of the season--told through the voice of a small girl ("Jesus Gets Jealous of Santa Claus")--and other timely sentiments. Trouble is, Keith's not a great songwriter (although he's not bad storyteller). What adds to his shortcomings as a wordsmith are his melody lines, which generally sound punch pressed from that crass commercialized Nashville mold. Keith fans will enjoy the selections, however, and nearly anyone can appreciate the fact that he chose not to make a record of the same tired old standards played in the tired old contemporary-country way. --Martin Keller  (less)

flexible rhythm section; wounded, piercing vocals; and unforgiving songs of rage, recklessness, and rejection. He then spends the rest of the CD refining it, song by song. As a writer, he has a real flair for imagery and the sturdy hook, and he also has good taste in remakes. Yes, there is some posturing; occasionally it feels like his nose for trouble, sense of despair, and wild eyes spring from listening to all the right records rather than out of anyone's real life. But for the most part, Hank III seems to come by these things the old-fashioned way: he earns them. Already. If he doesn't earn too much, he's going to do great things. --John Morthland  (less)

songwriter Bobby Braddock, also contains quite a few harder-hitting, meatier tunes. "Old Red," for instance, is a twangy and resolutely down-home prison tale that Shelton imbues with growling tongue-in-cheek humor. "Same Old Song" is a subtle but soulful Braddock-penned putdown of the current state of country music, to which Shelton brings all the passion and conviction the song deserves. On the socially conscious "Problems at Home" (which Blake cowrote with Billy Montana and Don Ellis), the young singer laments far weightier issues, like school shootings and the destruction of the Amazon rain forests, with similar fervency. On these songs and others, the twenty-something neo-honk-tonker shows just the kind of musical vis...  (less)

unsuccessful results. "I Don't Have to Be Me (‘Til Monday)," an Everyman's exuberant celebration of calling in sick at work, scored at radio, and there's plenty more here, including the love ballad "Lay Your Heart Next to Mine," that could follow. But Azar's more interesting songs (some cowritten with producer Rafe Van Hoy) go the pared-down, Todd Snider route. "Damn the Money," for instance, a rockin' little shuffle about that elusive green stuff, could show up in a discussion in No Depression , as could "The Underdog." Azar isn't going to win awards for his serviceable vocals, but he may turn heads with the title track, which starts out as a likeable blue-collar lament and turns into a modern-day "Wreck of the Old '97." If that's not a bridge between mus...  (less)

response: Shania Twain, Joss Stone, LeAnn Rimes, Macy Gray, Indigo Girls, k.d. lang, and more have each packed the collection with previously-unreleased music. With half of the disc recently-written songs and half covers of old classics, the originals ultimately prove to be the highlight. Shania Twain's "Shoes" is a future line-dancin' classic, analogizing men to shoes ("a girl can't never have too many of 'em"). Joss Stone's "Treat Me Right" is nothing short of sexy, soul perfection, while SheDaisy's performance of the Jann Arden -penned "God Bless the American Housewife" kicks things off in a dark country style. The "who's that girl with the voice?" award goes to Idina Menzel ( Rent , Wicked ) for her powerhouse performance of ...  (less)

Larry The Cable Guy s Old-Time Radio Show Christmastime in Larryland. Joined by country stars Trace Adkins, Cowboy Troy and T.G. Sheppard, Larry indulges in a fantasy about having his own Christmas radio special.  (less)

career--accord him a respect that few other major labels show to past country greats who once enhanced their profits. That's why the 87-year-old Arnold's return to the studio for album #100 is nothing less than courageous. His producer, legendary Nashville eccentric Cowboy Jack Clement, combines low-key acoustic accompaniment with vintage material, including a remake of Arnold's 1956 hit "You Don't Know Me" and Roger Miller's "King of the Road." While Arnold imparts class, dignity, and youthful spirit to every tune, even this vocal master isn't exempt from aging's inevitable toll on every human voice. Hearing him valiantly struggle to achieve what once seemed effortless is profoundly moving and occasionally painful. Nonetheless, his magni...  (less)

, the official elimination song on the Speed Channel's show Pinks , and finalists for Bon Jovi's 'Have a Nice Day' band competition, The Nadas have been steadily touring the country in Meatloaf's old tour bus, curiously dubbed...Meatloaf. Each release builds on a brilliant catalog of rock-meets-alt-country, and their ever-growing fanbase proves that their talent is truly authentic.  (less)

Wagoner. Born August 12th, 1927, Porter Wagoner was a brilliant old-guard country singer, dedicated to the tradition of country music and to entertaining the world through songs and flashy nudie suits. He enriched us through his writing, production, and passion for making and discovering heartfelt music. As a songwriter, Dolly is a bucolic poet, and her lyrics pioneered new territory and possibilities for country music with their florid and reflective depictions of rural living. Together, on record and on The Porter Wagoner television show - they were magic. But, to "shed light" on a myth is not to take away from the allure of either Porter or Dolly. That intangible, special "thing" that was appealing about them both from the begi...  (less)

includes songs that were never aired on the original TV broadcast. Maybe it was an epiphany of sorts. As Buck tells it, One day I was watching Austin City Limits and Dwight Yoakam was on, then he dedicates the program to Buck Owens. So I said, I m going to see what this kid is like. It wasn t long after that he was on stage with Dwight singing his old hits. Buck was bitten by the bug to return to music, after calling it quits almost ten years earlier. This man from Sherman, Texas probably best-known as the wide-grinning rube on Hee Haw for so many years started a country music revolution. Or more accurately, a counter-revolution. It was called the Bakersfield Sound, He and fellow revolutionary Merle Haggard were cranking out raw, hard-driving honky-ton...  (less)

times since the band formed in 2003. At its inception, The Scarred's first demos made waves in DIY zines across the country. This was quickly followed by touring in the old burnt out van, playing everywhere from garages, basements, bars, even an abandoned trailer, and an elevator lobby to some of the best stages in the most rockin' clubs in America.  (less)

most effectively navigate a new path. But ironically, Robinson's deliberate distancing from the Crowes' excesses paints him into problematic corners. The laid-back country jones he exhibits on "Sunday Sound" and "Barefoot by the Cherry Tree" often gets the best of him, while the spare, promising folk-rock of "Could You Really Love Me?" degenerates into familiar Robinson tent-revival vocal territory. If "Ride"'s funky corners and Robinson's general willingness to experiment show promise, they also suggest the singer's talents need a little competitive goosing, a reinforcement the decades-old truism that the greatest rock music is often the byproduct of the fiercest rivalries and infighting. --Jerry McCulley  (less)