Today's Country - 107.7 WGNA » Reviews

New Country Singers Discovered At CMA Music Festival

Kevin Richards — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:51:36 +0000

While I was honoring the legends at the CMA Music Festival, northeast Country fan Scott Risley was discovering the new country singers on the rise. Risley, a longtime country music fan and karaoke host at the Barrel Saloon in Albany, New York introduces us to his favorite new country singers from the CMA Music Festival. [...]

LeAnn Rimes, 'Spitfire' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:00:13 +0000

During 'I Do Now,' a song from LeAnn Rimes' new 'Spitfire' album, the singer name-checks the Dixie Chicks. The track is a feel-good, take-my-life-back kinda song nestled between much more moody and emotional fare. The similarities between the two acts were never so apparent until she says it.

Lose Weight With The Lose IT App

Levack — Thu, 30 May 2013 14:45:55 +0000

Just the other day I was complaining about not being able to get to the gym and not even knowing where to start with balancing my diet. The other night i couldn’t sleep so I was looking through the “Popular App” section on my droid when I found “Lose It”.I started logging my food and [...]

George Strait, 'Love Is Everything' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:00:37 +0000

George Strait steps back in time for his newest release, 'Love Is Everything.' In the past, the singer always found a way to add a touch of contemporary to his traditional sound. There's nothing to separate this from albums he made throughout the '80s and '90s, but that's not necessarily a criticism.

Lady Antebellum, 'Golden' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:30:33 +0000

The best moments on Lady Antebellum's fourth album 'Golden' find Charles Kelley or Hillary Scott singing solo, with minimal help from the other on harmonies. There is no shortage of songs that act as features for the two talented vocalists. The evolution of the trio finds them becoming a dual threat super power instead of a two-headed pop-rock-country group.

Thomas Rhett, 'It Goes Like This' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Thu, 02 May 2013 22:00:17 +0000

‘It Goes Like This’ is the safest of the three singles Thomas Rhett has released, but he sacrifices nothing in sharp songwriting in his effort to land a hit on country radio. The charismatic songwriter is a natural storyteller, and his lyrics bounce to life with each verse and chorus. Rhett’s previous two singles didn’t realize their [...]

Alabama Making 'Mountain Music' On Reunion Tour – Honoring George Jones

Kevin Richards — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:37:12 +0000

April 26, 2013 I had the honor of seeing the Alabama reunion concert in Wallingford, CT. with a bus load of 50 country music fans. It had been 10 years since we hosted a bus trip to see the Farewell tour in Hershey, PA., so we were all anxious to see if the band still sounded great.

Kenny Chesney, 'Life on a Rock' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:30:17 +0000

Kenny Chesney's 'Life on a Rock' album is as revealing of a record as 'Be as You Are' -- more so in some ways. The songwriting isn't as sharp as the 2005 project (the most closely comparable to 'Life on a Rock' in style and substance), but the experiences are as mixed and honest.

Willie Nelson's New Album 'Let's Face The Music And Dance'

Kevin Richards — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:30:34 +0000

Country legend Willie Nelson is approaching his 80th Birthday (April 30, 2013). It’s no surprise he’ll celebrate his big day rolling down the highway to the next show and enjoying the release of a new album Let’s Face The Music And Dance. Although the album is charming, featuring Willie’s family and long time road band, [...]

Scotty McCreery Impressing Country Music Fans Of All Ages

Kevin Richards — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:18:26 +0000

The 10th Season winner of American Idol, Scotty McCreery, is busy balancing college and building a career in Country Music. Although McCreery has yet to break through on the mainstream Country Music charts with a Top 10 charting single, he’s off to a great start with a best selling debut album, a large following of [...]

Willie Nelson, 'Let's Face the Music and Dance' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:30:25 +0000

'Let's Face the Music and Dance' is a great place for a young country music fan to meet Willie Nelson. It won't be his most famous, and it won't create any hit singles. This wonderfully consistent effort proves what longtime fans of the legend already know: At 79 years old (80 on April 30), Nelson is still as important and skilled a vocalist as there is in country music.

Brad Paisley, 'Wheelhouse' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:00:46 +0000

Brad Paisley's 'Wheelhouse' delivers a familiar mix of humor, life lessons and scorching guitar solos, but it does it in a way different from any of the other eight albums the 'Beat This Summer' singer has released. He took his old formula, balled it up, lit it on fire and tossed the ashes in the garbage. The result is a meaty and ambitious project that doesn't always click, but clears new ground when it does.

'The Voice' Blind Auditions – Stacy Jo Picks Favorite

Kevin Richards — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:26:08 +0000

Over the past few weeks, WGNA intern Stacy Jo has been reviewing NBC’s ‘The Voice.’ The blind auditions are coming to an end, and it looks like she has a favorite on Blake Shelton’s Team (aka ‘Team Blake’). Stacy Jo says “Now that ‘The Voice’ is down to the last week of the blind audition, [...]

Should Stevie Wonder Have Closed The ACM Awards?

Kevin Richards — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:19:19 +0000

I have respect and appreciation for all genres of music, and I think Stevie Wonder’s contributions to American Music are worthy of his 1989 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, I don’t think that the producers of the Academy of Country Music Awards should have selected Stevie Wonder to close the [...]

Wade Hayes 'Is It Already Time' – Latest And Greatest From '90s Country Star

Kevin Richards — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 13:30:53 +0000

It’s no secret ‘veteran’ artists always have a harder time getting songs up the charts, as everything is focused on new and young. We all understand that it’s the natural evolution of the radio and record business, but most all of these ‘veterans’ continue to record and perform great music. That’s why every Sunday Morning, [...]

The Band Perry, 'Pioneer' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:30:32 +0000

The Band Perry‘s new album ‘Pioneer’ is just as dramatic, yet dramatically more steady than their debut effort. The bar was raised and reached vocally, and songs like ‘Done,’ ‘Forever Mine Nevermind’ and ‘Chainsaw’ prove the family trio has lost nothing in terms of lyrical edge. The highs aren’t quite as high (no song matches [...]

Blake Shelton, 'Boys 'Round Here' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:45:44 +0000

There is comedy in Blake Shelton singing with Pistol Annies, as he does on his new single 'Boys 'Round Here.' One imagines a country Hugh Hefner surrounded by his beauties. In real life, the Annies likely (very likely) don't attend to his every need and agree with him at all costs, but they do on this song, and it's absolutely charming.

Blake Shelton, 'Based on a True Story …' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:00:16 +0000

Women who already think Blake Shelton singing is the sexiest thing since Johnny Castle pulled Baby from the corner may want to take the rest of the week off. The best moments on 'Based on a True Story ...' sizzle, and not in that ironic "bow-chicka-wow-wow" sort of way that's occasionally implied with this singer's sense of humor. Songs like 'Mine Would Be You' are safe to put on any red wine and candles soundtrack. Guys, you can thank Shelton via his Twitter account, if you'd like.

Thompson Square, 'Just Feels Good' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 01:00:55 +0000

The best songs on Thompson Square's new album 'Just Feels Good' sound like a conversation between the two married lovers. Early on, their back-and-forth is light and playful. Later ballads take a more somber tone, but all that find the 'If I Didn't Have You' singers sharing lead are highlights from the duo's sophomore project.

Kacey Musgraves, 'Same Trailer Different Park' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:55:03 +0000

Kacey Musgraves' Mercury Records debut album is everything a new artist dreams her first record will be. 'Same Trailer Different Park' is well-written, edgy (yet familiar) and coated in "cool." Musgraves is an original who at age 24 is surprisingly wise and adept at using her voice to share her experiences.