Nashville!

by contributing author Matt Rogers

Cooper Boone is an interesting character. Though a son of America’s heartland, he has spent more than a decade in the Northeast, dividing his time between being a farmhand in Pennsylvania and a psychotherapist in the Big Apple. He’s an ardent environmentalist about to go nationwide with his Small Change Big Planet tour, and he’s launching an online cooking series called Cowboy Kitchen. Needless to say, he’s a pretty busy guy.

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By Matthew J Rogers

Succeeding as a mainstream country music duo has its obstacles. One might even say that it’s virtually impossible for an unsigned act nowadays to match the resounding success of the genre’s leading twosomes. Needless to say, there’s some stiff competition. Rancho Deluxe is somewhere in between what works and what doesn’t, and the tracks on the group’s latest release, True Freedom, illustrate this strange dichotomy.

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By Matthew J. Rogers

When listening to Mark Chesnutt’s latest effort, Rollin’ With the Flow (2008), it’s difficult to predict exactly how the album will be received. It’s evident from the get-go that Chesnutt isn’t one for conformity, as he sticks closely to formulas that earned him considerable success in the early nineties. Yet, producer Jimmy Ritchey’s modern sensibilities serve as a sort of harness that keeps the album from drifting too far into the past. The result is one hell of a country record. The question is: is it still a bit too country for contemporary audiences? Probably - but it might be safe to assume that Chesnutt wants it that way.

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In his web site biography, Rich Flanders claims, “I’m not a cowboy, and I don’t own that big spread on the far side of the divide.” But after listening to Yondering: Songs of the American West, some might be convinced otherwise, as Flanders clearly has a deep, intimate relationship with the old west.

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By Contributing Author Matthew J. Rogers

The strange thing about a “greatest hits” type of album is that it puts fans in the position of questioning whether or not it’s logical to purchase something that they more than likely already have. Of course fans want to support their favorite artists – but Chris LeDoux devotees have got to be wondering just how much more of the same thing they’re expected to support.

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