Here you will find the latest CD reviews from your favorite country music artist, bands and some oldies.

Brows the CD review by letters with over 800 country music CDs.

Our columnists give a score to each album listened, ranging from 1 to 5. Each album will be listening carefully in a Hi-Fi system. Rated materials will be CDs and DVDs and not downloaded music.

Our columnists are there to share their experiences of Country Music with you, but every review will be a personal opinion and not a fact, every person has his or her own idea, experience about an artist or CD.

Remember, Country Music is like America, rich, varied, so diversified!

 

Excellent

Great album

Good album

Poor

to Forget

 

 

News:

Artist : Alison Krauss & Union Station

Album: Paper Airplane

Release Date: 12 April 2011

Review:

Their come back have always been expected with impatience. And this album is not an exception, I would say it’s annoys me. The tone is set immediately with the sweet Paper Airplane then it was time for the very rhythmic Dust Bowl Children starring Dan, followed by the very melodious and sublime My Love Follows You Where You Go. On this one, the music mix and Alison’s voice are almost perfect. As you can see, it's good. If I find that Dimming Of The Day is a bit too slow for my taste, Dan amazes us on On The Outside Looking In and Bonita And Bill Butler. But where is Alison? we found her on the beautiful, Miles To Go. If I find that this album lack songs that stands out, tunes that we listen again and again, as we were used to in the past, this CD is a real success. It was a perfect blend between the musical talent of Union Station and Alison Krauss’s perfect voice. The album was produced by Alison and Union Station, recorded and mixed by the legendary Mike Shipley, that's how the sound quality is impeccable. So yes !, we necessarily love.

Rating :  

By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist

 

 

Artist: Bomshel   

Album: Fight Like a Girl

Release Date: 2009

Review:

This album is one of the surprises that I have been lucky to listen. Having seen them live during their coming in Interlaken in Switzerland, they will give you chills and .. how to say it. When you see these two beautiful blondes for the first time, these young ladies relatively easily capture all male attention in the room. I can assure you, for once I confess, it makes you wonder if they can sing. And the answer will still annoy more than one person, if the duo is very much country pop oriented, their voices is a slap in the face. Their voices are powerful and strong, Kelley Shepard remind me of Carrie Underwood, I told you. They surprise us with their Just Fine and Arizona. It's frustrating, close your eyes and you can almost hear Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood. To really understand the full potential of the duo, just listen to Fiddle, 19 and Crazy and Fight Like a Girl. These three tracks are excellent, strong and powerful melodies where their voices are great. Very good, very country pop, to listen in loop. Karma Is a Female Dog reminds me a bit the rock side of Miranda Lambert at its beginning. This allows to vary the rhythm. Okay this is so New Country but it goes remarkably well, a good balance. Bomshel  still offers us a Love Me for Me where their vocal harmonies are very good, a Thank You that might be sung by Carrie Underwood, a Just a Girl that will make you dance. Kelley Shepard and Kristy Osmunson really bluffed me and gave me the desire to want more.

Rating :   

By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist

 

 

 

 

Artist: Brad Paisley

Album: This Is Country Music

Release Date: 23 May 2011

Review:

A new album of Brad Paisley is always an event in the world of country music. This great composer, singer and guitarist always set the bar very high. And here it’s again surprising. So many good songs, a musical level that impresses, harmonies breathtaking, lyrics that puzzle, in brief Brad has struck again. We begin by This Is Country Music who is annoying, how to make a song about what you aren’t suppose to sing in music?, But he dares. Followed by A Man Don't Have To Die, Old Alabama (with Alabama), Remind Me, all very good. The last duet with Carrie Underwood give you chills. One of Those Lives addresses a topic that is typical of Brad, do ’t complain even if you feel like it. And believe me, he is the only able to sing with such a beautiful way. He impresses us on the excellent Working On A Tan, music and voices are superb. Then we have a dose of romance with Love Her Like She's Leavin' (avec Don Henley), Toothbrush and Be the Lake. All tracks fit perfectly well and are very good, a real treat. We finish the album like it’s started, with a very good Life's Railway To Heaven (with Marty Stuart, Sheryl Crow and Carl Jackson). This song offers us a spiritual side with magical vocal harmonies. Short but good, go buy it, you won’t regret anything!.

Rating:

By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist

Artist: Blake Daryle Singletary

Album: Rockin' in the Country

Release Date: 09 June 2009

Review:

Daryle Singletary is one of his singers who deserve to be known and stay in the shadows. His voice is comparable to Randy Travis, Josh Turner, she takes you into his traditional country. And yes if you like a more pop or rock side, go your way !. For purists, this opus’ll delight you. If I find that this album is a bit slow, arrived in the middle of the CD, I wanted Daryl to give us more pace, but taste and colors aren’t always the same ... The artist gives us beautiful melodies on tempos that suit her, slow ones. Love You with the Lights On perfectly sticks to his voice. The romantic atmosphere suits him beautifully. He surprised me with his That's Why God Made Me and its romantic lyrics which‘ll make fall more than one. His religious intro on She Sure Looks Good in Black is very good. This is a good country album that’ll relax you. In addition we end up with a very good Take Me Home, Country Roads. Daryle offers us a very good album, he proves that his talent is amazing, he has nothing to envy to the best. After that it's just a matter of style.Rating:

By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist

 

 

Artist : Reba McEntire

Album: All The Women I Am

Release Date: 09 November 2010

Review:

It’s her 26th CD, probably one of the albums that’ll play in loop this year. We begins with Turn On Your Radio, a powerful voice with electric guitars but the artist doesn’t forget slower tricks like If I Were A Boy. This title is a slap if I may say, the lyrics are really beautiful, she looks at love from a male point of view. Reba surprises us by changing tempos every time at the beginning of the album. I was surprised by the violin under The Bridge You Burn, but what comes to m mind when listening to this album, it's the resemblance to Carrie Underwood on the musical style. As you can see, this CD has a powerful sound, very new country. Reba proves once again that she’s still not distanced despite her 55 years. The album is like If I Were A Boy, a collection of feelings, experiences, that Reba gives us. So if I didn’t hook to all the tunes, I must recognize that this opus, co-produced by the artist, offers a lot of good time. There is even a version with a DVD bonus filled with videos, then yes, it’ll be hard not to love this All The Women I Am.

Rating:  

By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist

 

 

 

 

Artist: Rascal Flatts   

Album: Nothing Like This

Release Date: 16 November 2010

Review:

This is their first album since their label change. It’s now obvious that they find back their usual musical level, by that I mean there nothing transcendent or new. The album is of high quality, it's just that it doesn’t bring big changes. The group is very popular with the 14/25 years old, and we can feel it in their music. We find what made their success, some romantic melodies, beautiful voices; and here you get tracks like Red Camaro, Summer Young, Tonight Tonight. The pinnacle is reached with Nothing Like This and Sunday Afternoon and that’ll make your heart melt. The only surprise but not least, is the participation of Natasha Beddingfield on Easy, a very successful song. She has already attracted attention for her collaboration with Hillsong in the early 2000s. Since it’s a bit far from Christian music, the track is very well interpreted. The album is perfect for their fans, this is what we could have been expected from the trio, some very goods tunes, so new country, not surprisingly, but after all it’s better than a disappointment, isn’t it?

Rating:   

By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist