Chelle Rose – Ghost of Browder Holler

In a lazy, drawling growl, East Tennessee’s Chelle Rose sings about life experiences on her sophomore album, “Ghost of Browder Holler,” released on Lil’ Damsel Records. The singer/songwriter spent her childhood in The Smokies of North Carolina, and now writes about the mountain folk in honest, sometimes dark tones that see the light of day here in her self-described “Appalachian rock ‘n’ roll.” Produced in Austin by the legendary Ray Wylie Hubbard, who sought after the artist and sprinkled his Texas flavoring...

Candy Coburn - Lucky

Candy Coburn is one of those artists that seemingly has it all. She can sing like nobody's business, is a heavily sought-after performer for her high-energy shoe, and well, she's pretty easy to look at, as well. On her current disc, she puts it all together for quite the collection. You can tell the wide array of artists she listened to growing up - everything from Loretta Lynn to Glenn Miller helped her to become the very talented act that you hear today. The current single from the disc, "Don't Walk Away," is ample proof...

Herrick - New Dance

Sometimes - given the high volume of CD's that pass across my desk, it's tough to get anything on the first listen. You typically have to go back, and listen to a disc a few times before you realize whether you 'get' the act or not. I only needed one listen to tell you that Herrick is the real deal, and may very well contain the next great female voice of this generation in Donna Herrick. It's all in how you interpret it, but in Herrick I hear a mixture of Jennifer Nettles' phrasing, as well as the rock and blues swagger of one Faith Hill. That ...

Roy D Mercer - Ultimate Fits: The Very Worst Of

2012 marks the fifteenth anniversary of one of the biggest success stories in American Comedy. At KMOD Radio in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a pair of radio personalities named Phil and Brent helped to give a voice to a man who qualifies, for…something. Roy D. Mercer is something of a vanishing breed these days. He’s the kind of man who takes no bull from people – whether it be a mechanic that overcharged him, a telemarketer who won’t leave him alone, or the pharmacist who messes up his prescription after the dog...

Chase Rice - Dirt Road Communion

Carolina native Chase Rice has had some big things happen to him these days. One of those was the release of this album. It hit the Billboard Country Albums chart at # 48. That is a very impressive feat, especially when one considers that Rice has yet to have a major hit at radio. That is probably a circumstance that will change soon, given the high quality of music on this disc. Rice can maneuver between many different styles, and do so in a way that almost comes across as effortless. Some of the winners on this disc include...

JB & The Moonshine Band - Beer For Breakfast

A few years ago, the Country format was filled with women at the top of their game. Nowadays, at least to my ears, there seems to be a trend toward signing bands on the Row. Each seems to be talented, and each seems to be more “bad ass” than ever before. That being said, I really think that this act, signed to Average Joe’s Entertainment, is one to seriously watch. Yeah, they are “bad ass,” as the demographic likes, but they cut just a little more deep than you might figure. In listening to such tracks...

Lurrie Bell - The Devil Ain't Got No Music

Chicago-area bluesman Lurrie Bell has been 'doing his thing,' and doing it well for quite a while now. On his latest album, he shines the spotlight on some of Gospel Music's most endearing songs - all of which are given a sterling performance, as only Bell can do it. Starring off with the standard "Swing Low," Bell gets on a roll immediately, and stays there throughout the album. "It's A Blessing" most definitely is, and in his style, "Peace In The Valley" becomes quite a different sounding song than Red Foley or Elvis Presley, yet no less touching or effective. In this listeners' opinion, this is some fantastic old-school blues. It has...

Rob Baird - I Swear It's The Truth

Over the past few years, Rob Baird has become known as one of the top artists in the Lone Star state. This album should be the catalyst to introduce his sound to other fans outside of the Texas border. Listening to it, you will no doubt find that he is ready for that next step. The intro cut, “Dreams And Gasoline,” has that churning Texas sound, but what sets it apart is Baird’s vocal range. He can sing, and does it very well. He’s got a versatile sound, too. “Same Damn Thing” gives him a chance to show...

Joan Osborne - Bring It On Home

Joan Osborne has often been one of the most diverse artists out there, even tipping her hat to her Country side on her excellent 2006 album Pretty Little Stranger. For her brand new project, the Kentucky native returns to her roots - the Blues. When the opening strains of "I Don't Need No Doctor" kick off this album, you can almost see the Mississippi River churning through Memphis circa 1968. The guitars, the horns, the background singers - they are all there in full force, and Osborne sounds like she...

Stranger Things – Where You Go

It must have been a long, cold winter in Sweden. That’s what I thought while listening to alternative pop, Stockholm duo Stranger Things’ debut release “Where You Go.” Together, these two artists emote a certain UV-deprived melancholy that’s inherently cinematic a la early black and white Ingmar Bergman in its soft severity. Anna Falk’s ethereal, youthful soprano brightens dark arrangements by Gabriel Wingard, creating a soundscape of contrasts. All five songs on this EP are written by Wingard...

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals: Live from the Legendary Sun Studios

GPN aficionados and other hardcore fans will be delighted to learn that Grace and the band have prepared a special limited-edition piece for Record Store Day. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals: Live From The Legendary Sun Studio, which will be available on vinyl and CD, contains seven original songs recorded in 2008 and 2009. “Night Rolls On,” “Outta My Tree,” “Sugar,” and “Put Your Head Down” (which comprise Side One of the vinyl release) were recorded in January 2008 for the Live From Sun Studio ...

Jason Eady - AM Country Heaven

Music, they say, is often a soundtrack to our lives. That is very much true. A song can take you back in time to a particular point, when life was a little bit simpler, or just different. That’s the case with this project. This one took me back a ways, to the music that played on the airwaves on those Saturday mornings in the late 1970s or early 1980s, where I would go with my father to the local Dickson Farmers’ Co-Op. I say that because of the music that was on the radio at the time – some of Haggard’s best...

Santana – Greatest Hits Santana: Live At Montreux 2011

Carlos Santana asks, “Why would it be more difficult today to manifest your dreams? If you work hard, the Universe is going to open the door and give you twice what it gave me.” This optimistic outlook has propelled the one-time Tijuana dishwasher, who had his own dreams of playing on stage with heroes B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, to achieve just that and so much more. His Grammy-winning Latin funk-rock band bearing his last name has had the distinction of producing Top...

Casey James - Self Titled

Former "American Idol" contestant Casey James has already had quite a 2012 to remember - thanks to his big hit "Let's Don't Call It A Night," and this debut album, which premiered at # 2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. The Cool, Texas native should likely prepare for more career highlights, because he's got the voice - and the material to be around for that proverbial long-haul. If you like the soulful edge of the current single, then you are sure to love the sounds of cuts like "Undone," "So Sweet," and "She's Money," all of which ...

Music Worth Buying: Band of Skulls and A Tribute To The Smiths

Orange County Register (CA) music critic Robert Kinsler and his co-host, TJR review new CDs. This week TJ looks at the latest bit of Heavy Blues Rock by Band of Skulls "Sweet Sour' and Robert talks about Please Please Please: a tribute to The Smiths