Single reviews

Single Review: Tailgate Party – Roy Solis

13 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on Single Review: Tailgate Party – Roy Solis
Songwriters: Roy Solis, Johnny Garcia and Troy Powers When you write a song about a topic that has been brought up thousands of times before, it’s important to bring something new to the discussion. Roy Solis‘s ‘Tailgate Party’ does not even seem to try. Set on repeating the same sort of phrases found in innumerable Read More

Single Review: ‘You Gonna Fly’ – Keith Urban

13 years ago Liv Carter 4
Songwriters: Preston Brust, Chris Lucas, Jaren Johnston With a simple ‘1-2-3’ at the start, ‘You Gonna Fly’ presents itself immediately as an irresistible toe-tapper. Keith Urban‘s new single has a story to tell but it aims to do so while you are dancing. With easily accessible imagery, this poor boy romance drags you right to Read More

Single Review: Ours – Taylor Swift

13 years ago Liv Carter 3
Songwriter: Taylor Swift Pulling a sixth single from the hugely successful Speak Now album, Taylor Swift goes the simple route. ‘Ours’ is an innocent, girl-meets-boy love letter aimed squarely at her main demographic. In ‘Ours,’ the girl daydreams about her boy and has an internal dialogue about the challenges their young love might face. The Read More

Single Review: Home – Dierks Bentley

13 years ago Liv Carter 4
Songwriters: Dierks Bentley, Dan Wilson and Brett Beavers Dierks Bentley has been placed in a bind by corporate country radio. When he releases ultra-accessible fodder pretty indistinguishable from a hundred other songs (see: ‘Am I the Only One?’) he achieves great chart success; well-written pieces of musical art  get overlooked (see: ‘Draw Me a Map’). Read More

Single Review – Uncountrify Me – Barry Michael

14 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on Single Review – Uncountrify Me – Barry Michael
Songwriters: Corey Barker and Barry Michael The latest release to contribute to the plague of country songs proclaiming the artist’s inherent ‘countriness’ is Barry Michael‘s ‘Uncountrify Me’. In the song, Michael warns a woman that, while she may be able to adjust some of his behavior, she won’t be able to reverse his being ‘country.’ Read More

Single Review – North Country – Rocket Club

14 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on Single Review – North Country – Rocket Club
Songwriters: Chris Hawkey, Brian Kroening, Joel Sayles, Don Smithmier Started as a songwriting project between Don Smithmier and Brian Kroening , Minnesota band Rocket Club is getting ready to release a third album. The title track, ‘North Country,’ is the lead-off single. Read More

Single Review: Never Really Wanted – Eric Paslay

14 years ago Liv Carter 3
Songwriters: Eric Paslay/Walt Aldridge From the very first time I heard ‘Never Really Wanted’ I knew I was listening to a radio hit just waiting for a chance. Now, as the debut single for Texas singer/songwriter Eric Paslay, it finally gets to take a shot at country radio success. ‘Never Really Wanted’ sees the protagonist Read More

Single Review: Give – LeAnn Rimes

14 years ago Liv Carter 1
Songwriter: LeAnn Rimes For the first release since last year’s ‘Crazy Women’, LeAnn Rimes opted for a self-penned power ballad. Everything about new single ‘Give’ suggests this was the right choice. A simple message is best conveyed by a simple song. ‘Give’ is a retreading of the ‘you have to give to get’ philosophy with Read More

Single Review – This Ole Boy – Craig Morgan

14 years ago Liv Carter 1
Craig Morgan’s first release with Black River Music Group, ‘This Ole Boy,’  is a fiddle-filled, toe-tapping little diddy about a guy and a girl riding in an old Ford (complete with holes in the floor board) down a country road, completely smitten with one another. Sound familiar?  It should. It’s the premise of many a country Read More