Are you a George Jones guy in a Garth Brooks world? A Loretta Lynn gal trying to understand why people still call Shania Twain a "country" artist?

Well, then this website is for you! Here's your chance to read all about Nashville pop, from the late-'50s "Nashville Sound" and the "countrypolitan" scene of the '70s to today's chart-toppers and pretty-boy hat acts, seen through the lens of DJ Joe Sixpack, a hick music know-it-all with a heart of gold...

Your comments and suggestions are welcome, particularly suggestions for artists or albums I might have missed. Other types of twang are reviewed elsewhere in my Hick Music Guide.

This is the first page covering the letter "F"




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Barbara Fairchild - see artist discography


Shelly Fairchild "Ride" (Columbia Records, 2005)
(Produced by Buddy Cannon & Kenny Greenberg)

Blechh. In the wake of Gretchen Wilson's redneckin' breakthrough debut, Ms. Fairchild was hailed as another back-to-basics bad girl, part of a "new generation" of kickass country gals... Yeah, right. She just sounds like another warbling, overwrought wannabee soul singer to me, with bad, loud, clunky, overly-obvious, power chord-heavy musical backup. This is just bad music, and her vocals are really mannered and really irritating. Sorry, folks, but listening to this record is like having my teeth pulled by a blind tree sloth. I'm sure she'll be fabulously successful, but for an old-school country fan like me, this disc doesn't offer much that's worth revisiting.


Shelly Fairchild "Ruby's Money" (Revelation Nation, 2011)
Bluesy soul and bland, generic soul-rock. I guess, given the drift of Nashville over the last few decades, parts of this could be considered "country," but it's a pretty straight-up rock/pop record. Doesn't do much for me.



Donna Fargo - see artist discography


Tyler Farr "Redneck Crazy" (Columbia Nashville, 2013)
A decent, slightly mediocre entry into the generic Top 40 dude-country style... I didn't think Farr's voice was particularly strong, but with all that high-tech music around him, I guess it doesn't really matter. Like a lot of these guys, he's better on the uptempo, novelty-oriented material, and they wisely only give him a couple of slow ballads to sing. There's a whiff of the whole Big & Rich rock-rap influence as well, which doesn't do much for me.



Narvel Felts - see artist discography



Freddy Fender - see artist discography


Rick Ferrell "Different Point Of View" (Dreamworks Records, 2001)
(Produced by James Stroud)

Terrible. Poppy crap that sounds like a mildly countrified version of Toto. Or something like that. The arrangements are just too cutesy and lightweight for me (hate that tinkly electric piano!) and Ferrell's voice seems pretty thin... Usually I can find something on a Nashville album that I find okay... Not here, though.


Florida Georgia Line "Anything Like Me" (EP) (FGL Records, 2010)


Florida Georgia Line "Here's To The Good Times" (Republic Records Nashville, 2012)



Danny Flowers - see artist discography


Charlie Floyd "Charlie's Nite Life" (Liberty Records, 1993)
(Produced by Jimmy Bowen & Clyde Brooks)

Some folks once heralded Charlie Floyd as a neotrad roots-country dude, but I think that's mostly in contrast to the ever-increasing prefabness of Nashville around him... This album seems pretty by-the-numbers to me, disappointing even, with Floyd distinguishing himself on some tracks by employing a Springsteen-ish growl, though overall I'd say his vocals are fairly weak. While he pays homage to the greats (in ""By George, I'm Jonesin' ") the arrangements are pretty pedestrian, pitting his Keith Whitley-ish voice against the studio production that's more along the lines of what you'd hear on a Shenandoah or Alabama album. There were two chart entries from this one, "Good Girls Go to Heaven" and "I've Fallen in Love (And I Can't Get Up)" but I'd I'd go for the George Jones song, and another ballads that's paired up with it, "If It Wasn't For The Pain." Otherwise, this is pretty skippable, though not bad. Apparently the album title, "Charlie's Nite Life," was also the name of a nightclub that Floyd owned in his home state of South Carolina.


Charlie Floyd "Sounds Of Home" (Country Boy Records, 2010)


Flynnville Train "Flynnville Train" (Show Dog Nashville, 2007)


Flynnville Train "Redemption" (Evolution Records, 2010)
(Produced by David Barrick & Flynnville Train)

Over the last few years, the classic Southern rock sound has found a new venue in the country Top 40, championed by bands like Montgomery Gentry, et. al. On their second album, this Indiana-based quartet ups the ante with a headlong rush into classic a Lynyrd Skynyrd/Johnny Winter/Allman-esque guitar attack. Lots of blue-collar, middle-America, heartland nostalgia as well: the opening track, "Home," follows a familiar path of extolling the virtues of the American family farm, although the Flynnville boys do it with way louder guitars than most of the Nashville bands. "Preachin' To The Choir" is a political number that puts a harsh spotlight on the current economy, probably more from Glenn Beck's perspective than Paul Krugman's, but a legitimate, heartfelt blast of frustration and anger, nonetheless. (Note to the band: the one line here I don't really like is the one that condemns "all" politicians -- I think there are real differences between the parties, and individuals on both sides of the aisle that are working in good faith to solve our problems; voter apathy and anger definitely are not going to help us get out of this hole... But paying attention to voting records and putting people's feet to the fire will help. Anyway, enough preaching from me... back to the music...) This is a really strong record, with many different textures and talents on display... If you like a more rugged sound than what's coming out of Nashville, you might wanna check this album out.



Red Foley - see artist discography


Colt Ford "Ride Through The Country" (Average Joe's Entertainment, 2008)


Colt Ford "Country Is As Country Does" (Average Joe's Entertainment, 2009)
A 6-song EP...


Colt Ford "Tailgate: College Football Versions, v.1" (Average Joe's Entertainment, 2009)
About four-dozen versions of the hick-hop football anthem, "Tailgate," each one with a tailormade shout-out to a different college football team. Sort of like Floyd Flowers' NFL album from a few years earlier.


Colt Ford "Tailgate: College Football Versions, v.2" (Average Joe's Entertainment, 2009)
But wait: there's more! Just in case anyone at Fresno State or Tulane felt left out.


Colt Ford "Live From Suwannee River Jam" (Average Joe's Entertainment, 2009)
A live performance...


Colt Ford "Chicken & Biscuits" (Average Joe's Entertainment, 2010)


Colt Ford "Every Chance I Get" (Average Joe's Entertainment, 2011)



Tennessee Ernie Ford - see artist discography



The Forester Sisters - see artist discography


Peggy Forman "Presenting Peggy Forman" (Dimension Records, 1981) (LP)


Peggy Forman "Honky Tonkin' Housewife" (GoldRhyme Records, 1996)


Sylvia Forrest "The Nights Are Never Long Enough With You" (Door Knob Records, 1989) (LP)



Foster & Lloyd - see artist discography


Jerry Foster "Looking Back" (Cinnamon Records, 1973) (LP)



Radney Foster - see artist discography



The Four Guys - see artist profile


4 Runner "4 Runner" (Polygram Records, 1995)


4 Runner "Getaway Car" (Fresh Records, 2003)


Kelly Foxton & Hank Snow "Lovingly Yours" (RCA Victor, 1980) (LP)


Kelly Foxton & Hank Snow "Win Some Lose Some Lonesome" (RCA Victor, 1981) (LP)


Jeff Foxworthy "The Best Of Jeff Foxworthy: Double Wide And Single Minded" (Rhino Records, 2003)
I'm kidding, right? I mean, I'm not actually adding a review of that guy who does all those dumb "Yeww maht be uhh redneck, if..." jokes, right? The thing is, though, Foxworthy is a very funny guy... His timing is great, and his material is pretty well chosen, if also quite repetitive. That being said, this two disc set (one CD, one DVD...) is probably about as much of him as I'd ever need to hear... This set reprises a bunch of stuff from other albums, but it captures him pretty well. Worth checking out... The videos suck, though. Lip-synching to old standup routines just isn't a good idea, even if you're trying to look lame and rinky-dink.


Garland Frady "Pure Country" (Elektra/Countryside Records, 1973) (LP)
Singer Garland Frady had one super-minor single "The Barrooms Have Found You," in the early '70s and is perhaps best known for having worked as a bandleader for Dorsey Burnette and for Bob Luman... I'm not sure, but I think this was his only album.


Cleve Francis "Lovelight" (Self-released, 1988)


Cleve Francis "Tourist In Paradise" (Capitol Records, 1992)


Cleve Francis "Walkin' " (Liberty Records, 1993)


Cleve Francis "You've Got Me Now" (Liberty Records, 1994)


Cleve Francis/Various Artists "Storytime" (Self-released, 2006)



Dallas Frazier - see artist discography


Frazier River "Frazier River" (MCA Records, 1996)
(Produced by Mark Wright)

Poppy, guitars'n'synth country, with big crescendoes, a thumping backbeat, and a hint of Shenandoah-style group harmonies. It's regular-dude guy stuff, with nods towards Springsteen and the Eagles, and pretty-boy lead singer Daniel Frazier does alright. Doesn't do a lot for me, but I've certainly heard worse. One clever song, "She Got What She Deserves," has a snarky-sounding title, but the twist is that she gets a nice guy who'll take good care if her, and not the loser that's narrating the song. The inspirational "Heaven Is Smiling" might become a favorite for religious listeners.



Janie Fricke - see artist discography



David Frizzell - see artist discography



Lefty Frizzell - see artist discography


Micki (Fuhrman) "Angels Watching Over Me" (Canaan/Dayspring Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Ken Harding)

In a curious career arc, singer Micki Fuhrman started out as a semi-successful regional artist, releasing an indie single while working on the Louisiana Hayride show that cracked into the country Top 100 (though just barely) and earned a contract with MCA Records that yielded another not-quite-hit in 1978. Then for a few years she recorded as a contemporary Christian/Southern artist, releasing two LPs for the Word label. She returned -- briefly -- to the world of Nashville Top 40, but never quite made a real dent in the charts. Fuhrman released an album's worth of secular singles between 1975-83, but her secular stuff has never came out on a full-length album. Maybe some day?


Micki (Fuhrman) "Look Again" (Dayspring, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Tony Brown & David Kent)




Commercial Country Albums - Letter "G"



Hick Music Index



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