Country Reviews Letter H
Artist:
Sierra
Hull
Album: Daybreak
Release Date: 08 March 2011
Review:
Three years after her Secrets, this young female mandolin player release her second album. After receiving 5 IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) nominations in 3 years, at the age of 19, she returns with an album that is matured. Her mix is more diverse, we found some western swing, a style on which she feels comfortable. Her lyrics are more sophisticated. Being older, you feel more emotions, maturity. She has Rhonda Vincent’s musical talent and concerning her voice, we could compared her to Alison Krauss. Besides a lot of people who have contributed to this opus are Alison’s friends, Is it a coincidence ?. We love tracks like Don't Pick Me Up, fairly sweet songs like All Because Of You or Tell Me Tomorrow. But she also feels comfortable on more rhythmic compositions like What Do You Say ?. Anecdote, this CD is produced by the Union Station bassist Barry Bales, another coincidence. We find Bryan Sutton collaborations on guitar, Randy Kohrs on dobro and Dan Tyminski collaboration. The lyrics are more oriented relations, normal considering her age. On finding and losing love. An album following the previous secret. An artist to follow closely.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist:
Jessica
Harp
Album: A Woman Needs
Release Date: 16 March 2010
Review:
After Michelle Branch her former comrade from The Wreckers, it’s time for Jessica Harp to release her country album. She wrote or co-wrote eight of the eleven tracks, which is already a good point. Also present in the compositions, her producer Jerry Flowers and her husband, former The Wreckers’s violinist, Jason Mowery. It took her two years to release an album, on March 16, 2010. But she took everyone by surprise by announcing that she was ending her career, on March 2, in order to devote herself full time as a songwriter. The album is only available on amazon and then legal download. it’s a little complicated. We find good tracks like A Woman Needs, the very rock Boy Like Me with Keith Urban on electric guitar, and finally a very good Homemade Love on which Vince Gill comes to help for vocal harmonies. But she enchants us on the gentle ballads like Love Letter, Lonely Anywhere and the more rhythmic Follow That Train. All sprinkled with a dose of romance that works. This is a good country album. We hope to see her soon as a composer, because one thing is sure, she has talent.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist:
Carrie
Hassler And Hard Rain
Album: Carrie Hassler And Hard Rain 2
Release Date: 29 July 2008
Review:
Carrie Hassler and her newgrasss once gain hits the target. And yes you read it right, the newgrass, a new kind of bluegrass. Carrie is a spearhead to this style and this album is there to remind us it. If I could have seen her powerful vocals during my interview with her, which you can find on the website, I am really hooked with this album. I confess that for the name, they like simple things. We find everything that we love on this CD. The powerful voice of Carrie and musically, the band delivers a marvel. A good mix that’ll make you dance and move, it's really successful. We like powerful songs like I Can Go Back Anytime, Faith And Hope, Second Chances. For a second volume that’s very successful, it only remains to wait until they come back to France, or at least a third volume.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist:
Merle
Haggard
Album: I Am What I Am
Release Date: 20 April 2010
Review:
Even if this album looked like a Goodbye, it isn’t. After so many years of loyal service, I Am What I Am shows who Merle Haggard is: One of the greatest singer / songwriter / singer in country music. Like I've Seen It Go Away, the whole spirit of the album is in his words. The CD has a very rich style, we love the jazzy side of Live and Love Always and The Road to My Heart. The participation of Theresa Lane Haggard is very successful on How Did You Find Me Here. An album loaded with emotion where the compositions are each more successful than the last. It's a real pleasure to find this artist. A honest CD from a singer who has nothing more to prove. We love the latino side of Mexican Bands, in short a good mix and a very neat variation in styles. You’ll end up in heaven in I Am What I Am, which makes me recommend this album to all his fans.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist: Faith Hill
Album: The Hits
Release Date: 02 October 2007
Review:
After 6 albums it was a necessity for her to release such an album, it's now done. The first observation to make is that it’s difficult to put all her hits in one CD, then we can argue about the choice, for my part if I disagree with her choice, I'm still happy to found songs like: I Need You (with Tim McGraw), Mississippi Girl, Cry, The Way You Love Me, Breathe, This Kiss. You’ll find her seventh most famous songs. She is doing good, offering us one live. But I am myself a little bit unsatisfied, but hey this is hopefully just the first volume for this so much. If you are a fan, don’t hesitate, for others I would advise you to turn on her latest Fireflies or other albums like Breathe or Cry.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist:
Faith
Hill
Album: Cry
Release Date: 15 October 2002
Review:
This album is a beautiful cacophony of musical styles. One has the impression that the producers and the singer are lost between R&B, pop and country. When you hear her powerful voice on When the Lights Go Down, when listening to songs like Beautiful, Unsaveable, there is a precipitous decline. The differences between Cry and Free are important, the last being pop. Styles are mixed, and even if lyrics are good and that the singer show us superb vocal qualities, I am not hook. It’s not a country album or pop, I feel lost. Hopefully this will only be temporary. The most successful song is This Is Me which is a Christian pop songs.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist:
Faith
Hill
Album: There you'll be
Release Date: 08 October 2001
Review:
This compilation is a bit special, it’s intended primarily to European and Australians. After the success of one of her tracks on the Pearl Harbor movie soundtrack, this album is there so the entire world can discover her. The only problem is that there are very few country songs, 3 or 4, the rest is very pop or are remixes. For once we were not entitled to a duo with her husband, is it a sign? In any case there is a large gap. There You'll Be was certainly successful but I am not confident with this album, I am doubtful. After this is only my opinion, but it’s a good pop compilation, but not for her country discography. And she has all the talent and voice, she just need to return to her musical roots.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist:
Faith
Hill
Album: Piece Of My Heart
Release Date: 01 November 1999
Review:
I was surprise when I discovered this album. Unnoticed at the time and quite rare to find. This CD is a compilation released in 1999 for Germany. This is to date the best opportunity to find her country beginnings before she turned more pop. And the album wasn't even release in the USA. It includes Bed Of Roses, You Can't Lose Me, Take Me as I Am and Just About Now. A very well done compilation, full of hits, it was really fun to listen once again to her beginnings. Remember Let's Go To Vegas, Wild One, Keep Walkin On, Someone Else's Dream; they are all there. I stop quoting the songs but if you are lucky enough to find this album, don’t miss it.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist:
Faith
Hill
Album: Breathe
Release Date: 09 November 1999
Review:
This album reinforces her desire to sound more pop since the last album. While listening Breathe again, it makes sense. We no longer see her country side in all this. Attention, Faith proves once again that she can sing, her vocal qualities are simply beautiful. Between a beautiful duet with her husband Tim McGraw in Let's Make Love and the sweet It Will Be Me, we fall under her spell. This is a good pop album with some country tunes. Just listen to songs like The Way You Love Me, That's How Love Moves to see the rupture. I’ll forget that there is an international version, it adds 3 remixes, I begin to compare her to a certain Shania Twain. A good point, her sweet cover of If I Should Fall Behind by Bruce Springsteen.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist:
Faith
Hill
Album: Faith
Release Date: 21 April 1998
Review:
Faith impresses us with her voice quality on this album. If I am not hook like on her two previous albums, it’s because there is a little more pop sound. But this is a good album, the compositions are all very nice, fairly sharp text. We love rediscovering tracks like This Kiss, You Give Me Love or Let Me Let Go. We take pleasure to come across a duet with her husband Tim McGraw, Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me, a so beautiful song. What struck me most with this CD is that we found a powerful sound with the last 4 tracks. Faith makes us a real demonstration on Me, I Love You, The Hard Way, Somebody Stand By Me. If in addition we add a Sheryl Crow participation, no doubt that the album is a nice success. Note that an international version named Love Will Always Win was produced with the addition of a bonus track.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist:
Faith
Hill
Album: It Matters To Me
Release Date: 29 August 1995
Review:
Wow I must admit that sometimes reviewing some oldies reserves some very good surprises. If I didn’t notice it at the time, this album is a real treat for the ears. I love the powerful sound of Faith, as on Someone Else's Dream, You Can't Lose Me and Let's Go to Vegas. You can find everything on this CD, rhythmic tempos but also soft ballads, anything that made her success, but it’s not a surprise. In addition when we know that Alan Jackson collaborated on a track, she offers us a beautiful duet with Shelby Lynne on the very religious Keep Walkin 'On. A very good album that is fun to come back.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist:
Faith
Hill
Album: Take Me As I am
Release Date: 12 Octobrer 1993
Review:
I had a crush for this album. This allowed me to listen to her 90s sound and I must say that this country with a gentle air of innocence, a little lost today, feels good. Between the very sweet Just About Now and the rhythmic Take Me as I Am and Wild One, there is everything. The lyrics are both simplistic but so true. I feel like I found something lost. I liked the rock side in Life's Too Short To Love Like That, then we go with Go the Distance. For her debut album, Faith was already producing a lot of beautiful compositions. The whole is rich enough. We are pleasantly surprised because this CD has aged very well. This is what is expected of great artists. If you are a fan, don’t hesitate. You just want to relax listening to a good country album?, Then why not go for it?.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist: Hank III
Album: Rebel Within
Release Date: 25 May 2010
Review:
Hank III has a unique style, he spent his last twelve years fighting against commercial music, he puts the outlaw country where it should be. To define him, whether we like him or not, you must listen to his music because it’s a pure madness, as landed from another time, but very good. The rebel style fits him perfectly, the album presents some slow songs and other more rhythmic, as usual he surprises us and continues with his tradition. Sometimes hard, sometimes smooth, the music level is very good, but we must listen to understand his originality. Country rock fans or honky tonk, go for it but be warned, listening to Hank III is an experience you’ll not forget.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist: Susan
Hickman
Album: Susan Hickman
Release Date: 10 February 2009
Review :
This 24-year old singer comes to a female market a bit more saturated with many releases of great singers. A Texas native like a certain Miranda Lambert, this young woman surprises us in the right way. Her powerful voice which she handles beautifully, will make you think of Carrie Underwood, on Whipping Post. The album is rhythmic but some pretty ballads are also present, a good mix. I can’t stop listening again and again Still Is not Hell Frozen Over, Sunday Paper. It’s indeed a discovery because I don’t doubt that we will soon hear about her. She delights us with this first really successful album. An originality emerges from it, to the point we listen it again and again.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist: Randy
Houser
Album: Anything
Goes
Release
Date: 18 November 2008
Review :
First test for this singer/songwriter often associated
with big country name as Jamey Johnson, Dallas Davidson,
John Michael Montgomery, Justin Moore. So he isn’t really
a newcomer, and he starts on a powerful note. Two tracks
are even particularly successful: Wild Wild West, Lie.
This singer has a new country style and he has not
finished surprising us, his voice and writing skills
offers him a bright future in perspective.
Rating:
By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
Artist:
Carrie
Hassler And Hard Rain
Album: Carrie Hassler And Hard Rain
Release Date: 26 September 2006
Review:
Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain is known for their newgrass. Came to France at the Craponne festival in 2009, she delighted the numerous spectators. From the beginning we start with the very strong Restless state of mind that gives us a powerful sound. Then we are in heaven with the sublime Seven miles from Wichita. Musically it’s very successful and Carrie's voice is captivating. Leaving you behind summarizes this perfectly. She delights us with his group and her vocal harmonies on the very spiritual least That I can do. Carrie sings with a perfect vocal mastery and a really good band, this is an album on which I’ll have pleasure to return. A new kind of bluegrass, called newgrass. In any case the mixture takes and we want more. A very good discovery made in Craponne.
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By Sheppard Micoud - ACS Staff Journalist
