With song like "These Boots" and "Pledge Allegiance To The Hag," Eric Church clearly aligns himself with the honky-tonk Bakersfield Sound school of country music, and his rustic twang of a voice is similarly pure country. There are several commercial ...

Not to be confused with the Greatest Hits collection that Columbia released in 1989, this 1991 CD focuses on Billy Joe Royal's Atlantic output of the 1980s. Although this pop and pop-country material on the whole is much too slick, ...

It's hard to listen to the spartan arrangements and moving vocal performances on WHAT A FRIEND without remembering the many struggles of Haggard's life: childhood poverty, early imprisonment, and, after his rise to fame, problems with drugs, alcohol, and personal ...

Liner Note Author: Chuck Young. Track Listing: It's a Cheating Situation; Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life; I Cheated Me Right out of You; Till I'm Too Old to Die Young; She's Not Really Cheatin'; It Was Always So Easy; ...

Married couple Keifer and Shawna Thompson make the most of their romantic pairing on their debut album as the duo Thompson Square, turning in a collection of songs that treat various sides of a committed relationship. The first single, "Are ...

Released two years after Learn to Live made him a genuine country star, Rucker's third solo album is another twangy effort, as well as a tribute to his South Carolina roots. Audio Mixer: Justin Niebank. Recording information: Blackbird Studios, Nashville, TN; The ...

Just like the title says -- 17 of Fricke's biggest hits from her the early '80s, including the number ones "He's A Heartache (Looking for a Place to Happen)," "It Ain't Easy Bein' Easy," "Don' Worry 'Bout Me Baby," and ...

Five years after he released the ambitious four-disc These Days in 2006, Vince Gill returns with another new album of original material, the striking Guitar Slinger, which was recorded at his home studio and features contributions from his wife Amy ...

The Amazing Rhythm Aces' Their Very Best does a better than average job of presenting the group's biggest hits, selected tracks from five albums, and two solo cuts by bandmember Russell Smith. Alongside the hits "Third Rate Romance," "Amazing Grace ...

Old School New Rules, which features guest appearances by Brad Paisley and Trace Adkins, is the first release for Hank Williams Jr. on his own Bocephus Records, an independent label based in Nashville, and the new album is indicative of ...

In June of 2011, Glen Campbell, 75 years old, announced that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In spite of the ailment, he finished and released an album, Ghost on the Canvas, at the end of the summer and ...

EAST TENNESSEE CHRISTMAS has a distinctly warm and serene ambiance. Chet Atkins' smooth guitar sound and lyrical touch--together with the silken voices of a (mostly) female choir and the lush outline of a string orchestra--make this an out of the ...

The series of Icon releases from UME are budget-priced compilations by pop legends, as well as younger artists who've scored on the singles charts. The Billy Currington volume selects two cuts from his self-titled debut in "I Got a Feelin'" ...

Recording information: Aimeeland Studios; Ocean Way Nashville; Sound Stage Studios. Photographer: Mark Anthony Jeffries. Personnel: Jake Owen (acoustic guitar); Kenny Greenberg, Tom Bukovac (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Ilya Toshinsky (acoustic guitar, dobro, banjo); Jerry McPherson, Adam Shoenfeld, Brent Mason (electric guitar); Glen ...

Dierks Bentley's sixth album, Home, his first since the bluegrass-themed Up on the Ridge from 2010, features a dozen new songs that the singer road-tested on tour, and it's an eclectic and varied affair, with guest spots from Little Big ...

Josh Turner had number one hits prior to Haywire but that 2010 set had two chart toppers -- the swinging "Why Don't We Just Dance" and "All Over Me" -- and not long after its release, American Idol contestant (and ...

Sony/Legacy continues its compelling and welcome The Johnny Cash Bootleg Series with this fourth volume, The Soul of Truth, which collects sides (some previously unreleased) Cash recorded in the 1970s and '80s in a faith and gospel vein. Recording information: Hendersonville ...

On the cover of his 2010 debut, Love Like Crazy, Lee Brice looked a little bit like an everyday bro in his T-shirt and backwards baseball cap but on its 2012 sequel, Hard 2 Love, he cuts a slightly more ...

Legacy's 2012 set The Essential Alan Jackson is a retitled reissue of 2010's 34 Number Ones, containing the same songs in the same sequence but bearing a different title and artwork. Upon its release, three of these cuts -- "Ring ...

Liner Note Author: Alan Cackett. Photographer: Anthony Baker. Ultimate Collection: Complete MCA Singles 1990-2000 gathers 30 tracks recorded by Mark Chesnutt during his tenure with the label, including the hits "Brother Jukebox," "Bubba Shot the Jukebox," and "I'll Think of Something." Recommended ...

A honky tonk album filled with religious themes may sound a bit incongruous, but if you know the Bellamy Brothers, it's just business as usual. The duo have always gone their own way, ignoring trends and making the kind of ...

Jerry Douglas is the undisputed King of the Dobro, a musician with monster chops. He cut his teeth playing bluegrass with the Country Gentlemen, but he's equally adept at almost any kind of music and has played with the top ...

Recording information: Bayou Recording Studio, Nashville, TN. Personnel: Reggie Young (electric guitar); Joe Spivey (fiddle); Mike Chapman (bass guitar); Randy Hardison (drums); Tim Hunley, Kenny Hunley (background vocals); Mark Casstevens, B. James Lowry (acoustic guitar); Larry Byrom (electric guitar); Sonny Garrish, ...

Justin Townes Earle's 2010 effort Harlem River Blues sounded like he'd found his way as a singer/songwriter amid the spidery, criss-crossing lines of Memphis' long and sometimes fractious musical heritage. Earle moved to London, but the sound of Nothing's Gonna ...

This single-disc, 14-collection features several hits by George Jones & Tammy Wynette including "Golden Ring," "We're Gonna Hold On," and "Two Story House." This is a perfect set for casual listeners on a budget. ~ Al Campbell Liner Note Author: John ...