Mary Taylor - see artist discography

The Tennessee Twisters "Twist Country Hits" (Smash Records, 1962-?)
(Produced by Jerry Kennedy)
Though this has the look of a fly-by-night cheapo album of anonymous pickers, this was actually the A-list studio crew for Smash Records, led by guitarist Jerry Kennedy, doing a goofy (and super-square) set of "twist" covers of country standards. The musicians include Kennedy on guitar, along with Harold Bradley and Kelso Herston, bassist Bob Moore, Hargus Robbins plunking piano and Ray Stevens(!) playing organ. There's also an unidentified vocal chorus called the "Merry Melody Singers" who chime in randomly on a chorus or two, and even occasionally sing some actual verses, although with no rhyme or reason, since this is basically an instrumental album. The twangy, reverby tunes aren't quite as swinging and "hep" as one might hope, though there's moderate kitsch appeal and the musicianship is pretty high. The one track that really rocks is their version of John D. Loudermilk's "Waterloo," which spotlights some wicked lead guitar with tons of reverb, worthy of Link Wray and the sub-surf set. Other than that, the primary appeal of this album may be the cheesecake shot of some girl's rear end, captured mid-twist in a pair of ragged bluejean cutoffs. Oh, pre-feminist era, you were so goofy!

Chalee Tennison "Chalee Tennison" (Elektra/Asylum Records, 1999)
Apparently Tennison has real working class roots and admirers from within the rootsy end of the country community... I've heard her hailed as a return to the good old days, a rural-voiced throwback to the days of Melba and Dolly, and will admit that in her rootsier moments, she sounds sort of like Reba McEntire did in her early years. But the arrangements on the opening tracks undercut her claim to the new roots throne; some songs like "Handful Of Water" and "It Ain't So Easy" are quite nice, but the drippy ballads ("I Can Feel You Drifting," "Leave It At That," "Someone Else's Turn To Cry") are absolutely dreadful. Midway between these two points are a few decent Tammy Wynette-ish countrypolitan ditties like "Just Because She Lives There," where she brings the lyrics home with a heartfelt delivery. On the whole, though, even with the rugged, rural voice, Tennison is wa-a-a-ay too popped-up for me. Mostly, this is the same old overproduced Nashville stuff.

Chalee Tennison "This Woman's Heart" (Warner Brothers, 2000)
Blech! A slow-paced, lethargic, Wynonna-esque set of glossy high-tech weepers packed with swelling synthesizer lead-ins and bombastic, rock-tinged drums and electric guitars. Way too overproduced, monotonously introspective and far too serious. Humorless in the extreme, as a matter of fact -- the most interesting song on here is "Makin' Up With You," about a couple that likes to fight (and have make-up sex afterwards)... This track is followed, figuratively, by "We Don't Have To Pray," about the aftermath of a family splitting apart when the no-good dad hits the highway. (Interesting lyrics but terrible, crashing, clamorous musical backdrop...) I suppose there is an emotional rawness to this album that redeems it, but the music is so overblown I can't stand to listen to it. Not my cup of tea.

Chalee Tennison "Parading In The Rain" (Dreamworks Records, 2003)
(Produced by James Stroud)
I simply can't find anything nice to say about this record... I don't like her voice, the music is super-generic and prefab, the songs mostly sound alike, and the lyrics are artless and bluntly crafted. I suppose this album is inoffensive in a muzak-y way, but that's about as much praise as I can muster for this one. I don't get her appeal.

The Texas Troubadours -- see artist discography

B. J. Thomas -- see artist discography

Hank Thompson -- see artist discography

Josh Thompson "Way Out Here" (Columbia Records, 2010)

Thompson Square "Thompson Square" (Stoney Creek Records, 2011)
(Produced by NV... whoever that is...)
The debut album of the husband/wife duo of Keifer and Shawna Thompson who, amazingly enough in this prefab decade, were not discovered on an American Idol-style TV talent show. Building on the modest success of a couple of exploratory singles, the Thompsons recorded this record, which I hear as sort of the kind of record that bigger bands such as Sugarland or Lady Antebellum should be making, if they weren't so overinflated by their own success and stardom. Sure, Thompson Square are playing by the same rules and they have the same Top 40 aspirations, but they're way further down the totem pole, so they don't sound so pompous and pretentious -- instead they sound hungry and sincere, and also their arrangements are a lot simpler and more direct -- good news, in my book. The opening tracks are the strongest; midway through it all starts to sound a little same-y. Worth checking out if you prefer fancy Nashville stuff, but still like to go go a little off the beaten track.

Thompson Square "Just Feels Good" (Stoney Creek Records, 2013)
(Produced by NV)
If I'm not mistaken, this album may herald the arrival of a new country supergroup... Thompson Square's previous record was okay, but this one's a real country-pop juggernaut. The opening track, "Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinking About" is pure, shameless, totally catchy crossover pop, with a killer hook and a good chorus, and the tracks that follow are similarly addictive. Now, I'm a trad-country kind of guy, and not necessarily that into slick modern stuff, but I was pretty impressed by this album and can see how many of the tracks could become hot singles in months to come. They've really upped their game on this one, and gone for a pretty bold, bright sound -- more like '70s power-pop than the lush synth-soul stuff that's been big in Nashville for the last couple of decades. As a rock-pop-friendly husband-wife duet, the Thompsons will appeal to fans of Sugarland and Lady Antebellum, but they seem to have a slightly brighter, more human feel than those mega-acts, and hopefully they can hold onto that simplicity when they become a mega-band themselves. In general, I prefer the tracks that highlight Shawna Thompson as lead vocalist, rather than hubby Keifer Thompson, but they also harmonize well and this is an album packed with tunes that fans definitely can dig into. Give it a spin!

Sue Thompson -- see artist discography

Cyndi Thomson "My World" (Capitol Records, 2001)
(Produced by Paul Worley & Tommy Lee James)

The Thrasher Brothers "Country In My Soul" (MCA Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Fogelsong)
Some old geezers, most of whom actually were brothers, singing group harmony vocals, ala the Statler Brothers or the Oak Ridge Boys. This album starts off with a tepid cover of that crappy pop hit by Orleans, "Still The One," which -- as it turned out -- was the high point for the Thrashers, hitting #60 in the charts. Too bad they didn't also add the group's first single, "A Message To Khomeini," a topical tune about the Iran hostage crisis. Oh, well. That would have been fun. On the other hand, this does include Hank Strzelecki's "Long Tall Texan," which, if memory serves me right, was covered by Lyle Lovett many years later... His version is better, but their's was first. No great shakes here, but if you like the group vocals sound of the time, this disc holds up well.

Thrasher Shiver "Thrasher Shiver" (Elektra Records, 1996)
A short-lived duo featuring aspiring songwriters Kelly Shiver and Neil Thrasher... Thrasher is the son of Joe Thrasher, a member of the popular Alabama-based gospel harmony group, The Thrasher Brothers. Neil went on to compose a number of songs recorded by artists such as Rhett Akins, Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire and Rascal Flatts (including two of their #1 hits). This was the duo's only album.

Sonny Throckmorton "The Last Cheater's Waltz" (Mercury Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Buddy Killen)

Sonny Throckmorton "Country Music Songwriter Of The Year" (Tree International, 1980) (LP)

Sonny Throckmorton "...Does Sonny" (Phonorama Records, 1982) (LP)

Sonny Throckmorton "Ten Number Ones" (Country Garden Records, 1985)

Sonny Throckmorton "Southern Train" (Warner Brothers, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Eddie Bayers & Sonny Throckmorton)

Sonny Throckmorton "The Hits, Volume One" (Country Garden, 2005)
A digital-age reissue of his 1985 Ten Number Ones album...

Mel Tillis - see artist discography

Pam Tillis - see artist discography

Aaron Tippin - see artist discography

Tony Toliver "Tony Toliver" (Capitol Records, 1991)

Tony Toliver "Tony Toliver" (Curb Records, 1995)

Tony Toliver "Half Saint, Half Sinner" (Rising Tide Records, 1996)

Trent Tomlinson "Country Is My Rock" (Lyric Street Records, 2006)
Modern, rock-friendly, good ol' boy Top Country, with lots of swagger and electric guitars. Kind of like Travis Tritt or Toby Keith, but without as much in-your-face attitude, and a more jovial personality overall. Almost all the songs are novelty-oriented and full of driving, uptempo energy; some work, some don't. It'd be cool if Tomlinson would stretch himself to do more slow stuff and weepers, since he's got a strong personality and a fairly good voice. The album's only real weeper, "A Good Run," is also one of the record's best tracks. Also noteworthy is "Cheatin' On My Honky-Tonk," a novelty number where the singer is worried what his buddies at the bar would think if they knew he was sneaking back home to snuggle up with his sweetie -- a funny concept, though the song could have been a little more compact. Anyway, this is worth checking out.

Rhonda Towns "I Wanna Be Loved By You" (Dawn Records, 2005)
(Produced by Norro Wilson & Jim Cotton)
It's a little disconcerting that the album art for this disc is little more than a blank slate -- I guess the label thought it would be better to mask the fact that Towns is an African-American from the eyes of potential country music buyers... Regardless, this is good-enough pop-country material, performed in the slick modern style. Towns, who emerged from the Star Search TV show and caught the attention of veteran producer Norro Wilson, is an adequate singer, performing roughly in the Trisha Yearwood tradition. When the music provides enough oompff to buoy her up, she sounds okay. On some numbers, such as her a capella rendition of "The Lord's Prayer," she flounders without backing tracks. Still, she could make it in Nashville: these days, it's all about what gets done in the studios anyway... She's got enough twang and commitment to the style to have a hit or two. Nothing earthshaking here, but there are a few nice new songs; Wilson's production always tends to sound nice and relatively traditional, so that's a plus.

Trailer Choir "Tailgate" (Show Dog Records, 2010)
(Produced by Toby Keith & Mark Wright)
Bland, ultra-generic, pop-country stuff, meant to be party music and radio background music, although I find it hard to imagine anybody getting excited about this album... Still, Nashville being what it is, they had their fans. Apparently the plus-size lead singer, Vinny Hickerson (aka Big Vinnie) was a contestant on "The Biggest Loser" weight-loss contest TV show... Whatever. This squeaky clean, poppy album yielded a few modestly successful singles, though only one cracked the Top Forty. I'll pass.

Diana Trask - see artist discography

Randy Travis - see artist discography

Rick Trevino "Dos Mundos" (Columbia Records, 1993)

Rick Trevino "Rick Trevino" (Columbia Records, 1994)
(Produced by Steve Buckingham)
A nice, cheerfully twangy album, set squarely in the poppy, upbeat "young country" mould that was so popular at the time... There are a couple of Marty Stuart tunes, oldies like Bill Anderson's "Walk Out Backwards," and a few blechhy ballads. Trevino's not a great singer or anything, but he's likeable and enthusiastic, and he does fine, depending on what kind of material he's given. Of course, I prefer the more traditional-sounding stuff -- both because it's better music and because it brings out Trevino's strengths. Alties may be interested to see a song on here written by Todd Snider ("She Just Left Me Lounge"), and Stuart's "It Only Hurts When I Laugh" is a nice blast of robust, Buck Owens-styled honkytonk pop. The label seemed to have been banking on the shoddy, simplistic "Just Enough Rope" as the hit single, having produced it both as an English-language and a bilingual track. As it turned out, that tune fell short of cracking the Top Forty, but the album still produced a couple of Top Fivers, so all was not lost. All in all, a pretty nice debut!

Rick Trevino "Looking For The Light" (Columbia Records, 1995)
(Produced by Steve Buckingham & Blake Chancey)
There's some really fun stuff on here. Trevino excels at upbeat honkytonk novelty material, and there are several winners on here, including the album's opener, "Full Deck Of Cards," a nice version of Jim Lauderdale's "She Used To Say That To Me," and a cover of an obscure Merle Haggard song, "Poor, Broke, Mixed-Up Mess Of A Heart." On the slower numbers, Trevino falters, as his voice isn't exactly the most elastic instrument, and the more commercial, power-ballad style songs drag this album down a little. The hard stuff is nice, though -- it's kind of like getting half of Tracy Byrd, without the pop side working out as well. Worth checking out.

Rick Trevino "Un Rayo De Luz" (Columbia Records, 1995)
The Spanish-language version of the Looking For The Light album... Cool, huh?

Rick Trevino "Learning As You Go" (Columbia Records, 1996)
(Produced by Steve Buckingham & Doug Johnson)
Much, much more commercial sounding and generic than his previous album, this disc pushes Trevino almost exclusively in a softer, poppier direction. To their credit, producers Steve Buckingham and Doug Johnson do manage to frame his voice far more effectively for this kind of material than on earlier albums, and if you like gooey commercial ballads, this ain't a bad album. About halfway through a few songs emerge that might please hard country fans as well, but for the most part this is a soft Nashville album, with Trevino pulling a Clint Black move on us. I personally miss the hard country honkytonk, but nobody ever listens to me about this kind of thing... And, naturally, Trevino's biggest career hit was one of those goopy songs on here! Go figure.

Rick Trevino "Mi Vida Eres Tu" (Columbia Records, 1996)

Rick Trevino "Corazon De Rick Trevino" (Columbia Records, 2001)
A best-of collection of his Spanish-language material from the last few albums...

Rick Trevino "Mi Son" (Vanguard Records, 2001)

Rick Trevino "In My Dreams" (Warner Brothers, 2003)
(Produced by Raul Malo)

Rick Trevino "Whole Town Blue" (Warner Brothers, 2011)

Trick Pony "Trick Pony" (Warner Brothers, 2001)

Trick Pony "On A Mission" (Warner Brothers, 2003)

Trick Pony "R.I.D.E." (Asylum-Curb Records, 2005)

Trick Pony "The Best Of Trick Pony" (Warner Brothers, 2009)

Travis Tritt - see artist discography

Ernest Tubb - see artist discography

Justin Tubb - see artist discography

LaCosta Tucker - see artist discography

Tanya Tucker - see artist discography

Josh Turner "Long Black Train" (MCA Records, 2003)
(Produced by Mark Wright & Frank Rogers)
Inoffensive, formulaic modern Nashville ballads, sung in a low, rumbling baritone. Turner trolls for the female demographic with unconvincing (and rather clumsy) weepers (like "She'll Go On You," which is about the last song I would've thought to release as a radio single...) and puts a little more feeling into it on the more dudely numbers, such as the archly bitter "What It Ain't," a giddy, goofy novelty song which deftly details the signs of a love gone wrong. This disc is mostly okay, but unremarkable -- Turner sounds fine, but it feels like he's only going through the motions. Only one song really provokes a genuine reaction: "Backwoods Boy" is an irritating look-at-how-redneck-I-am song about hunting deer in the forest: yuck, dude. Who cares? On the other hand, I thought "Unburn All Our Bridges" was a darn good love song, a real weeper in the George Jones tradition. If he stuck with straightforward honkytonk heartsongs like that, I'd sit up and take notice.

Josh Turner "Your Man" (MCA Records, 2005)

Josh Turner "Everything Is Fine" (MCA Records, 2007)

Josh Turner "Live At The Ryman" (Cracker Barrel Records, 2007)
(Produced by Richard Barrow & Frank Rogers)
The Cracker Barrel restaurant chain must pay a truckload of royalties to land exclusive albums like this: newcomer Josh Turner is one of the hottest young singers in Nashville, and this live set, recorded in April of '07, features relaxed, intimate versions of his many hits. If you're a fan, it'd be worth it to stop in for some chicken fried steak just to pick this one up... In keeping with the super-professionalism of modern top country, these performances aren't all that different from the studio versions (which may actually be a bit better) but they show that Turner's rough-tough neo-traditionalism hold true in a live setting, and that these songs all really have legs. There's also a trio of cover tunes that aren't available elsewhere -- Hank Williams's "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive," Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings," and the best of the three, a smoldering rendition of the old George Jones classic, "He Stopped Loving Her Today," which would do songwriter Bobby Braddock proud. At times Turner may be a little too laid back, but his restraint is a welcome change of pace from the far-flung, soul-tinged crossover pyrotechnics of other top country stars -- he's singin' real country, and he sings it quite well. Ya gotta love that rumbly, grumbly baritone!

Josh Turner "Haywire" (MCA Records, 2010)

Josh Turner "Punching Bag" (MCA Nashville, 2012)
(Produced by Frank Rogers)
An impressive album where Top-40 Nashville star Josh Turner hits the nail on the head on each and every song. The first half of the album is more mainstream, uptempo, dude-ly pop-country, macho but not too macho, and more importantly, a well-produced set of tunes, with enough twang to catch my attention and keep me happy. Turner gets sentimental and goes all family-values on a trio of tunes at the album's end -- a gospel song ("For The Love Of God"), one about raising kids ("I Was There") and a romantic ballad about getting married and settling down ("Left Hand Man") all of which affirm family values without getting all in-your-face about it, or losing the music in favor of the message. Turner remains a rock-solid performer, a singer with a great voice and good in material to cover. Another winner from one of the top talents in contemporary Top Forty country.

Josh Turner "Icon" (MCA Records, 2011)

Lane Turner "Right On Time" (Warner Brothers, 2004) (Unreleased)
The album title could refer to the timing of the record itself... If Nashville ever needed a shot of pure hard country honkytonk, it was in pre-Gretchen Wilson '04, and Lane Turner sure did deliver. Think about John Anderson, Merle Haggard, Brad Paisley and Dale Watson all rolled into one, and you'll get an idea of how rich and how rural-sounding this disc is. Oh, yeah, to be sure, there are some syrupy weepers, like the first single, "Always Wanting More" and the title track, but they're more than matched by the uptempo numbers, which are pretty durn good. He devolves into formula, especially on songs like "Halfway To Mexico," but with well-crafted winners like "Outside Looking In," "Happy Hour" and the boozy "King Of Pain," Turner's won himself one loyal listener. Here's the catch, though: Warner shelved the album! So get out there and track down those promo copies, if you can! I mean, it's not exactly the greatest country record ever, but it has its moments!

Lane Turner "Lane Turner" (EP) (Universal-Original Signal Records, 2009)

Shania Twain - see artist discography

Twister Alley "Twister Alley" (Mercury Records, 1993)
(Produced by Mike Lawler & Harold Shedd)
An iffy outing from this one-hit outfit from Arkansas... Vocalist Shellee Morris is enthusiastic and gives it all she's got, but when all is said and done, turns out that really isn't that much -- she's just a smidge flat most of the time, and it doesn't always come off as "twang." The production's pretty generic, too, and the highly compressed sound mix smudges out a lot of the contributions of various bandmembers, though, really, there's nothing overly memorable on this disc. Mostly this seems to have been an outlet for the songwriting ambitions of co-producer Mike Lawler, who claims songwriting co-credit on almost all the songs the band recorded. The single was "Dance," a linedance-y novelty tune that featured the pop of a bullwhip each time Morris barks out the song title... Not something you need to try too hard to track down.

Conway Twitty - see artist discography

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Hick Music Index

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