Taste of Country Staff
[
Toc Encore: Country Stars Who’ve Served in the Military
Amongst country music's top stars you'll find a captain, several staff sergeants, a corporal and an Army Ranger. All four branches of the United States military are covered by country hitmakers. In some cases they were on the front lines for historic events. In some cases an artist's career began during down time.
[
Album Spotlight: Rascal Flatts, ‘Rewind’
The song 'Rewind' is a good measuring stick for Rascal Flatts' new album of the same name as it truly does -- as Jay DeMarcus said -- tie the old to the new. It's the mean of 13 songs that range from syrupy and organic to razor sharp and vengeful.
[
Lady Antebellum, ‘Bartender’ [Listen]
Lady Antebellum’s new song ‘Bartender’ brushes against themes found in the group's biggest hit to date, but sonically it’s quite a deviation from ‘Need You Now’ or anything they’ve recorded released to radio. Perhaps only ‘Downtown’ served up a more surprising sound from this trio.
[
Zac Brown Band, ‘All Alright’ [Listen]
Dave Grohl’s influence on the Zac Brown Band is obvious from the first blues-rock soaked pulls of electric guitar on ‘All Alright.’ It’s a new direction for the ZBB, a band whose musical journey looks more like a maze than a straight line.
[
Album Spotlight: Leah Turner, ‘Leah Turner’ EP
Leah Turner has managed to reveal a new side of her personality with each of the first two singles on her debut EP. The other three also step out of line with what fans have already learned.
[
Kip Moore, ‘Dirt Road’ [Listen]
Kip Moore is right when he says his new single ‘Dirt Road’ will raise a few eyebrows, it may just take awhile. Lyrically the new song is country’s Mariana Trench hiding behind familiar references to beer, moonlight and backseat romance.
[
ToC Encore: Country’s Top 5 ‘American Idol’ Singers
Scotty McCreery, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood are three 'American Idol' winners who've gone country, but who's the all-time best?
[
Big and Rich, ‘Look at You’ [Listen]
Big and Rich’s ‘Look at You’ re-introduces fans to the softer side of the country duo. While John Rich and Big Kenny Alphin are known for rowdy, in-your-face country-rockers, it’s this style that has found them the most fans at radio. This may be their most organic release to date.
[
Kacey Musgraves, ‘Keep It to Yourself’ [Listen]
The fourth single from Kacey Musgraves’ ‘Same Trailer Different Park’ album isn’t nearly as risky as her last, or the two before it. ‘Keep It to Yourself’ is a straight-forward country heartbreak song that finds the singer turning the corner on the depression that often comes after a bad breakup.
[
ToC Encore: Everything You Need to Know About Miranda Lambert’s ‘Platinum’ in 30 Seconds or Less
Miranda Lambert's new album 'Platinum' will be available on June 3 and, with 16 tracks, there's a lot to know about the new studio project. Taste of Country writer Billy Dukes has managed to cram it all into one, 30-second-long, video cheat sheet.
[
Album Spotlight: Luke Bryan, ‘Spring Break 6 … Like We Ain’t Ever’
Luke Bryan’s sixth spring break EP isn’t so much a party album as it is a project for short-term lovers. Bryan explores the romantic side of spring break during ‘Like We Ain’t Ever.’ In many ways it’s an extension of the songs on ‘Crash My Party.’
[
The Band Perry, ‘Chainsaw’ [Listen]
The Band Perry’s ‘Chainsaw’ finds singer Kimberly Perry playing the role of unstable ex-girlfriend. Until now she’d mostly kept a lid on her crazy, only giving glimpses in songs like ‘Better Dig Two’ and ‘Done.’ There’s nothing stable about a girl swinging around a Stihl, however.
