There are new albums coming out all the time. We've picked several of the best country releases from February 2005.
If you were disappointed in Lee Ann Womack's last album, 'Something Worth Leaving Behind,' fear not because the traditional Lee Ann Womack is back. 'There's More Where That Came From' has a total of thirteen tracks, each with their own country sound - which is something true fans of the genre will appreciate.
Too many times in the music business, especially Nashville business, an artist will sacrifice art for commerce. Thankfully, by taking control of her recordings, Chely Wright finally makes a complete album of songs her way. And while not drastically different from previous albums, "The Metropolitan Hotel" is her most consistently pleasing album. It's a winner.
It's hard to find a more impressive and expansive catalog than that of Willie Nelson. The country music icon has been recording music, mostly songs he's written, for four decades, and this collection is an awesome slice of that amazing work, including more recent work, including duets with Lee Ann Womack and B.B. King. Willie's distinctive sound and classy melodies are all timeless.
This is a fairly comprehensive collection of country music from some of today's top artists. There are established artists as well as some of the newer artists that are up-and-coming. They've chosen rousing bar songs as well as soulful ballads. I would recommend this collection to any country music fan who enjoys a variety for their listening pleasure.
This is a Greatest Hits album that has ten wonderfully selected TByrd hit songs along with two new ones ("Johnny Cash" and "Revenge Of A Middle-Aged Woman") that could become hits in their own right. Both tender ballads and up-tempos are covered in this sure-to-be-loved release.
The Grascals have created an album that states the pure beauty of the music. While the band’s only been together less than a year, they sound like as seasoned as a band can get with tight harmonies and instrumental prowess. This is one heck of a debut album.
'Hey Country' is another fine traditional country album from a talented man, however with only eight songs it seems like five years was too long of a wait for what you get. Though all songs are high quality and sound great, there should have been at least two or three more songs on the release.
"Southern Soul" announces the arrival of a splendid new talent. While Steven's voice is soulful, his lyric and melodies are pure country which is something that could have Steven in his own unique niche. Why Nashville Star didn't keep him around I have no idea. Perhaps they "let him go" because they knew he didn't need the show to get a major recording contract. There's not a bad track on the EP.
Outlaw country is still out there, although most of the so-called "outlaws" in the mainstream really aren't. The fake fronts put out by mainstream artists to make themselves look or sound like the outlaws of days gone by are as overproduced and over-marketed as their music, flat and false as a two-story front on a one-story building in an old west town. Billy Don Burns, now, he's the real thing.
Mary Gauthier may have started songwriting later than the average artist but she certainly is one of the better ones to emerge. The comparison to the late Townes Van Zant is well-earned and a good starting point for Mary's real-life song subjects. "Mercy Now" is a wonderful major label debut album.
