​On The Verge has been essentially as useless as Brian Kelley is to Florida Georgia Line, but it's done a few things right. The most notable example of this is the success of Cam's “Burning House” back in 2015. In another era, it would have been fine on its own. However, radio politics and the ever present sexism in mainstream country along with a slow as molasses tempo meant that “Burning House” needed a little push. Thankfully it got to #2, but ever since then we've heard very little from Cam. Her followup, “Mayday” only made the top forty, and it had to be wondered if “Burning House” might be an unfortunate one-off scenario.

Her new single, “Diane” also has a lot going against it despite being a good song. However, it may have a chance to succeed given how it's being pushed as an answer song to Dolly Parton's “Jolene”. While I'd say that's kind of a stretch, that comparison could help in terms of garnering buzz. Going beyond that, there's a lot to commend about this song as well.

The lyricism is easily the best part about this track, as I don't think we've seen a song coming from the “other woman” point of view since Sugarland's “Stay”. There are also some good lines in here such as the narrator rather having Diane hate her than not understanding the situation. After all, she didn't know he was married. She knows there might not be any room for forgiveness either way, but the important part is trying to make it as right as possible.

As for the rest of the song, admittedly I'm torn. I like this, and I will root for it, but I don't love it, and trying to place my finger on exactly “why” is so tricky. Ultimately I think it just comes down to some little things. For starters, the non-dominant melody can make it hard to really be drawn in. There are some fantastic harmonies during the chorus, but it also feels like the production is a little too thick here, with Cam feeling like she's shouting to be heard. While I do also commend the choice to go for some simpler production and instrumentation choices with acoustic guitar and a driving beat, it still feels a little lacking and cheap for someone on a major label. Normally I'd say less equals more, but here it just seems to be a factor that makes it hard for me to get more into this.

Still, it's a good song, and it might just be what Cam needs to get back into the game. Then again it's hard to tell. In terms of critical acclaim...hell, it's already got it. However, in terms of radio success this has literally everything going against it, so time will tell what Cam's future as a mainstream country star holds. For now, we've got a good song to hold us over, so take it as you will.  

Grade: B-
Listen: "Diane"

Author: Zackary Kephart

You know that thing where an artist will release the one great song from their otherwise horrific album? Brad Paisley pretty much did the opposite by releasing "Heaven South". I guess you can't blame him. After all, while Love and War is one of my favorite albums of the year, one of the best songs off of it, "Last Time For Everything" barely scraped the top twenty. Now, is Brad Paisley likely at the end of his radio career? Unfortunately I'd have to go with "yes", but if that is the case, then why bother with the absolutely worst song off of Love and War?

Considering that Brad Paisley spoke about the treatment of soldiers on his last album and even had a song called "The Devil Is Alive And Well", you'd think that "Heaven South" is a parody of something the first time you hear it. It's not horrendous by any measure, but it's one of those songs where you hear it and just think, "what the hell, Brad?"

Let's start off with the positives. The song itself sounds like something that would have been a song on any of Brad's 2000's albums from a sonic standpoint. There's some nice banjo supporting the song along with some quieter mandolin and pedal steel against the electric guitar, and for a song that's going for a down home country feel...well they at least got this right...

There's no way to dance around that writing though, because like I said, it feels like a parody. It's a checklist, lazy list of the attributes of a small town. It's so perfect. It's got fried chicken, sweet tea, beer and ice, and of course we have to slip in a reference to a "country angel". It's not creepy by any means, but the entire picture painted has you thinking it's like friggin' Disneyland...or Disney World...whichever one is the happiest place on Earth, because whichever one it is, it comes second to this place. Heck, I'm pretty sure they resurrected Andy, Barney, and Aunt Bee for the music video. My point is, it's your incredibly average tale of how great small town life without any of the witty personality to back it up. Even Brad himself kind of sounds like he's phoning it in to be honest. 

The sad part is that you know why this thing even exists - to maintain Brad's radio relevance. Hey, I get it, but I still can't see this hammering out a big return for Brad. Hell, if he really wants to make an impact, why not just release the Johnny Cash penned "Gold All Over The Ground" or literally any of the other tracks remaining? As it is, this is a disappointing single choice for Brad, especially coming off of the excellent "Last Time For Everything". For his sake, I hope it does well, but you won't see me defending the quality of the song. 

Grade: D+
​Listen: "Heaven South"

Author: Zackary Kephart

What is it with married couples thinking all they can ever sing about is being in love? Heck, it's essentially what Thompson Square did with 99% of their material, and aside from Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's last collaborative single, "Speak To A Girl", the same can be said for them. Sure, love is arguably the most universally known feeling, but at this point I'd just rather have more solo singles from the two rather than anything else they plan to cook up on their upcoming album. 

The best way to describe this song is simply "meh". It's fine for background music at a wedding dance, but other than that it sounds like it would be on some sappy daytime soap opera. Of course, when I do say it's "meh" I'm mostly referring to the writing here. The entire premise extends towards what you'd think it would - loving each other forever despite all the of eventual obstacles that the two will face such as growing waistlines and gray hair. There's a line about naming their children specific names depending on the gender, but aside from that it's nothing all that special or innovative. 

Now, I would say Faith Hill sounds fine on the song in terms of her delivery and power (even if there's really no chance for her to show off that power), but Tim just sounds absolutely TERRIBLE. He's forced to go into his higher register for a good chunk of the song, and between that and him entering into his falsetto at points, he just sounds painfully uncomfortable. 

Sonically, this is an area of the song I can respect. It's a piano driven ballad backed by acoustic and pedal steel textures, and really, it does do a good job of setting up the more serious atmosphere for committing to each other for life. 

Again, this isn't a bad song, but it's just such a non-event single that I can't see doing much better at all than "Speak To A Girl". This is certainly better than that song, but so far the two have stumbled upon songs that feature some generic (or in the latter's case, clumsy) writing with decent enough (at best) other attributes. You'll hear it, you'll think something about it, and then you'll forget it in five minutes. 

Grade: C-
Listen: "The Rest Of Our Life"

Author: Zackary Kephart

​Well this is certainly a switch.


Now, for anyone who remembers The Last Bandoleros' debut single, “Where Do You Go?”, you might have remembered that it emulated the Mavericks of all acts. Don't get me wrong, I like the sound a lot, but that's an interesting sound to try and take after. Hell, I don't even mean in terms of just here and now. Remember, The Mavericks never really caught onto mainstream country radio, so it's no surprise (unfortunately) that The Last Bandoleros' single flamed out pretty quickly.

Now, I'm merely making assumptions here based on observations, so take them as you will. However, judging by this particular new single from the band as well as their last song, “The River Man”, it seems like the band is now going for more of a straight rock sound than Tex-Mex. The odd part is that it actually plays to their strengths pretty well, and “Fly With You” is evidence of that.

I guess we can start with the lyrical content first. Look, lyrics have never been the band's strongest asset, and I made that clear in my long lost review of their EP from last year. Still, at this point I'm wondering if I should even care, because they more than make up for it in literally every other area. As for this song, there is at least more of an effort towards crafting something unique. On the surface the song reads as a pretty average love song, but the fact that he wants to “fly” with her while rejecting other pleasure activities seems to suggest this guy wants something more out of this relationship, and that's a nice, small detail.

Again though, the lyrics hardly even matter with this band. Between the great harmonies and a band with a ton of charisma that's reflected in their performance here, you've got a whole array of other elements that do the heavy lifting. The attitude is there as the narrator asserts that he doesn't just want a quick fling from this girl. Is it a little pushy even still? Sure, but the swagger is forgivable in this instance.

Of course, the best asset to this song is the instrumentation and production. Yeah, it belongs in the genre as much as most top ten singles these days do, but I couldn't care less. The song sort of starts off sounding sort of dreamy making you think it's going to be a pretty sleepy, basic love song. Then all of a sudden that starting riff kicks in and the energy is turned up to eleven. The closest comparison to the pace and energy would be Brothers Osborne's “It Ain't My Fault”. The beat is sped up, and the guitars have an incredible amount of crunch to them to actually give them some hard rocking edge. I was definitely a fan of stripping back the pre-chorus of “give me something good, give me something real”, because it provides a nice breather moment before the stomping chorus.

So all in all, if the band is looking to pursue a more Rock oriented sound I say more power to them. If it's just a one-off thing, then hey, at least it shows they're versatile. Either way, The Last Bandoleros are quickly becoming a young band that I really want to root for. They've got a certain kind of energy to them that's hard to replicate, and while they're not the second coming of Shakespeare by any means, they're even stepping things up in the lyrical department. Considering that country radio has kind of moved on from any traces of rock (even Brantley Gilbert is struggling), I don't see this doing much on the charts, but it would be a shame if the Last Bandoleros continued to remain a secret.

Grade: B+
Listen: "Fly With You"

Author: Zackary Kephart

I've been critical of the singles released thus far from Jon Pardi's California Sunrise. Sure, I was glad to see him gain some much deserved success, but not with terrible songs like “Dirt On My Boots” or “Heartache On The Dance Floor”. I mean, no offense to Jon, but you can't just release catchy ditties all throughout your career. Eventually you need to show that you're more than that.

Well halle-freakin'-lujah folks, it looks like my prayers have been answered. I explained why I thought “She Ain't In It” would make for a great single, and it seems like we've finally got what is easily the best song released to radio in a long time.

Now, I'm no purist. Sure, I used to go around hammering folks like Sam Hunt and Florida Georgia Line for not being “real country”, but truth be told I like Country music of all shapes and sizes. Still, there's just something about hearing some lush steel guitar and fiddle (that sounds like it belongs in a George Strait song) that gets me all excited. The back and forth motion of the steel guitar that creeps up after the hook is a nice touch. Sure, I could go on about how great it sounds, but like other country songs as of late such as “Make A Little” or “When It Rains It Pours”, this feels like someone rode in a time machine back to the 90's and brought it here to 2017. I'd never praise a song strictly for being country, but this just has such a relaxed, melancholy, rich feel to it. .

We'll never hail Jon Pardi for being a great singer (probably ever). However, on this song he honestly feels pretty comfortable in his range. He's not shouting like he has been on his past singles. Instead, he's actually doing an excellent job of playing the heartbroken, sad guy. Sure, the sound is nice, but even in terms of sheer vocals, this is Pardi's best single to date.

Lyrically it explores the ever famous theme in country music of heartbreak, but I think there's a little more to it than that. I mean, the narrator thinks he can finally go out and enjoy life again just as long as he doesn't think of his past lover. However, the fact that he's saying how much he needs to not think about her means he is thinking about her, and it's a nice subtle detail about how much this heartbreak is torturing him.

In short, Jon Pardi really did need to release this single now considering the momentum he has right now. Sure, a fun ditty such as “Cowboy Hat” wouldn't have been egregious by any means, but “She Ain't In It” is the type of song that will do more good than bad for Jon despite its eventual chart peak. Like I said, it's the best thing at radio right now, and it's good to be rooting for this guy again.

Grade: A
Listen: "She Ain't In It"

Author: Zackary Kephart

Why Dan...oh wait, Tyminski? First of all, why bother with mainstream radio success? Not to sound like a stuck up hipster or anything, but do you really think radio is going to embrace you no matter what you do? You're part of a Bluegrass band for his Holiness' sake. I get trying new things, but this feels more like a mid-life crisis more than anything else. 

Of course, none of that really matters if the music is good, right? Well, here's the tricky thing. For anyone who's heard Tyminski's previous work, you're probably going to think "what the f*&%?!?", and that's understandable. I was taken aback myself upon the first listen. But you know, the more I listen to this, the more I realize that I'm not against the thought of Dan fusing bluegrass music with borderline EDM or Pop. That is until realize that the only part of this that could even remotely be considered Bluegrass are the lyrics, and think about what that means... In other words, no, this isn't another version of High Valley that I likely would have welcome greatly. 

In fact, the production pulls more from what you would have heard from a slicker bro-country song just a few years ago. The chorus is terrible with the slick drum beats and Tyminski's awful processed vocals. Gee, it's almost as if this song is a terrible fit for him as an artist!

Lyrically, well, here's where it gets even more confusing. The entire song is a homage to his roots and growing up with music all around him. Sure, it takes the approach of small town, "my years before I turned twenty were so awesome" approach, but it approach it from a unique perspective, and that I can appreciate. 
​
But wait, if what you're singing about is growing up learning how to play Bluegrass, why the hell is the sound about as far removed from what you grew up on as it could possibly be? Again, all I can think of is High Valley and how they'd likely at least approach this song with some more organic instrumentation such as dobro and banjo (and actually make it work!). Aside from a compelling (even if he sounds awful) performance and an honest take on the subject, I can't find much else good to say about this, and that's a damn shame. I don't blame Tyminski for wanting to try something new. I just hate how much he sounds like he's trying to go for a sound that's not him at all. 

Grade: D+
Listen: "Southern Gothic"

Author: Zackary Kephart

​Before we really get into this review, can we please leave the NFL incident out of the discussion with this song? It was chosen as a single likely long before that incident, so please, chill.

Anyway... we're back to talking about Trace Adkins, an artist who is literally the definition of hit or miss. Case in point, I thought his last single, “Watered Down” was one of the best songs of the year, but his new single, “Still A Solider” is one that has a strong sentiment even if it falls short in its delivery.

If there's anything that deserves to be praised in this song, it's Adkin's vocal performance. He's always been good on a technical level due to his sheer power, and while this song doesn't test that ability at all, his performance is sincere enough to not come across as preachy or pandering. However, while Adkins doesn't give off that preachy and pandering feeling, the lyrics on the paper do.

Much like Kellie Pickler who I'm also talking about today, this is a song that feels both like it's made for critics as well as critic-proof. I mean, how can I disrespect a song about the soldiers fighting for our lives and our freedom? The truth is I'm not. The second verse does do a great job of alluding to possible small effects of PTSD that this soldier back home is suffering from, and that's important to consider since they're “still soldiers” even off the battlefield. It's that verse though that just makes it feel all fake and plastic though. Why does it matter what kind of house he has or truck he drives? We get it, he's a perfect American who likes to drive trucks and drink beer. It's surprising there isn't a reference to hunting or fishing here. The song really does have a nice sentiment, and it gets better after that first verse, but to paint it in this ideal limelight to start it off with hurts it.

Of course, an even bigger issue comes with the production. It's fitting that his last single was titled “Watered Down” because that's exactly how I'd describe the guitar work here. It's trying to be modern and anthemic but it ends up coming across as boring. I just wish Trace would realize his hit making days are behind him and start to infuse more dramatic performances like he has on similar sounding songs like “Til The Last Shot's Fired” or “Arlington”. This just has no muscle to it.

So overall, again, I would say this has a strong sentiment underneath it that's doused by some weak production and questionable lyrics. It's not a bad song, but it's also not really a good one either. It just exists really.  

Grade: C
Listen: "Still A Solider"

Author: Zackary Kephart

Kellie Pickler is just such an easy artist to like. I mean, she gave up commercial success to make the album she wanted to make and went down with a smile on her face and hope in her heart. That's saying something. The only unfortunate part is that since 2013's The Woman I Am, we haven't heard a ton from Kellie aside from her television show as well as other personal matters. Still, if there's anyone who would know when a new Kellie Pickler song was coming, it would be my friend, Jeremy Chua. Because of him I saw that Kellie was set to release a song dedicated to her grandmother, Faye, so naturally I was intrigued to check it out, and it didn't disappoint.

Sonically the song nods to Kellie's neo-traditional roots with some tasteful piano anchoring the melody as well as mandolin during the verses and pedal steel during the chorus to add some flavor. It takes a “less is more” approach, and that's probably the best thing they could have done given the subject matter. The personal nature of the song also naturally means that Kellie's vocal performance is sincere and full of power and raw emotion.

Like I said before, the theme is an easy one to guess. This is essentially Kellie honoring her grandmother and detailing how she had such a huge influence on making Kellie into the woman she is today. She recalls events such as picking buttercups from the garden as well as throwing tea parties with her grandmother as ways of remembering her before later stating how she wouldn't be half the woman she is if not for her grandmother. The thing with this song is that it is personal, and yet it's also highly relatable for anyone raised by their grandparents or even a single mother (like me). In that sense, it's one that I can see easily connecting to people and perhaps earning Kellie some much deserved buzz.

The weird part about this song is that it's essentially made for critics, and yet it's also seemingly critic proof. Still, you're going to make me say it aren't you? Oh you are... well, I will say that the choice to make it relatable instead of super personal may also be its small Achilles heel. I just think the first verse could have benefited from really detailing how Kellie's grandmother helped shape her into who she is rather than just listing events that she associates with her. Even a small personal event added on as an extra verse could have turned this great song into an excellent one.

I digress though, because this really is a beautiful tribute to Kellie's grandmother overall. It unfortunately won't do squat at radio, but it is a fantastic song that hopefully will serve as the lead single from Kellie's yet to be announced next album. Until then, this is a great return for Kellie, so welcome back.  

Grade: A-
Listen: "If It Wasn't For A Woman"

Author: Zackary Kephart