What's remarkable about Hunter Hayes's three singles -- including his newest, 'Somebody's Heartbreak' -- is the consistency. There is nothing amateur about this country newcomer. All three fly flat along a bar raised high above the reach of many Nashville singers, both young and old.
LeAnn Rimes had tried her hand at songwriting prior to recording 'Family,' but her influence was never as strong as it is on this album, which was released five years ago today (Oct. 9, 2012). Rimes is listed as the first writer of all 12 of the songs released on the standard edition of her ninth record. The result is a project that scored two Grammy nominations and a round of applause from critics.
The Pistol Annies have already earned a chart-topping debut album, and their single 'Hell on Heels' went gold, selling over 500,000 copies. Now, Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe are on a natural high after getting some top praise from Neil Young in his recently released book, Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream.
One could make a convincing argument that Keith Urban's 'Golden Road' is the most important record of his career... And one of the most important records of the decade. Urban's sophomore album has sold over three million copies, while landing four songs on top of Billboard's country charts (including 'You Look Good in My Shirt,' which wasn't released until 2008). A fifth single, 'Raining on a Sunday' peaked at No. 3.
Brad Paisley -- simply put -- is a musical genius, especially when it comes to creating lyrics to some of his biggest hits. Paisley's 'Southern Comfort Zone' lyrics are no exception. The singer took his time penning the tune with two of his best songwriting pals, Kelley Lovelace and Chris DuBois, for his forthcoming album, which is slated for release in April.
Justin Moore has a standing position as one of country music's most-loved crooners, which is partially in thanks to his charming personality, but mostly due to the fact that he dishes out the kind of country music that people seem to gravitate toward. After a wild ride over the past couple of years with the release of big albums and No. 1 singles, plus opening up for some of country music's biggest names, Moore still has his eye on the prize.
Music fans already know Mac Powell from his years of fronting the Grammy-winning rock band Third Day -- one of the most successful contemporary Christian rock bands in the genre. But his new direction might be a bit of a surprise; the singer-songwriter recently released his first country album, and he's touring this fall to support it.
Like with many of their tunes, Zac Brown Band's 'Goodbye in Her Eyes' lyrics were birthed with help from Wyatt Durrette. The songwriter began to write the tune over a decade ago, before taking the song to Brown to finish.
October 2012 began with a flurry of great new country songs for radio programmers to choose from. Taylor Swift has released her newest single, as have stars like Josh Turner, Hunter Hayes and Chris Young. As Christmas time moves closer and closer, expect one last effort to provide fans with reasons to buy new or existing albums.
From the very first notes of Craig Morgan's new single 'More Trucks Than Cars,' you'll know you're in for a no tricks, no twists country song from the man who's made a living painting a scenic picture of rural America. The song is as genuine as any Morgan has released. It's only muted by his own strong catalog of (other) farm boy hits.
