102.3 Blake FM » Song Reviews

Keith Urban, 'Little Bit of Everything' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:00:18 +0000

Perhaps it should be no surprise that after five months spent judging 'American Idol,' Keith Urban has delivered his most pop-friendly single to date in 'Little Bit of Everything.' The talented singer and guitarist uses tricks in production that a less established singer would be skewered for. The result is a delightful summer jam that's short on nutritional content.

Lauren Alaina, 'Barefoot and Buckwild' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:00:59 +0000

Meet the new Lauren Alaina. With just a few weeks of her senior year of high school remaining, the singer introduces a grown-up new look, grown-up style and grown-up attitude with her latest single, 'Barefoot and Buckwild.' It's especially difficult to find songs that fit when you're short on life experience, so the one-time 'American Idol' runner-up wrote her own ...

Joe Nichols, 'Sunny and 75′ – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:30:14 +0000

Joe Nichols‘ voice always has a way of putting one in a trance, and his performance on the new single ‘Sunny and 75′ is no less effective. He’s pure country gold, and when he’s paired with a great song, there are few surer things in Nashville. This is a good song. The arrangement and tempo [...]

Lady Antebellum, 'Golden' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:30:33 +0000

The best moments on Lady Antebellum's fourth album 'Golden' find Charles Kelley or Hillary Scott singing solo, with minimal help from the other on harmonies. There is no shortage of songs that act as features for the two talented vocalists. The evolution of the trio finds them becoming a dual threat super power instead of a two-headed pop-rock-country group.

Eric Paslay, 'Friday Night' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:00:52 +0000

Eric Paslay‘s new single ‘Friday Night’ genuinely feels like a carefree, summertime Friday night. It’s wide-open, catchy and easy to fall in love with, even if it’s not exactly crammed full of tangible memories. Paslay puts his stamp on this uptempo pop-country cut. His performance is charming without becoming distracting. His freestyling over the banjo [...]

Joanna Smith, 'Girls Are Crazy' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:45:35 +0000

In general, songs that paint an entire group of people with one broad brush stroke don't fare well on country radio, but Joanna Smith is hoping to prove 'em wrong with her new single 'Girls Are Crazy.' The peppy new track is fun and flirty, and a short hop backward for women in country music.

Lee Brice, 'Parking Lot Party' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:00:23 +0000

Songs like Lee Brice‘s new single ‘Parking Lot Party’ are easy to dismiss. It doesn’t pack near as much punch as ‘I Drive Your Truck,’ but that’s far from his intent. The South Carolina-raised singer is looking to add to the tailgate soundtrack, and at this he’s successful. ‘Parking Lot Party’ is a song best [...]

Chris Cagle, 'Dance Baby Dance' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:00:00 +0000

‘Dance Baby Dance’ is one of the finest songs of Chris Cagle‘s career — perhaps his best ballad. A few fathers (and maybe a couple of mothers) will be wiping away tears before the end of the first verse. He hits that sweet spot between familiar and hokey. ‘Dance Baby Dance’ is a circle of [...]

Brad Paisley, 'Wheelhouse' – Album Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:00:46 +0000

Brad Paisley's 'Wheelhouse' delivers a familiar mix of humor, life lessons and scorching guitar solos, but it does it in a way different from any of the other eight albums the 'Beat This Summer' singer has released. He took his old formula, balled it up, lit it on fire and tossed the ashes in the garbage. The result is a meaty and ambitious project that doesn't always click, but clears new ground when it does.

Weston Burt, 'Lucky Sometimes' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:00:10 +0000

Newcomer Weston Burt’s debut single ‘Lucky Sometimes’ aims right down the middle and hits the mark. The upbeat, head-over-heels love song is easy to find yourself singing along with before the first spin is complete. Listen again to hear him flex a little vocal muscle in the most subtle ways. The way the Fort Payne, [...]

Blake Shelton, 'Boys 'Round Here' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 01:20:44 +0000

There is comedy in Blake Shelton singing with Pistol Annies, as he does on his new single 'Boys 'Round Here.' One imagines a country Hugh Hefner surrounded by his beauties. In real life, the Annies likely (very likely) don't attend to his every need and agree with him at all costs, but they do on this song, and it's absolutely charming.

James Wesley, 'Thank a Farmer' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:00:27 +0000

James Wesley has a real feel for the life and struggles of the blue-collar American. His new song 'Thank a Farmer' is similar to his previous Top 30 hit 'Real' in its honest, no-nonsense approach. The worst thing a singer can do with a song like either of these is come off as contrived. Wesley is a long way away from being accused of that.

Casey James, 'The Good Life' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:00:22 +0000

Casey James‘ third single from his self-titled debut album is a pleasing three minutes and five seconds, but the toe-tapper is easy to forget. ‘The Good Life’ lacks the emotional hook that the best carefree country expressions posses. The song is sort of like licking the frosting from a cupcake. Sure it’s tasty, but the [...]

Brad Paisley, 'Beat This Summer' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:24:33 +0000

Brad Paisley wasn't joking when he said he was working to push himself places never gone before on his upcoming album, 'Wheelhouse.' The second single, 'Beat This Summer,' is a double-take sort of record in that after it begins, you do a double-take toward your stereo or computer to try to make sense of what's going on.

Tim McGraw (Feat. Taylor Swift and Keith Urban), 'Highway Don't Care' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:16:50 +0000

While Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift's vocals on 'Highway Don't Care' would be enough to make the song a hit and one of the best of 2013, it's Keith Urban's guitar that makes the track one of the best collaborations of the decade -- maybe even ever. Each artist brings his or her best effort to the song from McGraw's 'Two Lanes of Freedom' album. It's a sterling example of what can happen when artists are left to be artists, without the handcuffs of music business politics.

The Band Perry, 'Done' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:30:57 +0000

Not since their debut effort has the Band Perry released a song as fun as 'Done,' the second single from the trio's upcoming sophomore album 'Pioneer.' It's a track that makes the hair on your arms stand straight up as you pound along to the beat.

Randy Houser, 'Runnin' Outta Moonlight' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:00:30 +0000

Much like he does on the lead single from ‘How Country Feels,’ Randy Houser forces you to smile on ‘Runnin’ Outta Moonlight.’ His vocal performance demands attention and offers a pleasing reward in a story of two lovers enjoying a date in the country. This is a case where the single — the arrangement, production and vocal [...]

Jason Aldean, '1994′ – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:46:31 +0000

Jason Aldean's nostalgic trip to a time of mullets and loud, heavily-starched cowboy shirts is a fun novelty on the 'Night Train' album. But if '1994' had a cinematic equivalent from that same year, it'd be 'It's Pat.' Like the movie, the song is cute the first time, and maybe fun when it's late and you're drunk, but after that ...

Tate Stevens, 'Power of a Love Song' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:48:52 +0000

'X Factor' winner Tate Stevens plays it safe with his debut country single. 'Power of a Love Song' is a soaring ballad that showcases his vocal talents -- Stevens is a truly fine vocalist -- but prevents him from revealing the slightest bit of personality to those who didn't watch the Fox television show.

Gary Allan, 'Pieces' – Song Review

Billy Dukes — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:00:09 +0000

If Gary Allan‘s chart-topper ‘Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)’ was optimistic, his follow-up single ‘Pieces’ is downright plucky. The uptempo country-rocker may be the most contented single he’s ever released. It’s also his most predictable single. Allan has always lived on an edge and slowly built a very large, loyal fanbase with songs of [...]