Now That's What I Call Country Bottom Line:
The Now! series of albums has been very popular for the past few years, but something was lacking with the genres they've covered. That was the fact there had not been one devoted to Country Music. Finally we have the chance to purchase an album with some of today's best artists and songs, all in one place. There's also a way to download bonus material for those of us who are in the United States.
It's About Time!
Now That's What I Call Country marks the first time in the popular Now! series the album is comprised of tracks from the country music genre. There have already been several genres and decades represented in the past, such as Rap, 80's, Party, and Classic Rock. I'm glad it's finally country musics turn, because it would make sense from a business perspective as well as do something for the fans who want to have all of today's hot songs on one disc.
The Artists:
I can't think of any other country compilation album with this much variety when it comes to artists. Not only are there different sub-styles, but you also have artists who have recently burst onto the scene (Julianne Hough, Lady Antebellum) as well as ones like George Strait and Reba McEntire who have been around for decades. This guarantees the album won't be stale and listeners won't get bored listening to the "same thing" twenty times in a row. There's enough difference to keep things interesting, but not so much that the songs are "all over the place" with zero continuity.
'Now That's What I Call Country' - The Songs:
Since the album is a collection of country music's hottest hits, chances are most people will already be familiar with the individual songs. For the super smashes, there are ones like Jason Michael Carroll's "Alyssa Lies," Sugarland's "Stay," "All-American Girl" by Carrie Underwood," Kenny Chesney's "Don't Blink," Lady Antebellum's "Love Don't Live Here," and "Picture To Burn" by Taylor Swift.My personal favorites include: Dierks Bentley, with "Trying To Stop Your Leaving," "All My Friends Say" by Luke Bryan, and Gary Allan's "Watching Airplanes." Of course there's also Reba McEntire's duet with Kelly Clarkson ("Because Of You"), which could be put in both the smash hits and personal favorite categories.
The sassy Kellie Pickler song "Things That Never Cross A Man's Mind" is certainly one of the most fun contributions and George Strait's "I Saw God Today" will make you stop to reflect on what's important in your own life.
Bonus Songs for Download:
If you are like me, perhaps twenty songs won't be enough to satisfy your musical thirst. Lucky for us, starting August 26, 2008 and lasting until August 26, 2010 if you are in the United States you will be able to access a special Website where there will be six more songs available for download. The songs are as follows: Eric Church's "Carolina," Jamey Johnson's "High Cost Of Living," The Lost Trailers' "Hey Baby," Ashton Shepherd's "Ain't Dead Yet," and Chuck Wicks' "Man Of The House.
The last one is by an artist I'm looking forward to hearing more from and that is Emily West with her song "Annie's Gonna Get A Brand New Gun." The bonus material is a great way to find out about songs you might not have heard yet.
Release date: August 26, 2008 - UME
'Now That's What I Call Country' Track List:
- All-American Girl - Carrie Underwood
- Winner At A Losing Game - Rascal Flatts
- Watching Airplanes - Gary Allan
- Because Of You - Reba McEntire (featuring Kelly Clarkson)
- Everybody - Keith Urban
- Stay - Sugarland
- Love Don't Live Here - Lady Antebellum
- Picture To Burn - Taylor Swift
- Trying To Stop Your Leaving - Dierks Bentley
- All My Friends Say - Luke Bryan
- Letter To Me - Brad Paisley
- I Saw God Today - George Strait
- That Song In My Head - Julianne Hough
- As If - Sara Evans
- Don't Blink - Kenny Chesney
- You're Gonna Miss This - Trace Adkins
- What Kinda Gone - Chris Cagle
- Things That Never Cross A Man's Mind - Kellie Pickler
- Another Try - Josh Turner (featuring Trisha Yearwood)
- Alyssa Lies - Jason Michael Carroll
