Currently at the CST blogs
Ryan Bingham –
Ryan Bingham's name recognition took a quantum leap this year after his Academy Award win for Best Original Song with The Weary Kind. But fear not, the Texas troubadour hasn't gone Hollywood on his marvelous new album. There isn't a stylistic overhaul or big-name guests. The only slight change for his third full length is that T Bone Burnett replaced Marc Ford in the producer's chair. »»»
|
|
Ricky Skaggs –
The first thing listeners will notice about Ricky Skaggs' new album is that it is neither bluegrass, where Skaggs has been a torchbearer for many years, nor the neo-traditional country that made him a household name. If it must be categorized it fits most snuggly in the genre of Contemporary Christian Music. While final decision ultimately rest on Skaggs, the sound and feel of the album can be traced back to its producer, Gordon Kennedy. »»»
|
|
Trace Adkins –
Trace Adkins' move to Toby Keith's Show Dog label has certainly brought out the macho in him. Much like Keith, Adkins sings a lot of songs here about being a real man's man. With Hell, I Can Do That, he speaks for every confident guy that's ever believed that the feats celebrities accomplish aren't really all that hard. »»»
|
|
Blake Shelton –
Blake Shelton was successful in February with "Six Pack," which his label said wasn't an EP, but at six tracks, you judge. Whatever. His new disc emphasizes uptempo, rocking songs with touches of twang. Shelton sings with vigor from the get go with the title song. At the same time, releasing music more frequently doesn't mean that there are a lot of great songs. »»»
|
|
Butcher Holler –
Tribute albums walk a fine line for most listeners. Are they designed to draw fans of the artist singing or the artist being paid tribute? In the case of Eilen Jewell's new album, the answer should be both. It should be said upfront that the problem with many tribute albums is that the tributing artist hews too closely to the source material. Fortunately, this is not the case here. »»»
|
Concert Review: Cherryholmes comes together –
For a bluegrass band like Cherryholmes, the setting - the courtyard of one of the grandest museums in the entire U.S. was atypical. So without a "typical" audience there to lend support, one could argue that the sextet was up against it. No matter, though, because the family band showed why it is one of the best out there.... »»»
|
|
Country News
CD Reviews
 CST
 CST
|
Tift Merritt shoots for the moon –
A significant number of artists would be happy to notch two great consecutive albums. With the release of her latest, "See You on the Moon," Tift Merritt has managed to release four stone winners in a row. She accepts with a demure, but clearly grateful "Wow, thank you so much." »»»
|
|
Elizabeth Cook - the modern day Loretta Lynn –
Elizabeth Cook is like a modern day Loretta Lynn. She sings and writes as frankly about sex (with songs like Yes to Booty), as Lynn did with "The Pill. Now, on her fifth album, "Welder," which was produced by a true music business hit man, Don Was, Cook has fun with stereotypes (El Camino), yet gets deadly serious and personal about the subject of addiction on Heroin Addict Sister. »»»
|
|
Chatham County Line gets wild –
For their fifth album, "Wildwood," North Carolina quartet Chatham County Line decided to expand their bluegrass sound by utilizing instrumentation rarely a component in a bluegrass band: drums. As CCL frontman Dave Wilson explains, Tift Merritt's drummer/husband Zeke Hutchins had contributed to the songs in their seminal state, so it was only right that he should help finish them as well. "We felt like this was a record that could reach out to a lot more people than just the bluegrass audience," says Wilson. »»»
|
|
Sarah Buxton fills her plate –
Sarah Buxton has a lot on her plate right now. She's getting a new duo project with Jedd Hughes off the ground, writing songs for an upcoming reboot of the movie "Footloose" and traveling across the country with the first Country Throwdown. Being a part of a new tour is lot like sailing uncharted waters. However, Buxton knows that when you love what you're doing, it's always worth every mile. »»»
|
|
Dreams continue for Wade Bowen –
The past year has been busy for Wade Bowen. The native of Waco, Texas has picked up a number of awards, including Lonestar Music's Live Act of the Year, undertaken a grueling touring schedule, and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry. "Two thousand and nine was a huge year for us," said Wade in an interview with the Waco Tribune-Herald. "We performed at the Grand Ole Opry. We had our first West Coast run. We had record crowds and we won some awards that were fan-based and fan-oriented. We recorded the live album (Live at Billy Bob's), and I got to write with Guy Clark." »»»
|
|
Summertown Road picks it up –
Forty years ago, Jack Hicks was a teenage banjo sensation, good enough to land jobs with some of the biggest names in bluegrass. After disappearing from the scene for a few years, he didn't have to look any farther than the next house over for an opportunity to get back into the swing of things. "I had quit picking and had decided to start again, and John (Rigsby) was playing for Melvin Goins. »»»
|
|
Drive-By Truckers turn it up for their "Big To-Do" –
When Drive-By Truckers hit the studio early last year, the Alabama-via-Athens sextet were fresh from experiences that would have a profound effect on their next album. The Truckers had been on a long road trip supporting their last album, 2008's stripped back and country-flavored "Brighter Than Creation's Dark," which had been largely written on the band's acoustic Dirt Underneath Tour. They had also just recently wrapped up the whirlwind sessions that produced Booker T's Grammy-nominated "Potato Hole" album. »»»
|
|
