The Cactus Brothers "Cactus Brothers" (Liberty Records, 1993)
(Produced by Allen Reynolds)
An odd sort of orphaned almost-alt album from the commercial side of the tracks... This was a rejiggered version of a twang-oriented alt-rock band called Walk The West, which was formed by Paul Kirby, the son of legendary session guitarist and songwriter Dave Kirby along with John Golemon, Will Golemon, Dave Kennedy, David Schnaufer, and Tramp (aka Tramp Camp) who had been working with The Kendalls. As "the Cactus Brothers," they retained some of their alt-rock sheen, but were clearly moving in a more mainstream country direction. Initially this feels irritatingly prefab, a fake-o, domesticated roots rock bar-band, with a decidedly Nashville sound... But some touches that seem like mere affectations, including a liberal dose of bluegrassy acoustic licks, finally start to feel a little more sincere by album's end. If you like the Tractors, the V-Roys or bands like that, you might want to track this down as well, though for my money, this is a bit too controlled and tame.

The Cactus Brothers "24 Hours, Seven Days A Week" (Demon Records/Capitol Nashville, 1998)
(Produced by Randy Scruggs)
Oh, jeepers...! Is that what 24/7 means...?? I finally figured it out... Thanks, guys!

Buddy Cagle "The Way You Like It" (Imperial Records, 1966) (LP)
(Produced by Scott Turner & Lanky Linstrot)
The first full album by Buddy Cagle, one of the lesser known members of the West Coast/Bakersfield Sound country scene. Originally from North Carolina, Cagle moved to California in the late 'Fifties, arriving just in time to catch the wave as stars such as Buck Owens and Merle Haggard emerged onto the national scene. A protege of Wynn Stewart, Cagle released a quartet of well-regarded but poorly marketed albums, and wound up retiring from show business within a few years, as his singles steadily slid into the Back Forty. He'd cut several singles before this came out, including a few for the bigger, better-connected Capitol label, but the rest of Cagle's career was played out on the Imperial label, an offshoot of Liberty Records. As with many albums of the era, there are no credits for the backing musicians, though the performances are pretty solid, as well as the repertoire. A lot of relatively obscure songwriters on here, including the album's producer, Scott Turner, who penned three of the songs; other notable contributors include Dave Burgess and Curtis Leach, who also got some fo their songs included in the set. Definitely worth a spin!

Buddy Cagle "Mi Casa, Tu Casa" (Imperial Records, 1967) (LP)
(Produced by Scott Turner & Dino Lappas)

Buddy Cagle "Longtime Traveling" (Imperial Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Scott Turner & Dino Lappas)

Buddy Cagle "Through A Crack In A Boxcar Door" (Imperial Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Scott Turner)
This was Buddy Cagle's last album, although he did record a few more singles before hanging it up in the early '70s. It's a pretty soft set, a "traveling hobo"-themed folk-country set, the sort of stuff that young Bobby Bare struggled mightily to free himself from, but similar to a lot of the Nashville Sound crooning of the time... Indeed, on Side Two, Cagle sounds a lot like '60s-era Hank Snow, both in his choice of repertoire and in his vocal intonations. Not a very exciting record, but it stands up fine next to albums by big stars of the time.

Chris Cagle "Play It Loud" (Capitol Records, 2001)
(Produced by Robert Wright & Chris Cagle)
Recycling old Southern rock motifs (such as the fiddle/electric guitar combination we all know and love from back in the day...) Cagle and his producers neuter the style and bend it into a soft pop formula, just a coupla steps short of a Michael Bolton album... He makes the most of a thin voice, and delivers his wordy romantic ballads with a fair amount of skill... If you can get past the too, too-perfect, studio-pruned drums, the rolling, drippy piano riffs and swooping power chords, then he can hold your attention. But honestly, this is all a bit much. It's not really music, it's just "product," and it's way overdone.

Chris Cagle "Chris Cagle" (Capitol Records, 2003)
(Produced by Robert Wright & Chris Cagle)
Hmmm. I mean: YUCK...!!! Super-overproduced, popped-out, rock-flavored & coldly calculated commercial Top Ten corn; country music for people who don't really like country music. Totally bogus, but it sold pretty well, though. Go figure.

Chris Cagle "Anywhere But Here" (Capitol Records, 2005)

Chris Cagle "My Life's Been A Country Song" (Capitol Records, 2008)

Chris Cagle "Back In The Saddle" (Warner/Bigger Picture Records, 2012)
(Produced by Keith Stegall)
Top 40 star Chris Cagle is back with a robust set of mainstream material. I find it a little ironic that a twang-themed song like "Got My Country On" is so dominated by rock guitars, but, hey, that's modern-day Nashville. I gotta get over it. The whole mythic small-town country nostalgia gets an interesting twist with "I Grow My Own," which starts out as a testimony to home gardening, but then transforms into an overwrought survivalist/tea party/home schooling/NRA anthem. Cagle balances it out with romantic material, though the album as a whole has a pretty macho feel... Is anyone else getting a little tired of Nashville's current Southern rock fad? I dunno... I wouldn't mind hearing a few more fiddles and steel guitars, but maybe I just gotta get over it.

Chris Cagle "The Best Of Chris Cagle" (Capitol Records, 2010)

Chris Cagle "Icons" (Capitol Records, 2013)

Calamity Jane "Calamity Jane" (Columbia Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Sherrill)
Terrible. Utterly forgettable and un-noteworthy except that this all-gal band was the genesis of the songwriting partnership of Pam Rose and Mary Ann Kennedy, who went on to bill themselves as "Kennedy Rose" and develop a faithful following in the '80s and '90s. This is a remarkably tepid album, burdened by the sad, impotent dregs of the '70s countrypolitan sound -- Billy Sherrill was billed as producer, but there's very little of his signature wall-of-sound style on display here. It's a very thin-sounding album, with arrangements that do very little to boost their voices, leaving the vocals sounding flat and forlorn. Some unfortunate pop covers, as well as some original material that may be of interest to fans. Not sure what happened to the other gals in this band, Mary Fielder and Linda Moore, though both Kennedy and Rose enjoyed long careers as songwriters, initially as a dup and later as solo creators. This was Calamity Jane's only full album.

Shawn Camp - see artist discography

Archie Campbell -- see artist discography

Craig Campbell "Craig Campbell" (Bigger Picture Records, 2011)

Craig Campbell "Never Regret" (Bigger Picture Records, 2013)
(Produced by Keith Stegall)

Glen Campbell -- see artist discography

Stacy Dean Campbell "Lonesome Wins Again" (Columbia Records, 1992)
(Produced by Brent Maher & Glenn Meadows)
A thoroughly likeable, inoffensive soft-honkytonk outing that seems closely modeled on Rodney Crowell's best work, both vocally and in terms of the acoustic-based arrangements. The big difference is in the calibre of songwriting; most of these songs are pretty fluffy and aimless. They sound nice, though. This is my kinda Nashville muzak.

Stacy Dean Campbell "Hurt City" (Columbia Records, 1995)
(Produced by Blake Chancey & Wally Wilson)
Another fine, fun, brightly produced poppy-tonk set, with a nice, thumping backbeat and plenty o' twang. He also still sounds a lot like Rodney... but Rodney when he sang at his honkytonk best, which is pretty darn good. Uniformly strong material with good delivery, including a cover of "Pop A Top," a great version of Steve Earle's "Sometimes She Forgets," and even a few songs that have an Everly Brothers vibe to 'em. It's a nice sound, which of course hardly made a dent in the charts. This album also includes the crunchy-guitared chunka-chunka hillbilly rock of "Honey I Do," Campbell's last chart entry, which weighed in at an undistinguished #61, and doomed him to an also-ran status... But this is definitely a case where commercial failure has to be forgotten in favor of artistic success: Campbell's career may have tanked out, but those of us fortunate enough to find a copy of this disc floating around will be pleased to find several strong performances on it, and other, lighter tracks that still sound nice. Not a classic, but definitely worth checking out.

Stacy Dean Campbell "Ashes Of Old Love" (Giant/Paladin Records, 1999)

Stacy Dean Campbell "Cottonwood" (Mockingbird Audio, 2004)
(Produced by Stacy Dean Campbell)

Canyon "Guess I Just Missed You" (16th Avenue Records, 1988)
(Produced by Produced by Tom Brasfield)
A moderately successful, would-be Top Forty band from Texas, featuring Johnny Boatright, Jay Brown, Steve Cooper, Keech Rainwater and Randy Russell Rigney. They managed to (just barely) crack into the Top 40 after a year's worth of singles, and broke up by decade's end...

Canyon "Radio Romance" (16th Avenue Records, 1989)
(Produced by Bobby Bradley Jr., Blake Chancey & Billy Sherrill)
This album contains their highest-charting song, "Hot Nights," which hit #40, though the band wasn't able to sustain that success. I guess one of the bandmembers, drummer Keech Rainwater, stuck with it and went on to become a member of Lonestar in the 1990s...

George Canyon "George Canyon" (Blue Leaf Music, 2004)
This appears to be a collection of his early stuff...

George Canyon "One Good Friend" (Universal South Records, 2004)
(Produced by Tim DuBois & Steve Mandile)
Mining pretty much the same territory as hat-act dudes like Clint Black, George Strait and Tracy Lawrence, Canadian newcomer George Canyon is a gruff-voiced neotradder who isn't in the slightest little bit afraid to record super-formulaic material. Mostly, it pays off real well. Despite some of its by-the-numbers aspects, his album has a vigorous feel, and several songs you just gotta love, like the dopey "Working On A Ten," which revisits the whole rating-gals-on-a-one-to-ten-scale thing, and the religiously themed "Unfinished," in which a guy's life flashes before him in a moment of danger, and after taking stock of his own shortcomings, he decides to do better and make himself a better man. It's unashamedly, unselfconsciously corny material, and that's one of the reasons it works so well... The other reason is that the production is relatively restrained -- oh, sure, it's factory made and totally Nashville, but it still has some grit to it, and the propulsive approach Canyon and his band use plows along and pulls us with it. A couple of songs towards the end are only so-so, but mostly this is a commercial country album you can listen to from start to finish, without having to skip tracks or hit fast forward. Hope he can keep it up, because this is one of the decade's most promising commercial country debuts.

George Canyon "Home For Christmas" (Universal South Records, 2005)
Nice, robust readings of various Christmas standards. Not that different than a raft of other country holiday records by folks like Clint Black, et al, although Canyon's lounge-y blues-jazz reading of "Blue Christmas is distinctive. The arrangements are generally rootsier than many similar albums, and his voice is pretty husky and manly... Worth checking out.

George Canyon "Somebody Wrote Love" (Universal Records, 2006)

George Canyon "Classics" (2007)
Canyon sings country standards -- "He Stopped Loving Her Today," "Okie From Muskogee," "Ring Of Fire..." Stuff like that.

George Canyon "What I Do" (2008)

George Canyon "Better Be Home Soon" (2011)

George Canyon "Classics II" (Reiny Dawg Records, 2012)

George Canyon "I Got This" (Universal/Red Dot Records, 2016)

George Canyon "Southside Of Heaven" (Ole Records, 2018)

Henson Cargill -- see artist discography

Tom Carlile "The Tom Carlile Feel" (Door Knob Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Kennedy)
Slightly jittery, perfectly prefab pop-country from Florida singer Tom Carlisle, formerly a (terrible) late-'Sixties pop artist who led a (terrible) band called Tom & The Craftsmen. A decade or so later, he was still a hammy singer, but his remarkably tinny voice was better suited to country material than to the kind of pop material he tried tackling back in 1968. Kind of a Bill Anderson-ish vibe, I suppose. Anyway, if you enjoy the late '70s/early '80s equivalent of soft-pop/AOR and you're looking for more obscure artist to fill that need, this is an album that might be considered a lost gem, of sorts. If you like the style, it's probably worth checking out.

Carolina Rain "Weather The Storm" (Equity Records, 2006)
(Produced by Clint Black)
The lone album by this prefab Nashville band, which included Jeremy Baxter (who also played mandolin), Marvin Evatt (banjo) and lead singer/guitarist Rhean Boyer, Nashville pretty-boys who were signed to superstar Clint Black's short-lived Equity Records, which was meant to be a champion of little-guy artists, offering them better royalty deals and maybe even some creative control and whatnot. The early- to mid-'Oughts are not my favorite era in country music, and these guys were definitely immersed in the bland, super-slick, boy-bandish style of the times, with all the tinny, rock-flavored guitars, synthy arrangements and bland, dreadful songs and predictable sound production that entails. If you liked Rascal Flatts (and I did not) you could also give these guys a spin. Don't get your hopes up too high, though.

Mary Chapin Carpenter -- see artist discography

Jeff Carson "Jeff Carson" (Curb Records, 1995)
(Produced by Chuck Howard)
Lightweight pop country, with the standard mix of ballads and uptempo material... Born in Tulsa, Carson's real name was Jeffrey Lee Herndon (1963-2022) and he worked in the regional Ozarks circuit, including a stint in Branson, Missouri, before trying his luck in Nashville. Carson worked as a songwriter and demo singer for a while, and eventually anded a major label contract which started out with a band: the song "Not On Your Love" (which is on this album) hit #1 on the charts, though like so many others before him, Carson hat that one big hit, then slowly slid backwards down into the Back Forty, and eventually quit the country music grind to become a cop in Franklin, Tennessee. Carson's comfort zone seemed to be with weepy pop ballads that harken back to '70s AOR, ala Dan Seals or Kenny Loggins, with a little bit of steel guitar thrown in on top. There are some nice novelty songs such as "Preaching To The Choir," but they suffer from Curb Records' mid-'90s production style, a thin, by-the-numbers sound which tends to neuter any bite out of the twang, and gives everything a too-generic feel. There's enough rootsiness to make this a little interesting to twangfans, but not much... He was sort of a poor man's Alan Jackson, I guess.

Jeff Carson "Butterfly Kisses" (Curb Records, 1997)
(Produced by Chuck Howard & Merle Haggard)
This album has a much, much, much more "pop" feel -- drippier production, sappier songs -- and precious little twang. Indeed, the most vigor heard here comes on a (not very good) cover of Ozark Mountain Daredevils' "If You Wanna Get To Heaven"; otherwise, it's soft pop ballads and even a few songs that verge on Contemporary Christian music. Kippie Brannon sings on a duet of "Daddy's Little Girl," while Merle Haggard chimes in on a version of "Today I Started Loving Her Again." If I had to pick a track off this album to recommend, I guess it would be "Cheatin' On Her Heart," but mostly I'd say this one is pretty skippable.

Jeff Carson "Real Life" (Curb Records, 2001)
(Produced by Max T. Barnes & Justin Niebank)
Sort of a latter-day Dan Seals, Oklahoman Jeff Carson sticks pretty strictly to inspirational, slow-tempo weepers, with plenty of tinkly piano work and sweeping, egregious key changes. I guess if you go for the sappier end of the modern stuff, this disc is a pretty good option, although you gotta admit this guy doesn't have the world's greatest voice. Several songs provided by writers in the Trace Adkins axis -- notably Trey Bruce and Max D. Barnes (who produced half the tracks on the album) -- but Carson often seems ill at ease with more uptempo material, so the disc has kind of a lopsided feel to it. Not my cup of tea, but I can see the appeal. Carson apparently died of a heart attack in 2022.

Wayne Carson "Life Lines" (Monument Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Foster, Chips Moman & Tommy Strong)
Check it out: this is the guy who wrote three big hits for Alex Chilton and the Boxtops: "The Letter," "Soul Deep" and "Neon Rainbow," all three of which are heard here in his own versions. This was the only full album by Wayne Carson Head (1943-2015) though he'd been releasing singles on various labels, dating back at least as far as 1963. The record's more of a poppy thing, albeit with a heavy dose of funky, Memphis-style white soul, which doesn't quite match up with Carson's paper-thin vocals, but is kinda groovy anyway, and fans fo Tony Joe White or Dan Penn might dig this disc, or parts of it. Carson came from a country music family -- his parents had an Ozarks hillbilly act called Shorty & Sue, and cut a bunch of tracks back in the 'Forties. He started his professional career as a songwriter in Nashville, though his own records were pretty distant from his parent's hillbilly-era twang. Pop fans will be interested in his takes on his most iconic songs: his arrangement of "The Letter" is surprisingly different than the '67 hit, less punchy and more mainstream; his manic, cluttered rendition of "Neon Rainbow" is a little disastrous. Admittedly there's little here for twangfans to latch onto, although "Don't Let The Sun Set On You In Tulsa" has a groovy rural vibe -- and had just been recorded by Waylon Jennings the year before. Carson kept plugging away for the rest of years and definitely "went country" on later singles he cut for Elektra Records and other labels. Particularly noteworthy were his songwriting collaborations with bluegrasser Ronnie Reno (son of Don Reno) who briefly made a play for a commercial country career in the mid 1970s -- they worked together on a few singles circa 1982. This is worth checking out, always fun to hear a songwriter doing their own stuff, although as an album it's pretty uneven.

Anita Carter - see artist discography

Carlene Carter - see artist discography

Carter's Chord "Carter's Chord" (Universal-Show Dog Records, 2008)

Carter's Chord "Christmas" (EP) (Universal-Show Dog Records, 2010)

Carter's Chord "Wild Together" (EP) (Universal-Show Dog Records, 2011)
(Produced by Toby Keith & Mark Wright)
You might be disappointed if you thought this three-gal vocal group's name was an homage to the Carter Family... Unless of course, you were talking about Carlene Carter, 'cuz like Carlene in her younger years, this rough-cut trio want to make sure you know that they aren't just a bunch of harmless little "good girls." Indeed, on songs like "We Ain't Makin' Love," they go out of their way to underscore their carnality and downright raunchy horniness. Forget about the scented candles, baby, it's time to burn a hole in the rug!! To balance things out they close this 6-song EP with "Love A Little Bigger," a socially-conscious Christian country-pop song that urges everyone to be more thoughtful and thankful in life. (Of course, it's still a little self-absorbed: they start out by worrying about strangers who are starving, but instead of deciding to volunteer at a soup kitchen, they resolve to call their moms on the weekend. Well, every little bit helps, I guess...) Proteges of label head Toby Keith, these gals are a bit too overproduced for my tastes, but I'm sure old Toby knows what he's doing when it comes to making hits... So keep your eyes peeled.

Deana Carter - see artist discography

Fred Carter, Jr. -- see artist discography

Lionel Cartwright - see artist discography

Johnny Carver - see artist discography

John Carter Cash "Bitter Harvest" (Universal Records, 2003)

John Carter Cash "The Family Secret" (Cash House Records, 2010)

Johnny Cash - see artist discography

Rosanne Cash - see artist discography

Tommy Cash - see artist discography

The Cates Sisters "The Cates Sisters" (Caprice Records, 1977) (LP)
Siblings Marcy and Margie Cates originally hailed from Independence, Missouri, but made Nashville their home, recording their first singles there in the early 'Sixties then establishing themselves as go-to studio singers (and multi-instrumentalists) who appeared on countless records throughout the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Careful study of liner notes from these decades will reveal the Cates gals singing backup for a slew of artists in both the country and pop fields, though they also pursued a parallel path as their own duo act. The late 'Seventies found them the closest to breaking out on their own, with a string of singles appearing in the charts, beginning with this album, which yielded a flurry of Back Forty entries, and three songs -- "I'll Always Love You," "I've Been Loved" and "Lovin' You Off My Mind" -- which cracked into the Top Forty and Top 30.

The Cates "Steppin' Out" (Ovation Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Brien Fisher)
Their second album was a fairly tepid countrypolitan-meets-disco production, with sisters Marcy and Margie Cates harmonizing over mediocre pop-country arrangements. They seemed caught between the future and the past: although there are hints of the synthy, new wave-ish style that groups like the Judds would perfect in the early '80s, these gals fall short of the sound and fall back on the sort of flowery sunshine-country/AOR that Donna Fargo and Anne Murray were singing about five years earlier. Anyway, this isn't really a "bad" album, just kinda bland and a little behind the times. But if you're a fan of '70s soft pop and country-pop, this could be worth checking out. This also yielded several chart entries, though did less well than their album of a couple of years earlier: the highest charting hit, "Make Love To Me," pegged out at #57, and along with a few more tentative singles the following year, this was their last bid at chart fame.

The Cates Sisters "That's What I Like About The South" (Music Masters, 1980) (LP)

The Cates Sisters "Moments" (Salute Records, 1992)
(Produced by John Stacey)

Kasey Chambers - see artist discography

Chance "Chance" (Mercury Nashville, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Buzz Arledge, Lynn Peterzell & Dennis Ritchie)
The only album by this Lone Star band, whose lead singer, the late Jeff Barosh (1954-2008) later went solo under the name Jeff Chance. Initially billing themselves as Texas Pride, the group hailed from the small town of Rosenberg, just outside of Houston, and was made up of brothers Jeff Barosh (fiddle and vocals) and Mick Barosh (drums and vocals), along with John Buckley (vocals), Billy Hafer (bass) and Jon Mulligan on synthesizer. Two of their singles grazed the Top 40, including the AOR-poppish "To Be Lovers," and "SHe Told Me Yes," which hit #30 on the Country charts. The band went through a series of changes in lineup, precipitated by the departure of Jeff Barosh, and the death of keyboardist Jon Mulligan, who was hit by a drunk driver in 1987. Despite these challenges, the Chance band continued playing regionally up until 1995, although I don't think they made any other records.

Jeff Chance "Picture On The Wall" (Mercury Nashville, 1990)
(Produced by Harold Shedd, Jim Cotton & Joe Scaife)
In the wake of Jon Mulligan's death and various changes in lineup, the band called Chance evolved into a solo career for singer Jeff Barosh (aka Jeff Chance) who charted a few modest hits in 1988 under his own name, leading to this first solo album, which gathered those songs with newer material, and yielded a few subsequent singles, though no big chart-toppers.

Jeff Chance "Walk Softly On The Bridges" (Mercury Nashville, 1992)
(Produced by Harold Shedd)
Although notable for the inclusion of then-backup singer Shania Twain (whose own solo debut was a year or so away), this set of prefab Nashville pop failed to produce any chart action in the US, and was Basosh's swan song as a major-label artist. He returned to Texas, where he had been doing session work and playing in local bands dating back to the late 1970s, and found with regional artists such as Johnny Bush and Johnny Lyon, as well as pursuing his own post-Nashville solo work. Jeff Barosh was found dead in his car in 2008, though I'm not sure of the circumstances surrounding his death.

Jeff Chance "The Jeff Chance Album" (Music Master Records, 2007)
(Produced by Sam Lee & Ronnie Mack)

Jeff Chance "Back Again" (Music Master Records, 2008)
(Produced by Jeff Chance, Andy Bradley & Sam Lee)

Charlee "Standing In Your Shoes" (Amerama Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Henry Strzelecki)
A pretty grim story behind this one... A perky young blonde very much in the 'Seventies style, Charlee was the stage name for a gal named Linda Hise Scott (1950-1978) who grew up near Overland Park, Kansas, just outside of Kansas City. Not to be confused with the 'Sixties teen beach movie actress Linda Scott, Charlee was a country singer who started out working in local clubs such as Don Dee's Steak House and Lounge in Olathe, though at some point she made her way to Nashville and was signed and produced by Music City insider Henry Strzelecki. She cut this album which provided a few modestly successful singles, and was on tour nationwide and making television appearances in November, 1978 when she was found dead, brutally murdered in her home in New Rochelle, New York, at age twenty-eight. Apparently her chauffer was eventually convicted of the murder, though honestly I'm not into the whole true crime genre, so I couldn't tell you why he did it, just that it was an awful, tragic crime. Although this pop/countrypolitan oriented album didn't really make much of a dent chartwise, it is noteworthy as a change of pace for bassist Henry Strzelecki, one of the most ubiquitous session players of the era. Here, Strzelecki steps into the producer's booth and also contributes several songs for the fledgling artist to perform: "Hand Me My Guitar (So Long Song)," "I Hate Me (For Hurting You)" and the title track, "Standing In Your Shoes." Much of the album's sound is shaped by arranger Bill Pursell, who adds strings and whatnot into the mix. A second album was put together and released posthumously, though neither album yielded any chart hits. Tanya Tucker fans might like this one.

Charlee "Midnight Madness" (Amerama Records, 1979) (LP)

Ray Charles "Country & Western Meets Rhythm & Blues" (ABC Records, 1965) (LP)
Soul pioneer Ray Charles made many forays into the world of country and twang... This is a a digital reissue of his 1965 album, Together Again, which features several Buck Owens covers -- "Together Again," "I've Got A Tiger By The Tail" and "I Don't Care" -- as well as a version of "Blue Moon Of Kentucky." The country stuff alternates with some swank, swinging R&B and goopier pop ballads. There're plenty of string arrangements and vocal choruses by the Jack Halloran Singers and the Raelettes... Vintage Ray!

Ray Charles "Friendship" (Columbia Legacy, 1982)
Yeah, sure, R&B/Pop/Jazz legend Ray Charles broke stylistic barriers back in the late '50s and early '60s with his top-selling Modern Sounds In Country & Western albums, but when you hear about this record -- a set of duets recorded under the aegis of countrypolitan super-producer Billy Sherrill -- you can't help but think it'll be one of those horrid, lifeless celebrity guestfests we've all come to know and dread. Oh, ye of little faith. Dude, this is Ray Charles we're talking about! This is a mighty fine record, with Brother Ray tossing back and forth with brand-name country stars like Johnny Cash, George Jones, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson... It's a relaxed, casual set with some fine, classy performances... a bit tongue-in-cheek at times, but overall an effective, respectful set, with a lot of well-chosen material. One highlight is the title track, where Ray and reformed bluegrasser Ricky Skaggs reclaim the old Pied Pipers faux-hick novelty song... Some of the pairings reflect the popularity of lesser artists such as Hank, Jr. and Janie Fricke, but overall, this is quite a nice little record. Heck, it even topped the Country album charts, back in the day! Yee-haw.

Kristin Chenoweth "Some Lessons Learned" (Sony Masterworks, 2011)
(Produced by Bob Ezrin)
Not counting appearances on Broadway cast recordings, this is actress Kristin Chenoweth's fourth studio album -- previous records showed her dabbling in jazz-standards, adult-contemporary and Christmas music -- but now it's time for a little twang. Cynics could be forgiven for suggesting that Chenoweth is slumming on this Top-40 styled country album, but ya know what? It kind of works. She aims for a modern Nashville vibe, with tinny, bombastic arrangements and plenty of formulaic schmaltz: self-empowerment songs, a weeper about daughters and daddies, one about God, a few raunchy/sassy songs and a fun novelty song about Dolly Parton ("What Would Dolly Do?," an album highlight...) Chenoweth starts out throwing her high-pitched voice into a kind of teenager-ish register, zeroing in on the Taylor Swift wannabee territory, but after she mentions Ms. Parton, she eases into a more natural-sounding Dolly vibe, and it's these songs that have the most resonance. Several songs are recycled from other artist's catalogs (Carrie Underwood, et. al.) but she puts her own stamp on them -- indeed, if she didn't have the baggage of her Hollywood career to distract potential fans, Chenoweth could probably make a serious stab at a Top Country career. And who knows? She just might. Definitely worth checking out if you're into mainstream Nashville stuff.

Kenny Chesney - see artist discography

Jim Chesnut "Let Me Love You Now" (ABC-Hickory Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Don Powell)
A textbook case of how hard it can be trying to make it in Nashville, Texas native Jim Chesnut started out playing folk music while working in radio during the mid-1960s, but gravitated towards country towards the decade's end. He performed regionally throughout the early 'Seventies and slowly built up his connections before trying his luck in Nashville, initially selling himself as a songwriter. He successfully pitched a song called "Oklahoma Morning," which Charley Pride released as a B-side in 1975, leading to a deal with the Acuff-Rose publishing powerhouse, along with a recording contract with Fred Rose's Hickory Records. Chesnut cut two albums and a string of singles for Hickory, but remained mostly a Back Forty chart artist, which in Nashville often translates to a one-way ticket home, or at least having to shop around for a new label. Chesnut plugged away through the rest of the decade, releasing several more singles on the Curb, Liberty and United Artist labels, but found the pressures of show business to be too crushing, especially when paired with heavy drinking and light airplay. In 1981, Jim Chesnutt moved back to Texas, sobered up, and decided to quit playing the fame game, playing his last professional show in 1982... although he went back to playing live shows decades later in 2008, when he also headed back to the studio and self-released his first non-Nashvlle album.

Jim Chesnut "Show Me A Sign" (ABC-Hickory Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Baker)
All the early hits (and not-so-hits) of this plainspoken Texas countrypolitan crooner... Chesnut wasn't a terribly charismatic performer, but his low-impact approach fit the style of the time just fine... Draped with lazy-tempo-ed, Caribbean- and disco-tinged pop-country arrangements, these songs are inoffensive and mild, that you could either see as not unpleasant in any way, or as purely awful. Milquetoast-y country that Bill Anderson or Larry Gatlin would have been equally comfortable with... But with chart entries solidly in the back end of the Top 100, not the kind of thing that's likely to get reissued anytime soon...

Jim Chesnut "Reflections" (Goforth Records, 2008)

Jim Chesnut "This Guy Sings!" (Self-released, 2016)

Mark Chesnutt -- see artist discography

Eric Church "Sinners Like Me" (Liberty Records, 2006)
(Produced by Jay Joyce)
Although he might seem like just one more bro-tastic, tight-T-shirt wearing, neotrad Top Forty Nashville dude, North Carolina-born Eric Church is considered a modern-day "outlaw" artist, an image that is probably helped by his public advocacy for legalizing marijuana (and for releasing several songs about getting high...) I have to confess, Church's career kicked off right around the time I really started to tune out of the contemporary Top Country scene, so I've never really checked him out. Maybe someday I'll circle back and give him a spin... You know, after I've heard and reviewed every other country record that's ever been made...

Eric Church "Carolina" (Capitol Records, 2009)
(Produced by Jay Joyce)

Eric Church "Chief" (Capitol Records, 2011)
(Produced by Jay Joyce)

Eric Church "Live: Caught In The Act" (Xenon Records, 2013)
Top 40 singer Eric Church is going for a major "bad boy" outlaw vibe on these concert recordings, singing songs about drinking, sinning, smoking pot, swigging Jack Daniels, losing girlfriends and listening to old Haggard tunes at tailgate parties. I guess he's like a reincarnation of David Allan Coe? Anyway, I bet a lot of guys have a lot of fun at his shows. Creepy album art, though!

Eric Church "The Outsiders" (EMI Nashville, 2014)
(Produced by Jay Joyce)

Eric Church "Mr. Misunderstood" (EMI Nashville, 2015)
(Produced by Jay Joyce)

Eric Church "61 Days In A Church" (EMI Nashville, 2017)

Eric Church "Desperate Man" (EMI Nashville, 2018)
(Produced by Jay Joyce)

Eric Church "Heart" (EMI Nashville, 2021)
(Produced by Jay Joyce)

Eric Church "Soul" (EMI Nashville, 2021)
(Produced by Jay Joyce)

Ann Claire "Honkytonk Princess" (Prosody Records, 2012)
(Produced by Travis Howard & Maxwell Abrams)
Wait -- what?? Seriously? The story here is that this gal is a real-life princess (of deposed Iranian royalty, a niece of the Shah, actually) and also a Los Angeles "princess" aka a Paris Hilton-style socialite who signed up to do a reality show about how she wants to become a Top 40 country singer, and how her richie-rich parents supposedly are all disapproving of her lowbrow aspirations. Okay... I'll bite. There're two ways you can go about this: you can cruise her website, where she tweets about pedicures, or you can just listen to the record and see what you think about her musical prospects. It's okay... kinda bland, but that's the point, right? Her voice is alright, though the material is only so-so (no songwriter credits on the CD, though I suspect much of it was written by producer Travis Howard, who also sings on a tune or two...) This was recorded in Nashville, but other than Biff Watson, I didn't recognize any of the session players, so it's not totally an A-list hit-factory production. The mix could be stronger, maybe put the snare drums less up front and add more of that crazily over-layered, bombastic pop production I'm always complaining about... Claire isn't a Shania-style wailer, so I'd guess they thought big production would drown her out, but they could have gone bigger. Anyway, for a vanity project, this is fine... I bet her parents are proud, though I dunno if the network is gonna sign her up for a second season.

Darrell Clanton "Alive" (Audiograph Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Demmans)
For a few brief years, the Audiograph label served as both a haven for faded Nashville stars as well as hopeful unknowns such as Mr. Clanton. Born Darrell Puckett, the Florida singer made his way to Nashville and had a promising career in the early '80s which was cut short when the advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving launched a boycott against one of his songs that they felt made light of alcohol abuse. (How's that story for an idea for a country novelty song...? Oh, the ironies.) Anyway, this album has a bright, almost aggressively commercial production sound, with seven out of the ten songs being Clanton originals. It was one of the cover songs that was his biggest -- and really, only -- hit, an understated, straightforward rendition of Justin Tubb's "Lonesome 7-7203" that made it into the Top 30, though his later efforts on Warner Brothers pretty much tanked. There's some applause mixed in on a few tracks, but I'm pretty sure this was a studio-produced album.

Brandy Clark "12 Stories" (Slate Creek Records, 2013)
(Produced by Dave Brainard)
A super-successful songwriter whose tunes have been covered by the elite of post-millennial Nashville, Brandy Clark was is originally from Morton, Washington, a tiny town on the slopes of Mount Rainier. Starting in 2005, her work has been covered by country stars old and new, from dudes like Toby Keith and David Nail to artists such as Kacey Musgraves, Sunny Sweeney and Miranda Lambert... Heck, even Kenny (Sauron) Rogers recorded one of her songs! Despite a strong track record as a composer dating back to '05, Clark didn't establish herself as a recording artist until this indie-ish album nearly a decade later.

Brandy Clark "Big Day In A Small Town" (Warner Records, 2016)
(Produced by Jay Joyce)
Although dozens of her songs have been recorded by others, Brandy Clark has met with limited success as a solo artist, faring better with her albums than one the singles charts. This sophomore release includes the song "Girl Next Door," which (according to Wikipedia) is her only single to crack into the Country Top Forty, peaking at #39 on Billboard. Big Day In A Small Town was also her highest-charting album, breaking into the Top Ten upon its release. Clark seems to be kind of an industry and critic's darling, the rare breed of country musician who gets to keep releasing major-label albums based on her success as a composer, rather than her own performance on the charts. No complaints here!

Brandy Clark "Live From Los Angeles" (Warner Records, 2017)
(Produced by Chip Matthews)
A limited-edition Record Store Day release, recorded in concert at Hotel Cafe, in Los Angeles, in September, 2016. Brandy Clark plays guitar, backed by Miles Aubrey on guitar and harmony vocals.

Brandy Clark "Your Life Is A Record" (Warner Records, 2020)
(Produced by Jay Joyce & Jason Hall)

Brandy Clark "Brandy Clark" (Warner Records, 2023)
(Produced by Brandi Carlisle, Brandon Bell, et.al.)

The Clark Family Experience "The Clark Family Experience" (Curb Records, 2002)
(Produced by Byron Gallimore & Tim McGraw)
Six brothers from Virginia, all with names that start with the letter "A." Despite being recorded at the height of the Nashville/boy band pop crossover craze -- and clearly trying to be part of that trend -- these guys had a surprising amount of twang, and a surprising amount of soulfulness. I'd listen to these guys over 'NSync or Rascal Flatts, any day. They had some initial success on the charts, but the band fell apart due to financial problems, resurfacing only many years later under the name Sons of Sylvia.

Roy Clark -- see artist discography

Sanford Clark "The Fool" (Bear Family Records, 1992)
Singer Sanford Clark (1935-2021) was a prototypical one-hit wonder... The vocal talent for producer Lee Hazelwood's first commercial success, the 1956 single, "The Fool," Clark never came close to matching the success of that runaway, Top Ten pop hit. He started out as a sorta-billy singer, his plain, half-spoken vocals bringing in a folk-ish feel atop a slick production style. When the chips were down, this slowly settled into a more country feel, although the overall sound of his work never changed that much. This disc collects his early, more pop-oriented work on the Dot label and on Jamie Records... If you dig his country/country-folk material, you might want to check this out as well.

Sanford Clark "Shades" (Bear Family Records, 1993)
I picked up the Shades album a while ago, and was actually pretty surprised at how much I liked it... The are the recordings Sanford did late in his career, when the possibility of another big hit was years behind him, and he was struggling just to get labels that would record him. In 1960, he cut a single for Jamie Records; several years later he cut a few tunes for Ramco, and then he was basically out of the studios until the early 1980s, when he self-produced an album's worth of material, most of which went unreleased until this Bear Family set came out. When possible, Clark worked with Hazelwood, but in the late 'Sixties, Waylon Jennings was one of his producers (Waylon also played guitar on these tracks) and it's this period that gave us some of Sanford's best material, oddball songs like "The Big Lie" and "Where's The Door," where the soft-voiced Clark sang of drunken stupors and barroom brawls. One of his cult classics is Leon Payne's "It's Nothing To Me," in which a sociopathic drunk threatens, then kills the listener, and expresses no remorse when he faces the death penalty. It's an extremist novelty song along the lines of Porter Wagoner's "Rubber Room," and there are several songs of equal calibre on this album, including "Black Jack County Chain," which goes to similar extremes. The thing of it is, Clark is a perfect vessel for this kind of material, and the songs are just kooky enough and just country enough that it's really pretty charming. I liked it... it was listenable and the kind of thing I'd hang onto to play on the radio someday...

Terri Clark - see artist discography

Philip Claypool "A Circus Leaving Town" (Curb Records, 1995)
(Produced by Jerry Crutchfield)
A nice, uncomplicated, slightly amateurish, pop-country album with solid honkytonk leanings... This is a little on the slick side for me, but it's still pretty listenable, and has enough fiddle'n'steel to keep me interested for most of the record. I guess he didn't do well in the charts, though, which is a shame... Claypool might not have been the greatest singer, but his music didn't suck, and that's more than you can say for lots of other folks whose names don't need mentioning here... Highlights include the rompy-stompy "Swingin' On My Baby's Chain," the twangy, humorous "She Kicked My Dog" and the bouncy "Mile Out Of Memphis," written by rockabilly legend Carl Perkins, who sings a verse or two along with Claypool. (And, hey, with friends like that...! ) Low points include a few so-so slow ballads and his too-sensitive cover version of (ouch) Bad Company's old hit, "Feel Like Making Love," which actually turned out to be his highest-charting single, topping out at #60 on the Country charts. All in all, this disc is okay, certainly worth checking out if you're digging deep.

Philip Claypool "Perfect World" (Curb Records, 1999)
(Produced by Phillip Claypool)
I guess this is kind of a de facto best-of: four of the best tracks from his previous album are included here, along with ten new tracks. Intriguingly, a couple of tracks released as a single between albums -- "Looking Up From A Long Way Down" and "The Richest Man" -- were not gathered here as well. Maybe not so surprising, though, since his only charting singles came from his earlier album. Anyway, there's some overlap, but if you are into Claypool's early stuff, you'll probably want both these albums.

Philip Claypool "Strong One" (Heyday Records, 2013)
(Produced by Michael Lloyd)
After a short-lived attempt at starting a nightclub out in Northern California, Claypool returned to Nashville to record and self-release this album, sending three singles out to radio and even made videos for the songs "Jack Daniels And Mr. Jim Beam" and "Three More Beers." "Beers" is a barroom novelty song with a similar theme to "The Girls All Get Prettier At Closing Time," where the narrator opines that after he has a few, whoever he takes home is going to "be Britney Spears," as far as he's concerned. This album seems to have come out in two different versions, apparently with the same track listings, but re-titled Come On Back Home, in the edition below. (There may have been an earlier version as well: one contemporary review mentions Claypool covering the BeeGees hit, "How Deep Is Your Love," though it's not listed on either of the versions I've seen, so who knows...)

Philip Claypool "Come On Back Home" (Heyday Records, 2014)

Patsy Cline - see artist discography

Anita Cochran "Back To You" (Warner Brothers, 1997)
(Produced by Anita Cochran & Jim Ed Norman)
A singer, songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, this Michigan-born filly hit it big with a tacky power ballad, then kind of faded from sight when her other singles failed to connect. This disc opens nicely enough, with the rollicking, upbeat "I Could Love A Man Like That," but swiftly slides into formulaic soft stuff, including a daddy song, and a truly heinous duet with Steve Wariner ("What If I Said," a horrible "soul" ballad which of course was a huge #1 hit...) The hit-the-high-note caterwauling on that song alone should be enough to chase you away, but the rest of the album is pretty overcooked as well... I like Cochran's voice, and her guitar picking is impressive (she plays lead on the whole album...) but the gooey production style is a drag. There are a couple of tunes she wrote on here that are worth mentioning: the uptempo rave-up of "Girls Like Fast Cars" is kind of fun, in a gimmicky gal-power kinda way, and the acoustic "Back To You" evokes memories of Rosanne Cash. So it's not a total loss, I guess... Three "okay" songs on one's debut album ain't a bad ratio, though for the most part this album doesn't do much for me.

Anita Cochran "Anita" (Warner Brothers, 2000)
(Produced by Anita Cochran & Jim Ed Norman)
This album had a slew of guest artists -- famous folks like Holly Dunn, Wynonna Judd, John Wesley Ryles and Ricky Skaggs -- and tons of top talent backing her up. But the singles failed to chart, and although Cochran got the chance to record another album, and though her 2004 single, a duet with Conway Twitty called "(I Wanna Hear) A Cheatin' Song," was a moderate hit, she was nonetheless unceremoniously dropped by her label and the anticipated album was shelved and went unreleased. Another one chewed up by Music City.

Anita Cochran "Serenity" (Straybranch Records, 2009)
(Produced by Anita Cochran & Mark Thompson)
This seems to be an odds-and-ends set, with some tracks dating back to her earlier career -- a couple from way back in 1998, a few others from 2004-06, and the remainder copyrighted 2009. I'm not sure if she re-recorded her older songs, or if some tracks were original recordings she clawed back from her Warner Brothers contract. One way to find out, I guess... At any rate, all the songs were penned by Anita Cochran, including the Conway Twitty duet, "(I Wanna Hear) A Cheatin' Song," which had been released as a single in 2004, and the title track, "Serenity," another duet, with guest vocals from Ty Herndon. An indie album from a very un-indie era, with nothing that charted.

Hank Cochran - see artist discography

Tammy Cochran "Tammy Cochran" (Epic Records, 2000)
(Produced by Blake Chancey)
A strong debut by a promising new artist -- someone who could have offered an alternative to the prefab pop of Shania Twain and Faith Hill. The opening tracks -- "I Cry," "If You Can" and "So What" -- reveal a fairly rugged female artist capable of delivering complex material with great emotional clarity... Cochran's vocal tone is tough and rural, and while I like there to be some rough edges in my country, at first I found the contrast between her and the modern production to be a little off-putting... Then she drew me in with her ability to live inside her lyrics, as well as the quality of the songwriting. She's got a lot in common with Terri Clark or Tanya Tucker, in that she's kind of gritty, but still tilts towards the mainstream. Suddenly, though the album goes off the rail with some glossy ballads, and she loses the momentum that her more rootsy delivery had built up early on, building up to the album's super-sappy centerpiece, a religiously-themed song called "Angels In Waiting," about the pain of losing loved ones too early in live... Nonetheless, this record is pretty good, at least for Y2K Nashville; definitely worth checking out, especially if you prefer the fiddle and pedal steel to the drum machine and synth.

Tammy Cochran "Life Happened" (Epic Records, 2002)
(Produced by Billy Joe Walker, Jr.)
A disappointment. Predictably, Cochran's follow-up album was much glossier, and packed full of pre-fab gal-power ballads. In a mirror image of her first album, the opening songs are terrible, and the harder, better numbers come into play later on. Mostly, though, this is too full of self-helpy, Oprah-esque, post-feminist, self-affirmation anthems ("I Used To Be That Woman," etc.) which I guess is all very well and fine, but did every female singer in Nashville have to sing the same sort of stuff? It's so stereotyped and dreary. Still, this features a few nice real country tunes, including a version of "If You Can" (which was also on her debut), re-released as a single the second time around. Too pop for me, but still better than most.

Tammy Cochran "Where I Am" (Shanachie Records, 2007)

Tammy Cochran "30 Something And Single" (IBI Records, 2009)
(produced by Greg Cole)

David Allan Coe - see artist discography

Kellie Coffey "When You Lie Next To Me" (BNA Records, 2002)
(Produced by Dan Huff)
Tearing a page or two out of the Dixie Chicks fakebook, Coffey slathers her opening track not only with tinny, treble-heavy, lushly layered, Echoplexed pop production, but also with a rolling, rhythmic banjo, and husky-then-shrill vocals that batter away at the lofty, dense lyrics. The Spanish guitars kick in on the following song, the drum machines aren't far behind, and there's arty versifying everywhere you turn. It's a bit much -- overwrought and overproduced -- and yet I still find myself looking to her as a hopeful new contender. If she could shed some of the soul-diva pretentiousness and settle into a more traditional country vibe, Coffey could be kinda fun. Probably ain't gonna happen, though; she seems like a pretty modern gal. Which I'm sure is fine for her, but kind of a drag for fans of real, old-fashioned country.

Kellie Coffey "Walk On" (Duet Records, 2007)
(Produced by Wayne Kirkpatrick)
Although she made a big splash as a critic's darling with her 2002 debut, When You Lie Next To Me, Kellie Coffey languished in the middle rungs of the Top 40, and apparently got the boot for her troubles. Like many modern Nashvillers, she's sidestepped the major labels and gone indie, and thus her new record plays directly to her fans -- in this case to folks who prefer chick-centric emotional songs about relationships, heartbreak and dreams. Given the recent rash of redneck-gal rowdiness at the top of the charts, these soul-soaked femme-ballads seem a little dated, but it's solid work throughout, and if you like the style (or were a Coffey fan to begin with) then you'll definitely dig this album. Some songs are a bit much: Trina Harmon's "I Would Die For That" deals with infertility, which is a powerful subject, but the singlemindedly depressive focus of the song's narrator (and the tinge of peevish jealousy towards her friends) makes the song difficult to latch onto. Other songs, like "I Had A Dream" and the goofy satire of modern life, "Bandwagon," are more solid and less self-pitying. Almost all the songs were co-written with producer Wayne Kirkpatrick (of the band Little Big Town) and he adds a firm if formulaic hand to the sound... If you liked the Y2K-era soul-twang sound of Sara Evans, Trisha Yearwood, et al., you'll probably dig this one, too.

Kellie Coffey "Why I'm Alive" (2009)
A self-released six-song EP...

Dan Colehour "Dan Colehour" (Carnival Recordings, 2007)

Dan Colehour "Straight To The Highway" (MCA-Nashville, 2007)
(Produced by David Grissom, Mike McCarthy & Frank Liddel)
Straight-up, roots-rockin' poppy twang, tailormade for fans of Jack Ingram, Chris Knight, Radney Foster, and old Steve Earle. And, yeah, there's a bit of John Mellencamp in there, too. Colehour's a Midwesterner who hit the Texas scene in the 1990s, moved to Nashville, and got chewed up and spat out, as many a fine musician has been before him. His first album was set to be released a few years back, but got shelved in a typical music industry merger/corporate bloodbath, and his career was put on hold until the new boss figured out what to do with him. The good news is that fans who like the whole Mellencamp/Springsteen heartland hero vibe will find a lot to cheer about here -- there's one anthemic rebel-rouser after another, and while Colehour raise the much-waved flag of the all-American, small-town everyman, he does so without the cynical commercial calculation of Top 40 acts like Toby Keith and Montgomery Gentry, et. al. This feels like a pretty sincere record, and if you're drawn to the style, you'll want to check this one out.

Mark Collie - see artist discography

Brian Collins "This Is Brian Collins" (ABC-Dot Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Foglesong)
Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, singer Brian Collins started out as a singles artist, with his first records coming out around 1970. He cut his first full album in 1973 after getting signed by Dot Records, releasing two LPs with them, as well as a handful of singles from 1975-77, after which he floated a few more years between a couple of different labels. For the most part he was a mid-range to Back Forty chart artist, with only one entry that cracked the Top Ten, his cover of "Statue Of A Fool." Eventually Collins left Nashville and settled down in Texas, where he became a regional artist. This album includes his version of "Statue Of A Fool," as well as one of his own songs, "Lonely Too Long," and a couple of oddities such as his country cover of Paul McCartney's "My Love." No info on the backing musicians, however.

Brian Collins "That's The Way Love Should Be" (ABC-Dot Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Foglesong)

Brian Collins "The ABC Collection" (ABC Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Foglesong)
This nondescript, career-closing album is pretty strictly a best-of with tracks set drawn pretty evenly from his two albums -- eight songs from 1973, and six from 1974 -- including about a half-dozen singles that charted and a bunch of other stuff that didn't . Two songs are Brian Collins originals: "Lonely Too Long" and "I Believe You Love Me Just As Much As Him," neither of which charted. Orphaned are his pre-Dot (and post-LP) singles from 1971-72 and 1977-83, but if you want a relatively comprehensive overview of his career, this old disc is probably as good as it gets.

Tommy Collins - see artist discography

Jessi Colter - see artist discography

The Compton Brothers "Off The Top Of The Compton Brothers" (Dot Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Henry Hurt)
Originally hailing from Missouri, brothers Bill, Harry and Tom Compton performed in regional shows such as the Ozark Jubilee and WWVA's Wheeling Jamboree, and came to prominence in 1965 after winning a national country talent show sponsored by Columbia Records. It was Dot Records that actually signed them, though. Their first single from 1966, "Pickin' Up The Mail," didn't make many waves, but they still generated enough momentum to record an LP, although again no real hits resulted. This was their only album released as a trio: brother Tom left the band afterwards, though Bill and Harry wound up being more successful on their next outing.

The Compton Brothers "Haunted House/Charlie Brown" (Dot Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Henry Hurt & Jerry Bradley)
The late '60s still being an era when the music industry still nurtured talent, the Compton Brothers got another shot at making another record, despite the lackluster performance of their first album. This was their commercial peak, with two countrified covers of rock oldies -- "Haunted House" and "Charlie Brown" -- taking them into the Top Twenty. (Tom Compton apparently headed down to Muscle Shoals to become a studio musician, a gig he was holding down in the early '70s...) One thing worth noting is that Bill and Harry had very different, distinctive voices and didn't exactly harmonize in the classic "brother act" style... Indeed, one of the brothers -- not sure which one -- reminds me a lot of Rodney Crowell.

The Compton Brothers "Yellow River" (Dot Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Henry Hurt)
This was the last Compton Brothers album, although they also recorded and released about an album's worth of singles before calling it quits in 1975. Judging from the cover, this looks like it would be the one of endless generic, watered down countrypolitan offerings, but there's actually a fair amount of twang on here, with plenty of fine country tunes. To be sure, it's slick sounding but still not nearly as bland as a lot of stuff coming out of Nashville at this time. As on their previous album, this includes some pop covers: the title track is a song by Jeff Christie that was an early '70s rock-pop hit, and they also sing a version of the Everly Brothers oldie, "Love Hurts." According to Billboard, the Comptons had brought a couple of their younger brothers into the band around this time, though it's not clear if they played with them on this album. Apparently when they quit in 1975 that was really it -- not indie albums or solo offerings as far as I can tell.

The Concrete Cowboy Band "The Concrete Cowboy Band" (Pickwick-Excelsior Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Vining & Ed Keeley)
You wouldn't think it to look at it, but this is quite a good album... It's an offering by the Pickwick label, of all people, gathering together a bunch of high-powered "usual suspect" superpickers such as Hal Rugg, Mark Casstevens and Buddy Spicher to work their way through a set of western swing and honkytonk oldies, punctuated by some tasty newer tunes, such as Bobby Borchers' "Texas When I Die," "Country Is The Closest Thing To Heaven (You Can Hear)" and "Thank God I'm A Country Gal" (a gender-flipped version of the John Denver hit...) as well as "Concrete Cowboys," one of two songs written by producers Ed Keeley and Steve Vining. Fronting the band are two fine female singers, Donna Hazard and Nancy Walker, who for whatever reasons were not showcased as the stars of the band (there are no photos of any of the musicians) but who bring a lot of ooomph to the recordings. The production is slick, but the music is soulful... This album only yielded one super-minor hit, way in the Back Forty (and Hazard enjoyed similar success with several singles released around the same time...) Fans of Dawn Sears and the Time Jumpers, perhaps, might really enjoy this one!

Confederate Railroad "Confederate Railroad" (Atlantic Records, 1992)
(Produced by Barry Beckett)
One heck of a debut disc by this rollicking, Georgian good-ole-band. They're mining a lot of the same territory as Hank Williams, Jr. -- the whole unrepentant Southern bubba schtick -- but with so much more vigor and vitality that it's hard not to be lured in by their rock-tinged neo-outlaw tunes. Singer Danny Shirley brings to mind Russell Smith of the Amazing Rhythm Aces, and the band also has a similar approach, bringing Southern rock-isms into a mainstream, hook-driven medium with admirable success. The opening track, "She Took It Like A Man," is a flawless outlaw novelty tune, and also has some of Shirley's richest, most George Jones-like vocals. Ultimately, these guys are a bit too commercial for me, but at least they have real blood 'n' whiskey coursing through their veins: there's a vitality here that you don't hear that much in modern Nashville... So more power to 'em!

Confederate Railroad "Notorious" (Atlantic Records, 1994)
(Produced by Barry Beckett)
Predictably, after such a strong effort coming out the gate, Confederate Railroad followed up with this tepid, overly produced, overly safe outing, where the lead vocals and guitar seem sluggish and overly deliberate, while the harmony vocals edge towards Shenandoah-ish formula. It's just so commercialized and tame, without an authentic wild moment or clever twist to be heard. Songs like "Redneck Romeo," "Hunger Pain" and "Elvis And Andy" are just plain sad, compared to spark they showed on their first disc. Now they just sound like Travis Tritt: an ungainly graft of neutered, contrived, watered-down Southern Rock and completely predictable commercial country. Too bad. They started out so good.

Confederate Railroad "When And Where" (Atlantic Records, 1995)

Confederate Railroad "Keep On Rockin' (Atlantic Records, 1998)

Confederate Railroad "Unleashed" (Audium Records, 2001)

Confederate Railroad "Cheap Thrills" (Shanachie Records, 2007)

Confederate Railroad "Greatest Hits" (Atlantic Records, 1996)
(Produced by Barry Beckett)

Confederate Railroad "Rockin' Country Party Pack" (Atlantic Records, 2000)
(Produced by Barry Beckett)
A fine best-of collection full of fun, no-brainer Southern-rock tinged country. I like these guys. They don't put on airs or pretend to be anything other than a good-natured country band. Good novelty songs, too... particularly "She Took It Like A Man," wherein a jilted Jill whomps the guy who dumped her upside the head, then, without missing a beat, heads down to the bar to drown her sorrows in a few brews. Worth checking out!

John Conlee - see artist discography

Earl Thomas Conley - see artist discography

Elizabeth Cook - see artist profile

Rita Coolidge "Delta Lady: The Rita Coolidge Anthology" (Hip-O Records, 2004)
The silky-voiced '70s singer Rita Coolidge grew up along with the decade she made her mark in... Her early albums were soul-drenched, sub-country crossovers, influenced by the similarly eclectic efforts of her pals on the LA studio scene such as Leon Russell or Delaney & Bonnie, whose albums she had sung on before landing a contract of her own, and, of course, her hubby, Kris Kristofferson, who she often duetted with. Sort of a less-rugged Bonnie Raitt, or a sexier Maria Muldaur, by decade's end, Coolidge had really "popped" out, leaning heavily towards Maureen McGovern/Anne Murray-style slow songs and (more memorably) a disco-roots crossover sort of like Boz Scaggs (another pal of hers...) It was these disco-era recordings that really put her on the map, though she also more or less left the un-catagorizable country-soul stuff alone after that. This 2-CD set is an ultimate fan's wet dream, gathering 41 of her golden oldies from her hitmaking years on the A&M label. A little too goopy for me, but a nice document of her work.

Easton Corbin "Easton Corbin" (Mercury Nashville, 2010)
(Produced by Carson Chamberlain)
A very pleasant surprise. Nashville newcomer Easton Corbin is a good-natured, easygoing drawler, a Florida lad borrowing liberally from the Alan Jackson playbook. Now, personally, I like Jackson's work a lot, and hearing anyone who follows his lead so closely is just fine by me. Corbin sails his way through an album's worth of first-rate material, including several songs he wrote or co-wrote, as well as several by album producer Carson Chamberlain. Its a fine set, with highlights that include the mournful "This Far From Memphis," the rollicking "Roll With It," and the ultra-Jacksonesque "A Little More Country Than That." The vocals are nice, the picking is good, the album is solid. If you like roots-oriented Nashville Top 40, you'll wanna check this guy out.

Easton Corbin "All Over The Road" (Mercury Nashville, 2012)
(Produced by Carson Chamberlain)

Easton Corbin "About To Get Real" (Mercury Nashville, 2015)
(Produced by Carson Chamberlain & John Kelton)

Randy Cornor "My First Album" (ABC Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by A.V. Mittelstedt)
His first and only album, apparently. Texas-based guitarist Randy Cornor (1954-2022) was a hotshot session player who as a teen worked in Gene Watson's band, and later with Frenchie Burke and Freddy Fender. Here he tried to bust out of the local Houston scene and make it big as a solo star on the national stage, as a country crooner working in roughly the same mode as Conway Twitty or Joe Stampley... He didn't break through, but fans of '70s commercial country can still find plenty to enjoy here, including a pair of ballads written by Eddy Raven and other by Larry Gatlin that are pretty effective. The album ends with a couple of more down-home hoedown tunes -- perky version of "Rocky Top" and "Sugar Foot Rag" that let Cornor cut loose on the hot guitar licks, with some sweet fiddle licks from Frenchie Burke. There are also several truly dreadful songs where he tries to belt it out and finds stiff competition from a humongous string section that was dubbed over his tracks, and slightly drowns him out. But on balance, this album is worth checking out, provided you have a sweet tooth for bombastic '70s countrypolitan. I think after this, he stayed with Fender's band and afterwards slowly faded from the spotlight.

Brad Cotter "Patient Man" (Epic Records, 2004)
(Produced by Steve Bogard & Rick Giles)
A former child star in the contemporary Christian/gospel scene, Brad Cotter won the "Nashville Star" TV show competition, and got a major-label deal in 2004. Although he's got a modest, rather unimpressive voice, Cotter still has a way of drawing you in... The material is perfunctory modern Nashville stuff, strictly by the numbers; some songs work, some are kinda lame. In the "plus" category are novelty songs like "High On Love" and "Rock And Roll In The Hay," which project a clean-living, nice-guy image... The music matches his tone -- loose, easygoing and unaggressive, and this works to his advantage. The baby-faced, goateed Cotter doesn't seem to have the kind of voice that can really belt it out, so taking it slow helps him a lot... he doesn't sound like he's struggling to be heard or to project, and he takes his time with these songs, and gets a lyric or two to sink in... The album charted, and one single, "I Meant To," cracked into the Top 40, but I guess that wasn't enough for Nashville -- after this, he went indie and concentrated on songwriting.

Brad Cotter "Continuity" (EP) (Adobe Road Records, 2007)

Brad Cotter "Right On Time" (OMG Records, 2009)

Neal Coty "Chance And Circumstance" (Mercury Nashville, 1997)
(Produced by Keith Stegall)

Neal Coty "Legacy" (Mercury Nashville, 2001)
(Produced by John Kelton)
Songwriter Neal Coty emerged from his indie-ish origins into something much denser, commercial and sluggish. You can really hear him straining to emote and make it work here, pushing his songs uphill while burdened with endless overwrought Nashville arrangements. The title track, "Legacy," was his sole chart entry, barely cracking into the Top 50, and I'd have to say this was a case of well-deserved obscurity. Not that Coty is "bad," per se, -- he seems well-meaning and sincere and there are dozens of soulless hacks I'd savage before harshing this guy out -- but this kind of stuff just doesn't move me. Still, if you like roots-rockin' folks like John Mellencamp, Chris Isaak or Tom Petty (who Coty covers on this album), then this album might qualify as a cult favorite for you... "This Town Ain't Big Enough" was kind of nice...

Court Yard Hounds "Court Yard Hounds" (Columbia Records, 2010)
(Produced by Martie Maguire, Emily Robison & Jim Scott)
A "solo" release from Dixie Chicks fiddler and guitarist, sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison (both nee Erwin...) This kind of picks up where their gentle, evocative acoustic tunes on recent Dixie Chicks albums left off, although if the truth be told, there seems to be something missing in this set, some sort of spark or artistic balance... This album seems kind of self-indulgent and unfocussed; deeply personal perhaps but not deeply engaging (at least not for me...) One thing that's missing are the pop-twang hooks that haul you in on the Chicks albums -- these songs seem more gooey and meandering, more in Sarah MacLachlan territory, if you know what I mean. I'm sure some fans will happy with this new incarnation, but hopefully something new with Natalie is also in the works.

Court Yard Hounds "Amelita" (Columbia Records, 2013)
(Produced by Martie Maguire, Emily Robison & Jim Scott)
I'm a Dixie Chicks fan from 'way back when, but I have to admit it was a hard sell getting me to give this second Court Yard Hounds album a chance, since the last one was so resolutely self-involved and uninspiring. To be charitable, this one, although still anchored in bland rock-pop formulae, does give more of a nod to their country roots, and it certainly shows more signs of life than the last record, which was essentially a flatline event, as near as I could figure. I'm still hoping that the Chicks will get over whatever's keeping them apart and also get all this adult-pop stuff out of their systems, then come back with a kickass album on a par with Home, but given the sound of these Dogs albums and Natalie Maines' own rock-oriented solo set, it seems unlikely. Oh, sure, they'll get together again, but god knows what it will sound like. In the meantime, from the look of things they've got a solid audience for this kind of stuff, so more power to 'em, I guess. Doesn't do much for me, though,

Bucky Covington "Bucky Covington" (Lyric Street Records, 2007)
(Produced by Mark A. Miller & Dale Oliver)
Loud, bombastic, utterly soulless, super-phony, Southern-rock flavored commercial country. American Idol finalist Bucky Covington is a singularly artless singer, but that hardly matters, since the merciless barrage of electric guitars is the real point of this record: it's all about the formula, and about not giving listeners a chance to breathe the whole time the record is playing. The production is very dense and tightly crafted, so that no matter where your ear roams, it gets filled with something studio-y, but even the wall-of-sound approach does little to mask the clunkiness and phoniness of these lyrics: small town kids getting in trouble with the law, nostalgia for an old-time America, a guy who marries his high school sweetheart even after she's paralyzed by an auto accident: give us a break. Folks who like Montgomery Gentry, Billy Ray Cyrus and Van Zandt can probably get into this; I find it all to be a bit much. I wish there was even an ounce of sincere sentiment on here, but there isn't. Do yourself a big, big favor and skip this one.

Bucky Covington "Live From Rockingham" (EP) (Lyric Street Records, 2009)

Bucky Covington "Reality Country" (Lyric Street Records, 2010)

Bucky Covington "Good Guys" (Entertainment One Records, 2012)

Cowboy Troy "Hick-Hop Hysteria" (Bull Rush Records, 2001)

Cowboy Troy "Beginner's Luck" (2002)

Cowboy Troy "Loco Motive" (Warner Brothers, 2005)
(Produced by John Rich, Big Kenny & Paul Worley)
Yes, this country-rap "hick hop" album is a genre buster, and it was also a big chart hit... What it is not, though, is any good. Hailing from Texas, Troy Lee Coleman III was a protege of the Big & Rich production duo, and shares much in common with them. In particular there's the kranging, crunchy, metal-ish guitar chords, which are compressed into discreet, inoffensive pop nuggets, the thumping, mechanical drums, a few obligatory country touches (steel guitar, a bit of fiddle), and above all the relentless pop hooks, which are augmented on the tracks that Big & Rich guest on with gleeful, in-your-face novelty vocals. B&R are clever producers -- loud, brash, shameless and quite successful at what they set out to do. The trouble is, though, that this is an incredibly vapid record, and an artistic failure on every level -- the songs are empty, hook-laden novelties, tedious musical goofs with lyrics that are about nothing; the production is sterile and contrived, and Troy Coleman is, without question, one of the most untalented rappers ever to enter a recording studio. Even allowing for his trying to "hick" up his delivery, he just isn't very good, either as a lyricist or as a rapper. He's got no flow. I understand why people get into this -- the contemporary country fan base is changing, and the artists and fans alike are a younger crowd who are as used to listening to commercial rap music as they are to the latest Tim McGraw or Shania Twain albums. So it's natural that a there's an urge to see the two styles cross over -- the trend may be lamentable from the perspective of those of us who still like real country music, but it is understandable. What's a shame, though, is that the powers-that-be see fit to offer these fans such palpably weak material. Troy may have fans now, but unless somebody gives him a massive transfusion of depth and talent, he's doomed to be this era's version of Cletus Maggard. Shame on all the DJs, program directors and journalists who have jumped on Troy's lame-ass bandwagon and pretended to like this utter crap. You know it's wrong, right?

Cowboy Troy "Black In The Saddle" (Warner Nashville, 2007)
(Produced by John Rich & Cowboy Troy)
What, him again? Oh, please. Clearly, CT is spoiling for a fight, as heard on this album's "How Can You Hate Me?" But really, there are country fans and then there are the folks who like what the Big & Rich "music mafia" has done with the genre. And if you're old-school like me, it isn't really worth the time to dissect everything that's wrong about this sound... again. It's just not that funny, or that much fun to listen to.

Cowboy Troy "Demolition Mission: Studio Blue Sessions" (Double XXposure Records, 2009)
Dude, it's over. Give it a rest.

Cowboy Troy "King Of Clubs" (Warner Brothers Records, 2013)
Seriously. Dude...

Cowboy Troy "Saloons On Neptune" (Hick Hop Federation Records, 2015)

Cowboy Troy "Laugh With Me" (Shakin' Bacon Productions, 2018)

Billy "Crash" Craddock - see artist discography

Floyd Cramer "The Essential" (RCA Records, 1995)
A best-of set profiling Louisiana-born Floyd Cramer (1933-1997) who served as the house pianist at RCA's Nashville studios, with his patent-pending "dripping note" style... He was rather successful as an album artist, if not on the singles charts. (Bargain bins used to be crammed full of his old LPs, back when vinyl ruled the world...) These instrumental tracks are for hardcore easy-listening fans only, but if you're a fan, you'll dig the dee-lux treatment on this 20-song retrospective.

Melodie Crittenden "Melodie Crittenden" (Asylum Records, 1998)
(Produced by Byron Gallimore & Stephony Smith)
Forceful and formulaic country-pop with slick, tight, somewhat trite arrangements. Crittenden is an okay vocalist, I suppose, but she sure spent a lot of effort trying to sing all raspy and blues-ed out, like Sheryl Crow... This was apparently her only bid at mainstream country; afterwards she joined the Christian pop band Selah (who don't sound very country at all...) and also recorded an album of children's songs on an indie label... This features a couple of inspirational songs, "Broken Road" (which apparently was featured on a the teen drama Dawson's Creek), and the more overtly Christian-themed "With His Arms Wide Open," which closes the album. Nothing here did that well on the charts, though, which might help explain the career shift. This is okay, if you go for slick, modern Nashville stuff -- it sounds just like all the Faith Hill-y, Shanialicious stuff that was out there already... Digging around in the world of Locals Only, private-press country, I discovered she was originally from Oklahoma, and had started out in a country-rock bar band called Pearle Handle, which also backed a gal named Tonya Harwell, who made an album back in 1976.

Melodie Crittenden "Dream With Me Tonight" (Compendia Records, 2001)
An album of children's songs...

Melodie Crittenden "The Woman I Am" (Rosebriar Records, 2001)

Rob Crosby "Rob Crosby" (Guru Records, 1979) (LP)

Rob Crosby "Solid Ground" (Arista Nashville, 1990)
(Produced by Scott Hendricks)
The "debut" album from South Carolina-born singer Rob Crosby, who had actually been plugging away in Nashville for over a decade and had self-released a private-press album 'way back in the disco era. This record yielded several songs that made the Top 20, but chart success became more elusive with his later work and Crosby found more success as a composer than as a big Music City star. His songs have been recorded by superstars such as Brooks & Dunn, Andy Griggs, and Martina McBride, to name a few. Nice work if you can get it!

Rob Crosby "Another Time And Place" (Arista Nashville, 1992)
(Produced by Scott Hendricks)

Rob Crosby "Starting Now" (River North Records, 1995)
(Produced by Jerry Crutchfield)

Rob Crosby "One Light In The Dark" (CSC Records, 2003)

Rob Crosby "Time Is A Gypsy" (CSC Records, 2003)

Rob Crosby "Catfish Day" (CSC Records, 2007)

Cross Canadian Ragweed "Carney" (Broken Records/Smith's Music, 1998)
(Produced by Brad James & Jeff Parker)
The self-released debut album by one of Oklahoma's leading red dirt/southern rock bands. Cross Canadian Ragweed came together in the mid-1990s, formed by lead singer/guitarist Cody Canada, along with Grady Cross on rhythm guitar, Choya Partridge (and later Jeremy Plato) on bass, and drummer Randy Ragsdale. Grounded in a relentless tour schedule, the group built up a regional following and broke through after this album was picked up by Texas-based Smith Music Group, which had national reach and eventually brought them to the attention of the even bigger Universal Records. Although they weren't big on the singles charts, the group crossed over into the Country charts and was able to enjoy considerable success until deciding to disband in 2010. Cross and Ragsdale eased their ways out of the music business, at least temporarily, though Canada and Plato created a new band called The Departed, which released at least one album. A number of other rootsy musicians joined them on this album, perhaps most notably singer Jason Boland, a fellow Oklahoman who recorded his first album the same year, and co-producers Brad James and Jeff Parker, who chime in respectively on steel and lead guitar.

Cross Canadian Ragweed "Live And Loud At The Wormy Dog Saloon" (Broken Records, 1999)

Cross Canadian Ragweed "Highway 377" (Smith's Music, 2001)

Cross Canadian Ragweed "Live And Loud At Billy Bob's Texas" (Smith's Music, 2002)

Cross Canadian Ragweed "Cross Canadian Ragweed" (Universal South Records, 2002)

Cross Canadian Ragweed "Soul Gravy" (Universal South Records, 2003)
It's kinda funny how Southern rock came to roost in the middle rungs of the country charts during the years when slick soul warblers like Faith Hill and Shania Twain et. al., were dominating the Top Ten. Bumped up to major-label status, these guys were really more of a rock band though they had some success on the Nashville charts with the song "Sick And Tired," which is relatively twangy, even although the rest of the album is pretty crunchy and electric. This didnÕt do much for me, but I guess it's okay. Some folk'd call this "red dirt" music, though I'm not sure exactly how guys like this are leading a return to country's roots.

Cross Canadian Ragweed "Garage" (Universal South Records, 2005)
(Produced by Mike McClure & Cross Canadian Ragweed)
These guys are just so gosh-darned rock'n'roll, it's really hard for me to take them seriously as "country" artists... But I guess the Country charts have more room on them for guys with a little bit of twang in their voices and a lot of reverb on their guitars: they've been doing pretty well chartwise for some time now... Still, those monster "modern rock" riffs sure aren't what I think of when I hear all the buzz about the Texas "red dirt" scene. Anyway, this disc is their latest; fans of Steve Earle might dig it... Also comes with a bonus DVD disc, so you can see the boys in action.

Cross Canadian Ragweed "Back To Tulsa: Live And Loud At Cain's Ballroom" (Universal South Records, 2006)
A high-test, 2-CD live album from one of Oklahoma's hottest "red dirt" bands... These guys are a little too rock'n'rollin' and bar-bandish for me -- I ain't in my twenties, and I never liked drinkin' at shows -- but CCRW's connection to their fans is palpable from start to finish, and those same laughing, cheering, happy, rowdy folks will dig hearing the records as much as the concerts. The phrase "live and loud" does capture the essence of this set, but this album is also a fine portrait of a passionate, committed, real-live touring band... Looks like folks in Oklahoma have got a lot to cheer about!

Cross Canadian Ragweed "Mission California" (Universal South Records, 2007)

Cross Canadian Ragweed "Happiness And All The Other Things" (Universal/Show Dog Records, 2009)

Rodney Crowell -- see artist profile

Bobbie Cryner "Bobby Cryner" (Epic Records, 1993)
(Produced by Doug Johnson & Carl Jackson)
A surprisingly distinctive album. A rootsy set, with low, bluesy vocals from this intriguing West Coast songwriter... Her timbre and sultry style may remind you of K.T. Oslin or Wynona Judd, but Cryner has a lot more twang and doesn't go into the same kind of phony-baloney white-girl soul. She shows her California roots in a duet with Dwight Yoakam (on a Buck Owens song!) and she's completely comfortable with producer Carl Jackson's melodic-acoustic touches. Cryner didn't make it as a solo artist, but as a songwriter she had some success, with songs recorded by folks such as Suzy Bogguss, Lee Ann Womack. Most notably, Trisha Yearwood, took her song "Real Live Woman" into the Top 20, though you might find that Cryner, like many country composers, does her own stuff the best. These stripped-down, rural-sounding sessions stand out from the usual Nashville fare -- definitely one worth checking out!

Bobbie Cryner "Girl Of Your Dreams" (MCA Records, 1996)
(Produced by Tony Brown)
See, I would have thought that Tony Brown and Bobbie Cryner would be a great match, since she was so bluesy and he has such a good ear for bright, bouncy twang. But this is a pretty lush, glammed-up record, at least compared to her first album... This time around, she really does sound Wynona-ed out, which I personally don't think is a good thing. I guess they were trying to get her onto the charts by making her sound like everyone else, but it was an unfortunate move. Fans of the more polished, slick 'Nineties Nashville pop sound might get into this, but for twangfans it was a letdown. It is kind of cool that they had her cover "Son Of A Preacher Man," because of her obvious vocal similarities to Dusty Springfield, but the arrangements aren't very satisfying. Oh, well.

Chris Cummings "Chris Cummings" (Warner Brothers, 1998)
(Produced by Ray Scott & Jim Ed Norman)
Fairly generic, though not overtly icky, commercial country from this Canadian chart-topper. I guess this one's actually a best-of set that's meant to introduce him to a US audience. Cummings has an adequate voice, combined with a command of the various pop-country formulae of the time. (Indeed, he's a bit on the twangy side, all things considered... ) Too many note-heavy lead guitar riffs, but plenty of fiddle and acoustic pickin' underneath it all... Cummings wrote most of the songs on here, along with producer Rick Scott... For what it's worth, songwriter Jim Lauderdale sings backup on here, somewhere in the mix...

Chris Cummings "Somewhere Inside" (Warner Brothers, 1996)

Chris Cummings "The Kind Of Heart That Breaks" (EP) (Warner Brothers, 1997)
A 5-song EP that includes "Lonesomeville" and the title track...

Chris Cummings "Lonesomeville" (Warner Brothers, 2000)
Not entirely sure what's going on here, but I think that this is an album that was shelved by the label and never really came out, though they might have tried a few tracks on radio. Anyway, some copies seem to be floating around, so if you're a fan, maybe you can track one down.

Chris Cummings "Ooh, That Could Cost Him the Gold, Bob!" (Warner Brothers, 2002)

Chris Cummings "Who Says You Can't?" (Koch Music, 2006)

Chris Cummings "Give Me Tonight" (Royalty Records, 2010)

Chris Cummings "Greatest Hits" (Warner Brothers, 2008)

Dick Curless - see artist discography

Billy Currington "Billy Currington" (Mercury Records, 2003)
(Produced by Carson Chamberlain)

Billy Currington "Doin' Something Right" (Mercury Records, 2005)
(Produced by Carson Chamberlain)
I like Billy Currington's voice, and if he wants to jump on the new neo-traditional Top 40 bandwagon, well, more power to him... The propulsive "I Wanna Be A Hillbilly," which opens this album, is a great prefab honkytonk pop/novelty song, and Currington's own "Why Why Why" is okay as well, kind of a bid to redefine himself as a Dierks Bently kinda youth-oriented maverick... Currington covers his bases with a bunch of soft songs, like the dreary "Must Be Doing Somethin' Right," the reggae-tinged "Little Bit Lonely," and "That Changes Everything," a hook-laden midtempo winner that Kenny Chesney would be proud to record, one of those slick-but-catchy songs you gotta listen to all the way through in spite of yourself. Also, it takes some guts (or maybe just nerve) to cover that old Kenny Rogers chestnut, "Lucille," but he more than makes up for it with the understated ballad, "Here I Am," which is one of the best tracks on the album. All in all, this is a pretty strong album, one that should help Currington solidify his standing as a second-tier mainstream country star, and may help him find his own independent voice. He's got more fiddle and less synth on this new album, and that's certainly a step in the right direction: I'm curious to hear where he goes from here. (Woulda been nice if they'd included his lively between-albums "Party For Two" duet with Shania as well, but oh, well... guess we'll have to wait for the best-of package to get that one...)

Billy Currington "Little Bit Of Everything" (Mercury-Nashville, 2008)
(Produced by Carson Chamberlain & Billy Currington)
This is about the most "chick-friendly" country album ever made... Currington has settled down into a fuzzy-cuddly sensitive dude mode that makes him entirely inoffensive, crooning in a soft-white soul style that kind of reminds me of Billy Joe Royal, for some reason. It's all very mellow, romantic and easy on the ears -- and I don't mean any of that as a negative criticism; I think he's hit on a winning formula that suits his talents. There's also a bit of Randy Travis everyman-ism, best heard on "People Are Crazy," which has an appealing chorus of "God is great/beer is good..." which I think may be my favorite track on the album. If you're looking for some mainstream, commercial country that fits really nicely into the background, this album's a good option.

Billy Currington "Unplugged At Studio 330" (EP) (Mercury Records, 2009)
Mellow, stripped-down live sessions with one of those "unplugged" bands that still manage to include an electric bass... Anyhoo, this is a nice opportunity for Currington's fans to hear him in an informal setting. He gets a little Michael Bolton/white soul singer-y at times, but he does sing with conviction, and the minimal arrangements are a nice change of pace.

Billy Currington "Enjoy Yourself" (Mercury Records, 2010)

Billy Currington "The Best Of Billy Currington" (Mercury Records, 2011)

Billy Currington "We Are Tonight" (Mercury Nashville, 2013)
...who needs tomorrow?

Mac Curtis "Sunshine Man" (Epic Records, 1968) (LP)

Mac Curtis "Early In The Morning" (GRT Records, 1970)
(Produced by Tommy Allsup)
Like many 'Fifties firebrands, rockabilly pioneer Mac Curtis tried his hand at "going country" and making it big in Nashville... This was his last major-label album, and it was reasonably successful, with the title track cracking into the Top 40 and staying on the charts for a couple of months. Overall, though, this is a pretty flat-sounding record -- not unpleasant, but not particularly energetic or soulful. The picking is nice, with an anonymous studio crew turning in a pretty good performance while Curtis more or less croons his way through a bluesy set of R&B oldies, vintage rockers and a few of his own songs, sort of in a Charlie Rich/Mickey Gilley style. It never really catches fire, though... Worth a spin, definitely worth checking out, but maybe it was for the best that he went back to his rocker roots and hit the retro-billy circuit during the rest of the '70s and '80s.

Sonny Curtis - see artist discography

Billy Ray Cyrus - see artist discography

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Hick Music Index

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