The Weekly Single Recap: May 24, 2012

This week we take a look at 10 new and recent singles from artists like Hank Williams, Jr., Turnpike Troubadours, Phil Hamilton, Chase Rice, Tiffany Houghton, Love and Theft, Big & Rich, Craig Morgan, Tommy Steele and Kenny Chesney. Read on to see what we have to say about the songs here!

Hank Williams, Jr. - "That Ain't Good"

Tim McGraw may have publicly disliked working with Curb records all of these years but Country music legend Hank Williams, Jr. had his own problems with the label and recently left the label for Blaster Records, the same label which now has Aaron Lewis and Neal McCoy. This tune is the first single from that partnership and it finds Hank Jr. in a southern country/blues style that has always worked well for him. It's a sound that may not be particularly mainstream but "That Ain't Good" is one of his strongest singles in a long time and hopefully a great showcase for the rest of his upcoming album Old School, New Rules.

Tommy Steele - "My Side of the Street"

This indie country artist worked with respected singer/songwriter Dave Gibson on his upcoming album and this tune is the first track from the project. The production is crisp and Tommy Steele's vocals are actually pretty good but there's just something about "My Side of the Street" that feels average. Then again, sometimes radio likes "average" rather than "brilliant" or "great" so maybe that means "My Side of the Street" will be a big ole radio hit for Tommy Steele.

 

Chase Rice - "How She Rolls"

This self-made singer/songwriter's debut full-length album Dirt Road Communion was recently released and "How She Rolls" is the lead single from the project. Chase Rice may never win a power vocal contest but he uses what he's got to maximum effect. The vocals on "How She Rolls" is charming as he describes his ideal type of woman. If given a shot with mainstream radio, it would stand a great shot at strong airplay. 

 

Craig Morgan - "Corn Star"

This Jeffrey Steele/Shane Minor-penned song isn't loud as some hits from his past but it retains some of the spirit of those uptempo tunes. It has a 'nonsensical' lyric but in all reality, "Corn Star" was never meant to be some sort of work of art. Instead, it's a fun, windows down, song meant to be nothing but fun, basically a sequel to "International Harvester," another song from Jeffrey Steele and turned into a big hit by Craig Morgan. 

 

Big & Rich - "That's Why I Pray"

When they're on, the team of Big Kenny and John Rich are perhaps one of the all-time great duos of country music. When they're off, well, they're one of the all-time worst duos in country music history. Fortunately for us, they're on with "That's Why I Pray," a song that's gained early radio airplay with all signs pointing to their biggest hit in ages (which is partially due to the duo's hiatus so they could both release solo projects). Always better together than apart, the yin and yang of Big Kenny and John Rich works so well here that we gotta hope that their upcoming album is more of this and less of the bad stuff from their catalog. If it is, I'm fully on board, like I am with "That's Why I Pray," a brilliantly written and produced song that deserves to be a hit. 

Love and Theft - "Angel Eyes" 

Their talent has never been the source of contention. It seemingly was execution (either by artist or label). Yet while they scored a Top 10 hit and another top 20 hit before Lyric Street Records closed, Love and Theft never really got going as a trio. Now a duo, they sound remarkably stronger than before and dare I say a little more organic. "Angel Eyes" is a sweet song about a girl and it's certainly easy on the ears and a strong radio single and lead-single from their debut album for RCA Nashville. Good stuff. 

Kenny Chesney - "Come Over"

The lyrics of the song may not say anything entirely new (then again, how many songs really do?) but it is an emotion that fans definitely can relate to and that, combined with genuine interesting melodies and a strong, passionate vocal from the artist makes "Come Over" feel like the big hit and a proper introduction to the soon to be released Welcome To The Fishbowl album from Kenny Chesney. It also can help fans forget "Feels Like A Rock Star" in quick order.

 

Tiffany Houghton - "Only One"

This talented newcomer will release an EP in early June and this track showcases not only her vocal talent but also her strong songwriting. Houghton is real evidence that Taylor Swift has started to inspire a generation of singers already. While the Swift influence is here, Houghton clearly is her own singer and "Only One" is one of the stronger debut singles I've heard from a female vocalist in some time. Promising.

 

Phil Hamilton - "Bad" 

A huge hit in Texas (it's #1 there), "Bad" is a well-written story song that finds the Phil Hamilton singing of a girl in a style that recalls Tom Petty. It describes a girl who is truly her own woman and doesn't take no or any sort of opinion but her own in mind and for Hamilton's narrator, that's completely fine with him. It's a smartly written song, well-performed and sung and the production never gets in the way of Hamilton's vocal.  

 

Turnpike Troubadours - "Gin, Smoke, Lies"

Another Texas-based band, The Turnpike Troubadours recently surprised many when they landed on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and the #14 slot on the Top Country Albums chart with Goodbye Normal Street. The Group's lead single from the album is this delicious slice of rhythmic modern country music which uses banjos to accent the percussion and fiddles to fill in the notes between. Here's a song that would sound incredibly great coming out of mainstream country radio and while it's a sort of mixture between modern country, traditional country and alternative rock, it works. Imagine, if you could, Old Crow Medicine Show with electric instruments and you'll get an idea of who the Turnpike Troubadours are.  

 

 

 

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