breakup.

Sweeney wrote the title track Heartbreaker’s Hall of Fame, which provides an ironic honky tonk twist of induction to the Hall for all men who’ve ever broken a heart.  “Once you get inducted there’s no way out, even if you wanted to leave.  You’re in the Heartbreaker’s Hall of Fame now baby, as tonight’s main honoree.”  Sweeney follows Heartbreaker’s up with another of her own songs, Slow Swinging Western Tunes.  It’s a decent song, but not great.  Please Be San Antone is another Jim Lauderdale tune.  It’s a snappy little song about being alone and waiting for her baby to call from San Antone.  Sweeney covers Iris DeMent’s ballad Mama’s Opry brilliantly.  I’ve always kind of liked this song about singing at home in the true “Grandest” Opry.  In a way, it may represent Sweeney’s real life - authentic, traditional, too much for mainstream radio to handle.

Sweeney’s current radio hit, If I Could was previously recorded by John Prine.  This tune has the sound of a small town Saturday night hoedown, party song.  It’s very enjoyable. The song acknowledges that we all have disappointments but it’s how and what we do to get past them that makes us. “Now if I could, then I would, make money doin’ something that I love, I’d thank my lucky stars above, If I could just get by, lovin’ you dear, Then I would just get by, makin’ love to you.”  Sweeney closes the album with a remake of Lacy J. Dalton’s early 1980’s hit 16th Avenue.  I remember this song from when I was a youngster, but it didn’t leave an impression on me, and haven’t thought about it in years.  I think this blue eyed beauty makes it better than the original and could also be a radio single.

There are very few female singers that I rave about - Loretta Lynn, Tanya Tucker, Martina McBride, Heather Myles are the few that come to mind.  Sunny Sweeney is on the fast track to join that company.  While Sweeney may be too traditional for Nashville produced country radio, she may have just what it takes to crack the national airways.  After all, she is extremely talented, but also possess the sensuality and good looks that seem to be more of a determining factor in those decisions today than they should be.  She has the talent and you can actually put her in a video.  Unfortunately, it may be her beauty that gets her there, when it should be her unbelievable talent.  She has the spunk, the drawl, the looks, and the honky tonk sound that can pull from all ranges of audiences.  Sweeney is living her dream, and with the elegance with which she sings, her East Texas sound may soon populate the country.  I’m hedging my bets on that.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Posted in April 2007, 2007 | No Comments »

The Bourbon Legend Grows - Jason Boland & The Stragglers

Thursday, March 22nd, 2007

The first track on the album, called The Last Country Song, which is in the classic style of Jason Boland and the Stragglers.  I felt based on the title that this song would be a song about the end of traditional country music.  But the song is about the passing of something else.  It’s the passing of a generation and a way of life.

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The title track The Bourbon Legend follows.  This song is seemingly an autobiographical look into the life of the singer, who by the way sounds more and more like Waylon Jennings with every release.   The first single released to radio was the crowd favorite No One Left To Blame.  This song was a hit on Texas radio, climbing to the top of the Texas Music Charts.  I absolutely love the song.  The momentum is lost on the next track.  Jesus & Ruger is probably my least favorite song on the album, but I’m really not sure why.  It isn’t a badly written song, and Boland sounds great as always, but something about the song just doesn’t catch me.  Every once in a while a song is like that, and this is one of them.   The current radio song is the love song Up and Gone.  The first few times I listened to this song, I wasn’t completely sold on it.  But it has grown on me, and has become one of my favorites.  The song is very well written, and Boland sounds very much like Waylon in this song.  In fact, if you close your eyes and listen closely, you would think it is Waylon.  This song is on the fast track to #1 on the Texas Music Chart.  Baby That’s Just Me is a cleverly written song.  I’m not sure of the quality of it, but I like lines like “I’ve gone crazy one cent at a time, I slipped and fell on my pride.”  The outlaw in Boland shines in Can’t Tell If I Drink.  This song will be hard pressed to ever find it’s way to mainstream country radio stations.  The lyrics are way too rebellious for the Rascal Flats listeners:  “Can’t tell if I drink because she bitches, or she bitches because I drink.”   Lonely By Choice is a song clouded in mystery.   The song could go in several different directions.  Which one I’m not sure of, but I like the song.  It has a nice rhythm to it and it’s well written.   Rattlesnakes, which Boland co-wrote with Bob Childers is another song that will never make it to the radio listener.  It’s a song about rattlesnakes, painted ladies, and cocaine -  three of the evils that no man should get involved with.  I can see this song becoming a fan favorite though, as it is as rough as Boland’s outlaw persona.  Time in Hell is a “whoa is me” song without sounding downtrodden and defeated.  It’s about hoping for something good, because he’s been through so much bad.  It’s a desperation song without sounding desperate.  The lyrics say it so well: “So put me on the red-eye flight, and let me find the sun; I’m not the first, won’t be the last, and all it takes is one; just take me far from this place, where the Garden of Eden fell; cuz I’m bound to go to Heaven, I’ve done spent my time in hell”. Boland doesn’t usually include many love songs, but Everyday Life is the second such song on this album, following Up and Gone.   It’s a good closer to this outstanding piece of work.

This album is vintage Jason Boland.  All Straggler fans will love this album.  I’ve always felt that Jason Boland was somebody you have to see live to appreciate.  I still feel that way, but that should not discourage you from getting this album.  And by all accounts, Boland is one of the nicest and fan friendliest guys in the business.  Do yourself the favor and get out and see him and the Stragglers.  You will be doing them a favor also, as they seem to thoroughly enjoy performing live in front of their screaming fans.  Success hasn’t changed Jason Boland and he is well on the way to becoming more than just the Bourbon Legend.

Posted in March 2007, 2007 | 1 Comment »

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