January Country Music singles round-up

January Country Singles - Round Up

Trent Willmon - Broken In:
Trent Willmon is a cowboy's Country singer which - I think - is how Country Music should be. This is a powerful track with a catchy hook and loads of rodeo supporters will recognise themselves in the lyrics. Watch the charts for this one.

• Released January 28, 2008. From "Broken In" on Compadre Records/Music World Music.
• Artist web site: www.trentwillmon.com

Rissi Palmer - Hold On To Me:
Amazing voice, amazing song: this girl is going to be huge! "Hold On To Me" is another great take from an astonishing debut album. The only question is whether the strait-laced suits who run Country will accept a non-white singer into their fold!

• Released January 28,  2008. From "Rissi Palmer" on 1720 Entertainment.
• Artist web site:   www.rissipalmer.com

Blake Shelton - Home:
What's truly sad is that Shelton is one of Country music's finest singers and writers. Now he looks like all the rest, and he sounds like them too. The recording sounds more like a movie soundtrack song than a Country single, with way too much orchestration and a VERY strange keyboard instrumental.

• Released January 24, 2008. From "Pure BS Deluxe Edition" on Warner Bros. Nashville.  
• Artist web site: www.blakeshelton.com

Clay Walker - She Likes It In The Morning:
Sloppy, sentimental old-style Country song. The pedal steel whines gently in the background, the piano tinkles a little harshly up front, and the electric guitar doesn't go through banks of effects and amps to get to the ears. Walker's vocals make it sound like he means what he sings.

• Released January 28, 2008. From "Fall" on Curb/Asylum
• Artist web site:  claywalker.musiccitynetworks.com

Rick Huckaby - I Got You Covered:
The Huck has a great voice and the song's fine. But there's nothing to make it stand out from the crowd and that's important on the crowded airwaves these days. I don't rate it's chances.

• Released January 29, 2008. From "Call Me Huck" on Head Coach Music.
• Artist web site:   www.rickhuckaby.com

Jeremy McComb - This Town Needs A Bar:
This staggers along uncertainly - like someone who's just come OUT of a bar. When the song finally kicks into gear after the middle eight and a key change, it goes way too far the other way and turns into a sort of power ballad. It doesn't have a hope in the charts.

• Released January 24, 2008. From his upcoming debut album, "My Side Of Town" on Parallel Records.  
• Artist web site: www.jeremymccomb.com

Dierks Bentley - "Trying To Stop Your Leaving":
Best take from "Long Trip Alone"; sparse arrangement winds up to power guitars and rocks along. The lyrics are well crafted painting a real picture in the listener's mind.

• Released January 28, 2008. From "Long Trip Alone" on Capitol Records, Nashville.
• Artist web site: www.dierks.com