IndexCountryReleases03

TOBY KEITH

"35 BIGGEST HITS"

BIG DOG B0010334-02

* PRODUCED BY NELSON LARKIN & HAROLD
SHEDD
** PRODUCED BY NELSON LARKIN & TOBY KEITH
*** PRODUCED BY JAMES STROUD & TOBY KEITH
**** PRODUCED BY TOBY KEITH & LARI WHITE
CANNON
****** PRODUCED BY TOBY KEITH

KATHY MATTEA

"COAL"

CAPTAIN POTATO 7653260-2

PRODUCED BY MARTY STUART

RAY SCOTT

"CRAZY LIKE ME"

JETHROPOLITAN NO CAT #

PRODUCED BY PHILLIP MOORE

DISC ONE
1. Should've Been A Cowboy *
2. He Ain't Worth Missing *
3. A Little Less Talk And A Lot More Action *
4. Wish I Didn't Know Now *
5. Who's That Man *
6. Upstairs Dowtown *
7. You Ain't Much Fun *
8. Big Ol' Truck *
9. Does That Moon Ever Shine On You **
10. A Woman's Touch **
11. Me Too **
12. We Were In Love ***
13. I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying ***
(Duet With Sting)
14. Dream Walkin' ***
15. Getcha Some ***
16. How Do You Like Me Now?! ***
17. Country Comes To Town ***
18. You Shouldn't Like Me This ***

DISC TWO
1. I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight ***
2. I Wanna Talk About Me ***
3. My List ***
4. Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The
Angry American) ***
5. Who's Your Daddy? ***
6. Beer For My Horses ***
(Duet With Willie Nelson)
7. I Love This Bar ***
8. American Soldier ***
9. Whiskey Girl ***
10. Stays In Mexico ***
11. Mockingbird ***
(Duet With Krystal Keith)
12. Honkytonk U ***
13. As Good As I Once Was ***
14. Big Blue Note ***
15. Get Drunk And Be Somebody ****
16. A Little Too Late ****
17. She's A Hottie *****

1. The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore
2. Blue Diamond Mines
3. Red-Winged Blackbird
4. Lawrence Jones
5. Green Rolling Hills
6. Coal Tattoo
7. Sally In The Garden
8. You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive
9. Dark As A Dungeon
10. Coming Of The Roads
11. Black Lung/Coal

1. Hell Got Raised
2. Crazy Like Me
3. You Ain't Takin' This...
4. Poor Folks
5. Sometimes The Bottle...
6. Ashtray On A Motorcycle
7. Everybody's Girlfriend
8. Do It With The Lights On
9. Workin' My Way Back Home
10. Slow Down

This double CD collection spans
Toby's hit recordings from 1992 to
date and covers his sojourn with
Mercury, Polydor, A&M and back to
Mercury before he started to make it
big under the direction of James
Stroud at Dreamworks and then onto
doing his own thing on his own Show
Dog label. The one major thing that
this collection shows is how Toby's
songwriting has developed during the
16 years covered. Although the award
shows have largely turned their back
on Toby, his fan base has not and this
collection zoomed the top of the
Country album charts and the #2 slot
of the Pop album charts. At one point
Toby looked like he was going to be
labeled as a gimmicky and patriotic
singles artist but he has transcended
that with the creation of Show Dog.
Toby is his own man in the way that
Cash, Jennings, Nelson and
Kristofferson were and are. Perhaps it
is time to resurrect The Highwaymen!!

Just as carbon can produce diamonds,
so "Coal" is a gem. This Cd could have
been listed under folk, Americana or
Bluegrass, I have chosen to list it
under Country so as to reach a wider
audience. Produced by Marty Stuart
with a galaxy of musicians and singers
that include Patty Loveless, Tim and
Mollie O'Bren and Byron House. If you
are a fan of Hazel Dickens and Allice
Gerrard then you will lap this up. The
stand out tracks are Kathy's acapella
version of "Black Lung and her take on
Darrell's Scott's "You'll Never Leave
Harlan Alive." The only negative
comment....I can't read the graphics.
THIS IS MY ALBUM OF THE MONTH

Now I like Ray Scott. He reminds me of
Bobby Bare and Waylon Jennings
rolled into one. He is COUNTRY and
deserves success. One of the singers
around and this indie release deserves
a wider audience. Great one, Brother
Ray!!!

THE ROAD HAMMERS

"BLOOD SWEAT & STEEL"

MONTAGE MMG-AK-300109

PRODUCED BY JASON McCOY AND SCOTT
BAGGETT
* PRODUCED BY MICHAEL KNOX AND JASON
McCOY

DIERKS BENTLEY

"GREATEST HITS//EVERY MILE A MEMORY
2003-2008"

CAPITOL 509992-090720-2-0

PRODUCED BY BRETT BEAVERS

NEW & LIVE TRACKS PRODUCED BY BRETT
BEAVERS & DIERKS BENTLEY
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: LUKE WOOTEN

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: CHECK OUT THE
BOOKLET FOR ALL OF DIERKS' FANS WHO GOT
INVOLVED IN SELECTING THE TITLE AND TRACKS

CHARLIE ALLEN

"THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW"

RIVER RUN NO CAT #

PRODUCED BY BRIAN G. WHITE AND STEVE DEAN
* PRODUCED BY WYATT EASTERLING

1. I'm A Road Hammer
2. Workin' Hard At Lovin' You
3. The Hammer Going Down
4. East Bound And Down
5. I Don't Know When To Quit
6. Girl On The Billboard
7. I've Got The Scars To Prove It
8. Nashville Bound
9. Overdrive
10. Keep On Truckin'
11. Willin'
12. Heart With Four Wheel Drive
13. Flat Tires (Bloopers, Out-Takes 'N Such)

1. Free And Easy (Down The Road I Go)
2. Trying To Stop Your Leaving
3. Sweet & Wild
4. Come A Little Closer
5. How Am I Doin'
6. Every Mile A Memory
7. My Last Name
8. Lot Of Leavin' Left To Do
9. With The Band *
10. Settle For A Slowdown
11. What Was I Thinkin'
12. Long Trip Alone

[Special Content]
13. So So Long (LIVE)
14. Come A Little Closer (LIVE)
15. Lot Of Leavin' To Do (LIVE)
16. Wish It Would Break (LIVE)
17. Free And Easy (LIVE)

* New Track

1. I Can't Take Him Out Of Me
2. I Did This To Me *
3. Why Ask Why
4. See If I Care
5. Everything But Me
6. Good Time Charlie
7. Proof
8. Can't Live Without You
9. She's Still Here
10. That Was Then, This Is Now *
11. Dollar General
12. I Don't Have Forever

The Road Hammers came onto the
Canadian scene in much the same way
as the Kentucky Headhunters did in
the lower 50 a few years ago. Fronted
by a star of Canadian Country, Jason
McCoy the band is an interesting
combo. If you think in terms of Buck
Owens, Dwight Yoakam and the
Derailers then you can figure where
the Road Hammers musically live. The
material is a combination between
original edgy material and covers of
such songs as Jerry Reed's "East
Bound And Down" and Del Reeves' hit,
"Girl On The Billboard" and a tasty
version of Little Feat's "Willin'." I like
this CD and I think it will live in my car
for a while.

Dierks Bentley has emerged as an
almost hybrid. He is sufficiently
contemporary for the gals to swoon
over but he is sufficiently rootsy to
become a member of the Grand Ole
Opry. His fans are fervently loyal viz
their involvement with the title and
contest of this Great Hits package.
There are two new songs on the CD;
"Sweet And Wild" and "With The Band"
and five in-concert performances and
none of these tracks become rock'n'roll
cuts; they stick closely to the original
recordings. All in all an excellent
package that is a fine intro to Dierks
and a must have.

I interviewed Charlie a few years back
and I like him and his music. He
possesses a steeped in honey and
Jack voice that is Country through and
through. I particularly like his take on
Danny O'Keefe's "Good Time Charlie's
Got The Blues." If you had thought that
real soulful Country was dead,
Goodtime Charlie Allen attests that it
isn't. Excellent release.

VINCE HATFIELD

"A LITTLE MORE TIME"

BLUE MOON NO CAT #

PRODUCED BY VINCE HATFIELD FOR BLUE MOON
RECORDS
CO-PRODUCED BY ERIC PAUL

AMANDA HENKEL

"AMANDA HENKEL"

DESIRE DSR 1001

PRODUCED BY CZABA PETOCZ

RANDY TRAVIS

"AROUND THE BEND"

WARNER BROS. NO CAT # YET

PRODUCED BY KYLE LEHNING

1. Stuck On You
2. I Always Said You'd Be Back
3. One Good Well
4. A Little More Time
5. I Won't Last A Day Without You
6. All That I Am
7. I Had To Learn The Hard Way
8. Standing Knee Deep In A River (Dying Of
Thirst)
9. Dream Of Abilene
10. Santa Barbara
11. Music In The Water
12. See The Funny Little Clown
13. Desperado
14. Simplify My Life

1. Climbing Up Mt. Everest
2. A Million And One
3. Break My Stride
4. No Easy Way Out
5. Can't Trust The Weatherman

1. Around The Bend
2. You Didn't Have A Good Time
3. Every Head Bowed
4. Love Is A Gamble
5. Faith In You
6. Don't Think Twice, It's Alright
7. Dig Two Graves
8. Turn It Around
9. From Your Knees
10. Everything I Own (Has Got A Dent)
11. 'Til I'm Dead And Gone

DVD
1. Randy Travis - The Artist (Sizzle Reel)
2. Faith In You - Theatre Performance Video
3. Faith In You - Concept Video (Not Final)

This CD starts out well but then has
some problems. These are basically in
two areas. Firstly, the songs are for the
most part so so and Vince's voice
wanders off key. The former could be
improved if the vocal tracks were
remixed.

The main problem with this mini CD is
that we have heard it all a thousand
times before. Even Czaba Petocz's
impeccable work cannot turn this into a
vocal masterpiece. Now I am not saying
it's bad; it's just not stunning but as
Julianne Hough's CD went to #1 this
could be successful.

Randy plus Kyle spells instant magic.
This is definitely the return of Randy
Travis. At least it should be. However, I
fear that too much crap has been
hitting radio stations and concert
stages since his heyday and the public
expectation for Country music has
changed for the worse. They say each
generation rises to it's own level of
mediocrity and Randy could never be
mediocre. As he gets older (or should I
say more mature?), Randy sounds
more like Don Williams. By the way, I
promise not to get a bloody nose again
when I'm photographing you. I didn't
need to think twice because..........
THIS IS MY CD OF THE MONTH

VARIOUS ARTISTS

"CLOVER COUNTRY: SONGS FROM FAMOUS
4-H ALUMNI"

EMI 509992 081 46 25

PRODUCED BY LOREN HARRIER
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: DON FLOYD &
JENNIFER SIRANGELO

VARIOUS ARTISTS

"PATRIOTIC COUNTRY I"

RAZOR & TIE 7930189189-2

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: RAZOR & TIE
ENTERTAINMENT AND MUSIC FOR A CAUSE

LEONA WILLIAMS

"LEONA WILLIAMS SINGS MERLE HAGGARD"

AH-HA MUSIC GROUP NO CAT #

PRODUCED BY WOOD NEWTON

1. The Clown
(Hillary Lindsey)
2. Stronger [Live Version]
(Faith Hill)
3. I Walk The Line
(Johnny Cash)
4. You're Gonna Be
(Reba McEntire)
5. My Home's In Alabama
(Alabama)
6. My Tennessee Mountain Home
(Dolly Parton)
7. I Still Believe In You
(Vince Gill)
8. Baby Girl
(Sugarland)
9. Wichita Lineman
(Glen Campbell)
10. So Magical
(Martina McBride)
11. We Rode In Trucks
(Luke Bryan)

1. A Lot Of Things Different
(Kenny Chesney)
2. Letters From Home
(John Michael Montgomery)
3. Blessed
(Martina McBride)
4. My Front Porch Looking In
(Lonestar)
5. Politically Uncorrect
(Gretchen Wilson)
6. I'm From The Country
(Tracy Byrd)
7. One More Day
(Diamond Rio)
8. The Last Of A Dying Breed
(Neal McCoy)
9. Long Arm Of The Law
(Kenny Rogers)
10. The Fightin' Side Of Me
(Merle Haggard And The Strangers)
11. Not Me
(Keni Thomas)
12. God Bless America
(LeAnn Rimes)
13. If I Don't Make It Back
(Tracy Lawrence)
14. America
(Waylon Jennings)
15. What Say You
(Travis Tritt)
16. Everyday America
(Sugarland)
17. Heroes And Friends
(Randy Travis)

1. Workin' Girl Blue
2. Bottle Let Me Down
3. It's Not Love
4. I Started Loving You Again
5. If We're Not Back In Love By Monday
6. Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)
7. You Take Me For Granted
8. Fightin Side Of Me
9. Hungry Eyes
10. Someday When Things Are Good
11. If We Make It Through December
12. Okie From Muskogee
13. Medley:
Everybody's Had The Blues/Trying Not To
Love You/ Someday We'll Look Back)

A nice concept and a nice blend of
older and new tracks.

No review needed. These are familiar
songs. Once again, supporting the
troops and being patriotic gets
confused.

I went to the party for the launch of this
CD (go to www.mccloudscrowd.com). I
have long been an admirer of Leona
who was of course married to Hag. The
CD is tastefully produced by my buddy
Wood Newton. This is of course pure
Country and should be mandatory
listening for all those record execs who
think they run a Country label and for
all those deejays who think that they
play Country music. Perhaps it is now
time for Leona and Hag to record
another duet album. I love this.

THE WOODYS

"TEARDROPS & DIAMONDS"

SCENA 271903-2

PRODUCED BY DYAN & MICHAEL WOODY
* CO-PRODUCED BY CAM KING

JAMEY JOHNSON

"THAT LONESOME SONG"

MERCURY B0011237-02

PRODUCED THE KENT HARDLY PLAYBOYS

SUGARLAND

"LOVE ON THE INSIDE"

MERCURY B0011273-02

PRODUCED BY BYRON GALLIMORE & KRISTIAN
BUSH AND JENNIFER NETTLES

1. Teardrops & Diamonds
2. Hearts Don't Break
3. Message From Michael *
4. Don't Blame Me
5. Every Minute Counts
6. Honey I'm Wrong
7. Hello Heartache
8. Echoes Of Love
9. Down Here In Denver
10. Sweeter Than Wine
11. He's Back And I'm Blue
12. I Know Who You Really Are *
13. Sweet Destiny

1. Released
2. High Cost Of Living
3. Angel
4. Place Out On The Ocean
5. Mowin' Down The Roses
6. The Door Is Always Open
7. Mary Go Round
8. In Color
9. The Last Cowboy
10. That Lonesome Song
11. Dreaming My Dreams
12. Women
13. Stars In Alabama
14. Between Jennings And Jones

1. All I Want To Do
2. It Happens
3. We Run
4. Joey
5. Love
6. Genevieve
7. Already Gone
8. Keep You
9. Take Me As I Am
10. What I'd Give
11. Steve Earle
12. Very Last Country Song

Now this isn't a new CD; in fact it dates
back to 2004 and husband and wife
duo, Dyann & Michael Woody have
recorded "Telluride To Tennessee"
since this CD but I happened to bump
into Michael a couple of weeks ago
and thought it was about time for
everyone to get to know The Woodys.
Michael is best known for having
co-written "He's Back And I'm Blue"
which was a #1 hit for Desert Rose
Band back in 1988 (listen to the
Woodys take on it on this CD). I first
saw the Woodys at the Bluebird when
they and Barry and Holly Tashian gave
a night to remember. Both Michael and
Dyann are first rate songwriters. Give
this 2004 CD a listen. It is still vibrant in
2008.

When Jamey signed with RLG a couple
of years back, I predicted he would be
a major star. Well RLG screwed up and
now Jamey is on Mercury. He isn't a
major star yet but I still predict that that
will happen. As a writer, Jamey is
somewhere between Tom T. Hall,
Kristofferson and Guy Clark while as a
performer he is in the ballpark of
Bobby Bare, Kristofferson and Cash.
The one let down on this CD is the
production; too many chiefs and not
enough indians. James has travelled
far so far and he has what it takes to
make a mighty journey.

I have to own up that I preferred
Sugarland when they were a trio. No
doubt that this CD will leap into the
charts at #1. However, Country it is't. It
is very Fleetwood Mac influenced and
at times the CD could step onstage on
Broadway. The songs were all written
by Kristian and Jennifer and there may
lay the problem for my ears. The
talking blues, "Steve Earle" may sum
up the entire album. "Steve Earle,
please write a song for me." may be
the most appropriate line but the song
is pure hick and although funny, it is
phoney. The best song on the album
is "Very Last Country Song" which has
the distinction of actually being the first
and only Country song. Sorry guys, but
not for me but you will be crying all the
way to the bank; so just ignore my
views.