It Still Feels Good to be Rascal Flatts

 

Rascal Flatts - Take Me There (Lyric Street Records) 

 

It’s very easy for people to dismiss Rascal Flatts as a country boy band.  Others go as far as saying they’re the reason mainstream country radio is ‘as bad as it is’ right now.  both types of people will argue to their hearts’ content about such things just as the Flatt fanatics will argue the opposite viewpoints.  And it’s hard to argue with the numbers.   They released the highest selling album in 2006 (aside from “High School Musical“) and have a big shot at passing up Kanye West for most units sold in a debut week (“Me And My Gang” sold 700,000 or so units its first week).  With all of this said one might be asking, does the record stand up to the trio’s older stuff?  In a word, yes.

The Greatest Hits from the 1990’s Greatest Vocalist

Trisha Yearwood – “Greatest Hits” (MCA/UMG/UMe)

From the time Trisha Yearwood stormed out of the gates with “She’s In Love With The Boy”  Trisha was destined to be a star. Garth Fundis‘ steady production accented Trisha’s voice just right while Trisha sang a lyric that was just perfect for radio and video.  Just so much that the song is still a heavily played recurrent 16 years later.  From that hit to “There Goes My Baby,”  one of Trisha’s last hits for MCA Records, there wasn’t a time that she didn’t deliver the goods.  Even when the over-produced, dramatic “How Do I Live” was released, Trisha saved the song with that voice.  I preferred her version to LeAnn Rimes‘ own take on the song (hers was a huge pop hit).  Along Trisha’s long, storied career, she recorded her fair share of absolutely brillant songs.  “The Song Remembers When” is one of these songs and Trisha wrings every bit of emotion out of the poetic Hugh Prestwood lyric.  The song is so true.  A song always remembers when because it triggers an emotion or memory upon hearing them.  That’s why music moves us the way it does, isn’t it? 

Kenny Chesney Bares His Soul on His Latest Release

 

Kenny Chesney – “Just Who I Am: Poets And Pirates“ (BNA/SonyBMG Nashville)

I will cop to being a Kenny Chesney fan from his first BNA Records release in 1994.  Back then when people were starting to rant on who the ‘next George Strait’  would be I pegged Chesney.  Perhaps it was my Teenage mind being able to identify more with Chesney than Strait or just pure dumb luck that I predicted him to become the star that he is.  Many people may just be hopping on the Chesney bandwagon but how many of them actually own all of Chesney’s records (Both the original and re-issued “In My Wildest Dreams” and holiday record included)?  Kenny’s last record was an absolute monster that was packed with a multitude of hits and “Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates” is of to a fine start with a 5 week mega hit in “Never Wanted Nothing More”  and sophomore single “Don’t Blink.”  Currently just outside the top 10 (in it’s 3rd week), the song briefly held the all-time chart debut record for a new single Before Garth Brooks toppled it with last week’s #1 hit (and debut) “More Than A Memory“.   Both songs set up the album quite nicely for a overall number one chart debut (if Chesney can survive the ”rap wars”) that would fall in-line with the last few releases from Kenny.

Goin’ To Heaven – A Buck Jones Tribute

It was a little over a year ago that I recieved a record from New Light Records and what I heard was a stunning vocalist singing a sturdy collection of Texas inflicted country music.  Buck Jones was a classically trained vocalist from Houston who managed to make friends with Billy Block and Walt Wilkins (among others).  I loved the record immensely and previously wrote a review of the album for AboutCountry around it’s release date of August 29, 2006.  Tragedy struck on May 17, 2007 when Buck was struck and killed by a hit-and-run drunk driver after his own vehicle’s tire had blown out.  This would be deemed a tragedy if buck were just a country music star but the man also had a wife and a young son to take care of.   This new review of the record is going to serve as a tribute to the man and hopefully shed some more light on an artist foolishly taken way before his time.

Like a comfortable pair of jeans: Joe Nichols’ “Real Things.”

Joe Nichols – “Real Things” 

Joe Nichols has been releasing records for about 10 years now and, after an abrupt start with Intersound Records, Joe received his real shot when Universal South opened their doors in 2001.  Joe was their ‘flagship’ artist and released the wonderful ballad “The Impossible” and from there Joe’s had 7 top 10 hits and released 3 fine records (2 gold) before the release of his fifth proper album (He also has a mighty fine Christmas release too), “Real Things.”    New label president Mark Wright and Joe’s long-time producer Brent Rowan helmed the project.  While many might have expected “Real Things” to be chock full of “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” styled tracks to get both radio play and record sales, the album is instead a refreshingly more reserved, Merle-esque affair.