Whitney Duncan's 'Right Road Now' Album Surprises Our Senior Music Reviewer

Whitney Duncan’s "Right Road Now" Should Take Her Where She Needs to Go
by: Vicky Dobbin, Senior Music Reviewer

I must admit that I misjudged Whitney Duncan. After my first viewing of her video “Skinny Dippin’,” I assumed she was just another one of the pretty girls with minor singing ability that Nashville tries to sell through music videos. (Thanks, Shania, for giving them that idea.)

You can hardly blame me for my assumption. “Skinny Dippin'” did very little to highlight Whitney’s voice and instead relied on the cuteness factor to gain attention. It was hit a hit on music video channels but didn’t even break the top 40. I don’t think I ever heard it on the radio but it seemed to be on CMT and GAC every hour. So my first listen to her new CD, “Right Road Now,” was a pleasant surprise.

Whitney has a strong, soulful voice and she handles bluesy ballads and up tempo honky tonk tunes with equal skill and beauty. And I’m not talking about her looks. She has a beautiful voice that is a cut above many of the female singers getting airplay today. 

CD highlights include “Burn it Down,” a broken-heart ballad sung with the power of you’d expect from Martina McBride; the bluesy “Little By Little”; and the sassy, up tempo “The Bed That You Made” – my pick as the best song on the CD, it would make a great single (and yes, video).

Whitney has been in Nashville for six years working on the overnight success – and getting this-close several times (a duet with Kenny Rogers, finishing 5th on Nashville Star, opening the CMA Fest). She’s obviously put the time to good use. Many of the songs on the CD, all of which she co-wrote, display range and maturity.

The current single, the title track “Right Road Now,” isn’t as powerful as the songs just mentioned, and the video looks like something Carrie Underwood would have done a few years back – not bad, a bit clichéd and not terribly memorable.

A few of the songs on CD do start to sound alike after a few listens but overall “Right Road Now” is a welcome addition to my CD collection. Whitney Duncan is an emerging talent and while that overnight success may take another CD or two to reach, I think she’ll get there.

Vicky Dobbin is senior music reviewer for Today’s Best Country Music Videos. Follow her at http://Twitter.com/LMyCountryMusic and read her country music blog at www.LoveMyCountryMusic.com.

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Photo Credit:  Byron Purvis/AdMedia via Picapp.com.

'I Got Your Country Right Here' is Long on Attitude But Short on Substance

The new Gretchen Wilson CD is pretty much what you’d expect from the “Redneck Woman”-- songs about drinking, cheating, bar brawls and loving America, with lots of name-dropping like Waylon and Skynyrd. Her first CD made those topics fun with her uniquely female (but maybe not really feminine) perspective. This latest set of songs offer nothing new and made me long for the originality and gutsiness of her first hits.

“I Got Your Country Right Here” might have been more appropriately named, “Been There, Sung That.”

Wilson’s music has always been more about attitude than melodies, and her voice is fine for the party songs she built her career on. But here she mostly bellows and bitches instead of sings, particularly when lamenting the loss of “real country” music in “Outlaws and Renegades” and the title track, or the John Rich-like working man’s protest song “Blue Collar Done Turn Red.”

Musically, I had a hard time telling several of the songs apart. Nothing stands out. No exceptional fiddle, impressive steel track, interesting piano. The only distinguishing difference is that some are fast and some are slow. Not a single track makes me perk up my ears to hear an impressive or memorable piece of music.

The only songs I found at all interesting were “The Earrings Song,” which is a classic Gretchen Wilson girl-fight rant that doesn’t sound too much like a re-trend; and the closing ballad, “I'd Love To Be Your Last,” which features surprising sweet and gentle vocals. Neither are outstanding or even slightly original, but on a CD this mediocre, they stand out like a high class broad at a redneck barbeque.

While I’m not a big fan of the pop turn country radio has taken as of late, if this is the only alternative, I’ll listen to The Band Perry or Danny Gokey any day. Or maybe I’ll pull out something by one of the “Outlaws and Renegades” Gretchen Wilson loves to name drop, but doesn’t hold a candle to.

Vicky Dobbin is senior music reviewer for Today’s Best Country Music Videos. Follow her at http://Twitter.com/vdobbin and read her country music blog at www.LoveMyCountryMusic.com.

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Alan Jackson's 'Freight Train' Keeps Traditional Country on the Right Track

From its opening fiddle saw through its closing steel guitar note, Alan Jackson’s new CD "Freight Train" is an affirmation that traditional country music is alive and well. And the music-buying public agrees: The CD sold 73,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number 7 on the Billboard Top 100 Chart.

A collection of beautiful ballads -- of both the broken-hearted and true love kinds -- and traditional tunes about life, fun and the working man (and woman), "Freight Train" is a nice change of pace from the pop- and rock-tinged music dominating country radio of late. I think of it as a palate cleanser between The Band Perry's "Hip to My Heart" and Jason Aldean's "Crazy Town."

"It's Just That Way," the first single, is already a top-20 hit and the gentle love song just might sweet-talk its way to the top of the charts. Aided by a cute and fanciful video, the song is as soft and warm as a first kiss and lingers like a fond memory. I can't hear it and not smile.

Jackson is a classic balladeer and the CD has some of his best. My favorite on the CD, "Every Now and Then," a beautiful and poignant tale of the love who got away but never quite left his heart.

You can finally breath life in without wondering where she's been
go to sleep at night without her on your mind.
In a second it appears, followed by familiar tears,
like a long-lost friend, every now and then.

The understated piano and mandolin with just a touch of steel guitar work perfectly to complement the subdued ache in Jackson's vocals, and the end result is touching, even haunting.

As a parent, "After 17" also touched my heart. Written by Jackson (he penned seven of the 12 tracks, and co-wrote one), it gives a parent's perspective of watching a daughter turn into a woman. Jackson is father to three daughters, and you can definitely tell this one came from his heart. Let's just hope his girls don't mind daddy sharing some of their secrets!

Lee Ann Womack, one of my favorite female vocalists, puts in an appearance in another great ballad, "Till The End," and the duet is another highlight.

The bluegrass-tinged title track stretches the "Freight Train" analogy a bit thin, and I have similar issues with "Tailights' Blue." But while both tracks are lyrically cliched, they're musically pleasing.

"That's Where I Belong" is also a bit heavy on the cliches but works well painting a picture of a happy escape to the sea. Think of it as a country version of the classic Christopher Cross tune "Sailing."

"Freight Train" will definitely please Alan Jackson fans and should be added to the CD (or download) collection of anyone who loves traditional country.

Need more Alan Jackson? Sirius XM launched Alan Jackson's Freight Train Radio Friday at noon on Sirius 61 and XM 17. The seven-day-long, commercial-free channel will feature music from Jackson, George Strait, Randy Travis, Lee Ann Womack and more. Jackson will introduce every song and share anecdotes about his life. The channel will air through next April 15 and you can sign up for a free 7-day trial at www.sirius.com.

Vicky Dobbin is senior music reviewer for Today’s Best Country Music Videos. Follow her at http://Twitter.com/vdobbin and read her country music blog at www.LoveMyCountryMusic.com.

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New Song Showcase – Williams Riley’s Sexy Sounds of “Country Livin’ via CountryMusicTattleTale.com

Today's Post Is From:

I thought I’d had my fill of “I’m so country” songs, but then I heard Williams Riley “Country Livin’” and dang if it didn’t change my mind! The twangy opening electric guitar riffs and fiddle immediately catch your ear ,and I dare you to not tap your cowboy boots (walking shoes, sensible heels, etc.) while listening to this ode to country girls, country life and, well, pretty much everything country, particularly a good ol’ roll in the hay!

Horses, barns, trucks, tractors — you name a country cliche, it’s in this song. But so is the line “It ain’t the grits, it ain’t the gravy; It’s that slow Southern drawl calling you baby.” Hick, sure, but smooth, fun and darn sexy.

To be honest, the whole song is, well, kind of dirty. I think. What do you read into these lyrics:

It ain’t the boots, it ain’t the hat
That’s makes a real cowboy all that.
An “8 Second Ride” ain’t the way I rodeo — Giddy-up!
It ain’t the ribs or Mama’s chicken
It’s another recipe that keeps it finger-lickin’

Fun, sexy, danceable — I love this song. Give it a listen! http://www.williamsriley.com

Vicky Dobbin is a country music lover in Falls Church, VA. Read her country music blog at www.lovemycountrymusic.com and follow her at http://twitter.com/vdobbin.

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Album Review - Chris Young - The Man I Want To Be

Today's album review is presented by guest blogger Jessi from Chris Young Fans.

Chris Young sings about the man he wants to be in new album

God, I’m down here on my knees, ‘cause it’s the last place left to fall. Begging for another chance if there’s any chance at all, that you might still be listening, loving and forgiving guys like me…

Those are the opening lines of the title track to Chris Young’s sophomore album, “The Man I Want to Be.” The song is about redemption. It's about a man who has fallen about as low as a man can fall, and he's asking God to help make him into the man he wants to be. The man that the girl he has hurt sees in her dreams.

From there you have the very catchy and very sexy “Getting You Home," or as Chris' fans have dubbed it, “The Black Dress Song.” Chris laughs and admits there are a multitude of black dresses at his shows now, and he has no problem with that. The song itself is about the thoughts that go through a person’s mind as they get ready for a date with their girlfriend/boyfriend/etc., and how no matter how long it takes to get ready or how fancy the restaurant is, at the end of the day, all you really want is to get them home.

There’s also a song about a young girl who thinks she is pregnant and tells her boyfriend that whether he stays or goes, she’s keeping the baby. And all he can really think about is “Any fool can make a baby, but it takes a man to raise a child.” I have a feeling several people will relate to this song. Then there's a song about a Marine who is being sent overseas. I know, I'm sure you're thinking, ‘Great. Another song about the military.’ But this song has an interesting twist at the end. Throughout the song, the Marine tells his brother why his old Ford means so much to him, and if he doesn’t make it back, please don't hang a For Sale sign in the window. At the end of the song, the Marine makes his way back home, and his brother has fixed everything but the dashboard, which happens to be the name of the song: “The Dashboard” is an incredible song, and Chris does a great job on it.

“Rose In Paradise” is a duet with Willie Nelson, and Chris said he was slightly star struck when Willie came to the studio to record the song with him. The song is about a man who would do anything for his wife, but he's always too busy to spend time with her, and he eventually loses his "Rose In Paradise." Chris and Willie’s voices' blend nicely on this one.

All ten songs are worth listening to and there are many potential singles on it. I’d highly recommend listening to this album, and my favorite songs are “Rose In Paradise,” “The Shoebox,” and “The Man I Want To Be.” -- Jessi

If you'd like to read more from Jessi, please visit her blog at ChrisYoungFans.Blogspot.com, and you can follow Jessi on Twitter @ChrisYoungFans.

**If you'd like to pick up a copy of The Man I Want To Be, it's on sale at Amazon.com right now.**

If you haven't seen it yet, here's the music video for the aforementioned Getting You Home:



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