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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Josh Thompson's New Video Paints a Portrait of the Weary But Proud 'Way Out Here'

Josh Thompson gives a heartfelt and beautiful acoustic performance of his new single in the video "Way Out Here." The stripped version of the song meshes perfectly with the video's haunting images of a small American town that's been bent but not quite broken by the ravages of time and natural disaster.

Thompson wrote the song with Casey Beathard ("Find out Who Your Friends Are") and David Lee Murphy ("Big Green Tractor"), and the melancholy music and vocals give us insight into a weary but proud hometown.

Veteran director Wes Edwards (Jason Aldean song "Amarillo Sky" and "She's Country"; Danny Gokey's "My Best Days") uses scenes shot in stark black and white or almost colorless color, hues of gray and brown, bits of hazy blue sky and a glimpse of the red, white and blue to paint a portrait of what could almost be a contemporary ghost town. It's lovely in its simplicity.

But what's most appealing about the video is Josh's performance. He's not lip-synching the CD-version of song, but instead the music is as stripped and raw as what we see as we follow him through the deserted town. Just him and his guitar, the performance provides a strong sense of realism to the video and is quite affecting. It's also an outstanding vocal performance in its own right.

"I think I would describe my sound as my life put to music… It’s simple and it’s honest," Josh tells Walmart Soundcheck Risers. (He's a featured artist this month on the site at http://soundcheck.walmart.com/risers/josh-thompson) Simple and honest also describes the "Way Out Here" video. It's a very nice change of pace from big production numbers featured in many of country music videos in heavy rotation right now.

See more of Wes Edwards' videos at www.wesedwards.com

Purchase Josh Thompson's new CD Way Out Here from Amazon.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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Josh Thompson's Interview With TodaysCountryMusicVideos.com

Josh Thompson’s Honest Tales of Work, Love and Beer Strike a Chord With Fans 

“If I got a ‘don’t care’ attitude and long hair and mean every damn word I’m saying, I blame it on Waylon,” Josh Thompson sings in his new video “Blame It On Waylon,” and the lyrics are truth for the singer/songwriter and the increasingly large crowds coming out to see him and sing every word.

Those sing-alongs are particularly loud when he plays “Beer on the Table,” a hit on country radio and top country video. “It’s almost to the point where I don’t have to sing it,” Josh says with a chuckle. “As a songwriter and an artist, that’s the biggest payoff you can get is watching people sing your lyrics back at you. And it’s apparent that it’s striking a chord.”

“It’s about working hard and playing harder,” Josh explains, chatting with TodaysCountryMusicVideos.com as he was driving to his latest show. He wrote the song about working on a concrete crew in his native Wisconsin, and his fans – be they construction workers, high school students, insurance agents or even soccer moms – connect with the simple but honest lyrics and catchy tune.

That honesty also comes through as Josh talks about being able to do what he loves for a living. “I am very proud to play country music,” Josh says. “I grew up on it. I love it. That’s what I write. I don’t think I could sell anything else, really.”

Like many songwriters, Josh easily shares even his most personal thoughts and pain with his fans. The song “Sinner,” for example, “That’s pretty much about me walking that line between good and bad, like I think everyone does,” he explains. “It’s a confessional, really.”

“Sinner” is one of the highlights of Josh’s new CD "Way Out Here," which will be released on February 23. You can listen to “Sinner,” the hit “Beer on the Table” as well as “Blame it on Waylon” and “Won’t Be Lonely Long” at JoshThompsonOfficial.com.

Josh will launch the CD with a release party February 22 in Milwaukee in his home state of Wisconsin. It’s a day off from his new gig opening for Eric Church on the Jagermeister Country Tour, which has more than 3o dates and runs well into the spring.

Life on the road is old hat for Josh and his band. They’re been out playing “Beer on the Table” since fall 2007, playing all across the country in a passenger van they’ve named Van-A-White. You can take a hilarious tour of Van-A-White and meet the slightly creepy little Van Wilder mascot at JoshThompsonOfficial.com.

Being a hot country artist on the road has its perks, of course. Josh says he loves the crowds, which are growing with every show, and he’s been able to play with great country artists, including Eric Church, Randy Houser, Dierks Bentley, Gretchen Wilson and the legendary Hank Jr. He’s also had some interesting fan encounters, including requests to sign body parts -- “but only the good ones,” he laughs.

Listen to Josh talk about touring, what he misses while out on the road, connecting with fans through Twitter, and whether he’d rather play a show with Miranda Lambert or go hunting with Blake Shelton.

Watch “Blame it on Waylon” online at CMT.com.

Visit the Josh Thompson website at JoshThompsonOfficial.com

Vicky Dobbin is a country music fan in Falls Church, Virginia. Follow her at Twitter.com/vdobbin. Read her blog at LoveMyCountryMusic.com.

Audio of Vicky's interview with Josh:



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