Love on the Inside –
Surely the duo of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, aka Sugarland, are showing no signs of slowing down nor of wandering far from the path that made "Enjoy the Ride" and "Twice the Speed of Life" such hot-selling previous albums. The new disc has two versions. The first or deluxe fan edition, which will be released a week before the other, is definitely the one to purchase. »»»
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Keep on Walkin' –
The Grascals' third record finds them walking the fine line of mixing covers with originals. While the band sounds tight on every song, the cover choices are so strong that they outshine the new material. »»»
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Blood Sweat & Steel –
In 2005, The Road Hammers marked their birth as a band with an album and a reality TV show. They won awards, sold platinum and spawned several radio hits in Canada. Naturally, they want to repeat the trick, this time breaking into the American market with another reality show ("The Road Hammers" on Great American Country) and an updated version of their debut. »»»
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Bulletproof –
Stalwart Texas-based band Reckless Kelly is back with a vengeance on a scorching set of countrified roadhouse rockers. Throughout its 10-plus year career, the band, led by the brother team of Cody and Willy Braun, consistently delivered good albums that move effortlessly between rock and country. But here, Reckless Kelly compiles a memorable set that fires on all cylinders. »»»
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Still Crooked –
After the departure of talented cellist and big personality Rushad Eggleston, Crooked Still is back with their third release. Eggleston's shoes are filled by Brittney Haas and Tristan Clarridge on fiddle and cello respectively. Both are welcome additions. Haas' fiddle breaks complement Greg Liszt's inventive banjo. »»»
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The internet revolution –
The push and pull between bricks and mortar CD stores like the Wal-Marts, Best Buys, Hastings, indie stores/chains Waterloos and Ernest Tubb of the world versus etailers like Amazon, Rhapsody et al is no secret. Sales at the standing stores are tenuous with some of the retailers either folding shop or cutting back on how much space is devoted to CDs. A byproduct of the downturn in sales over the past few years has been the recent introduction of digital only sales by record labels. »»»
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Country News
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CD Reviews
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The Grascals keep on walkin' –
The way Jamie Johnson of The Grascals views it, the adage if ain't broke, don't fix it" applies to the bluegrass sextet's new "Keep on Walkin'" CD. Who could blame him either? The group has enjoyed two well-received albums, a hit single with "Me and John and Paul" and won the prestigious entertainer of the year award two years running from the International Bluegrass Music Association. Can they keep it going? »»»
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Alejandro Escovedo soundtracks life on "Real Animal" –
Alejandro Escovedo has been through a lot in his 57 years - drug and alcohol problems, a near death illness, the suicide of his estranged wife. Now, the rootsy rocker, who played with such bands as Rank and File and The True Believers, gets autobiographical on "Real Animal." »»»
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Junior Sisk rambles again, by choice –
Ten years ago, Rambler's Choice released their debut. And the bluegrass disc received much praise from a band that included Junior Sisk, Jim Van Cleve and Alan Perdue. Most of the names changed except for Sisk and cousin Tim Massey. Both now spearhead the new Rambler's Choice. Can the magic be renewed? »»»
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Road Hammers truck on through "Blood Sweat & Steel" –
The Road Hammers initially were an outlet for Canadian country singer Jason McCoy's desire for a trucking song album. But thanks to a television reality show in the frozen north, that vision drastically changed into a bona fide band with a U.S. label deal and a TV deal in the U.S. »»»
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Infamous Stringdusters: overnight success leads to dealing with soph slump –
In two short years, the Infamous Stringdusters experienced a meteoric rise from a band in its infancy stage to an established recording and touring act and a 3-time winner at the 2007 IBMA Awards. With a second CD out, can the band maintain the momentum? »»»
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Sierra Hull reveals her "Secrets" –
The end of junior year in high school for many is a whirlwind of final exams, making summer plans (maybe even including a job) and complaining about a recently-taken senior yearbook picture. For a rising young bluegrass performer like Sierra Hull, it's all that and a lot more. Just within the last two months, she's fronted her own band, played the venerable Merle Watson festival in North Carolina, shot a bit part in and played on the soundtrack of an upcoming movie and, let's see, what else? »»»
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George Carlin on country –
The great thing about having a column is that you can talk about whatever it is you want to talk about as long as you can tie it however tangentially to the subject at hand, which in this case is country music. But right now I want to talk about George Carlin, who recently passed away at the age of 71. Carlin was a genius, a real hero of mine, one of the only people I think can mentioned in the same breath as Lenny Bruce and Mark Twain. »»»
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