Engine 145 - A Roots Music Publication

Songwriters: James T. Slater and Leslie Satcher On her third album, 100 Proof, it’s clear that American Idol alum Kellie Pickler has learned a thing or two about making entrances. The opening line of the record’s title track and second single packs a punch and sets the tone for the sleepy, satisfying tune to come: [...]

Continue reading "Kellie Pickler — “100 Proof”"

Songwriters: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Trevor Rosen Could “Neon” be Chris Young’s best single, album cut and vocal performance to date? All (in this case, neon) signs point to “yes” across the board, thanks to the irresistibly laid-back brilliance of Young’s performance. Meandering, vibrant lyrics bring up the rear, pulling together a modern spin on [...]

Continue reading "Chris Young — “Neon”"

Songwriters: Kix Brooks, Marv Green and Terry McBride After splitting from one of country’s most successful partnerships of all time, Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks are each going through something of a rebuilding process artistically, at radio and with fans as they establish themselves as solo artists. But after selling millions and millions of records, [...]

Continue reading "Kix Brooks — “New to This Town”"

Songwriters: Jeff Cohen, Kara DioGuardi, Kimberly Perry, Reid Perry and Neil Perry Brother-sister-brother trio The Band Perry is so perfectly loveable that it’s easy to forget the group’s biggest hit is a morbid daydream about dying young. But behind their peppy award acceptance speeches and perfectly coiffed strands is a whole mess of crazy – [...]

Continue reading "The Band Perry — “Postcard From Paris”"

Songwriters: Jim Beavers and Bob DiPiero Although Easton Corbin won Top New Solo Vocalist at the 2011 Academy of Country Music Awards last year, he hasn’t graced radio airwaves since 2010 single “I Can’t Love You Back” climbed its way into the Top 15 songs on country radio. The singer, who broke onto the scene [...]

Continue reading "Easton Corbin — “Lovin’ You Is Fun”"

Songwriters: Tom Shapiro, Tony Martin and Mark Nesler Josh Turner’s deep, rich baritone voice always lends a dose of gravitas to his songs’ subject matter, whether he’s singing about sin on wheels, romantic rolls in the hay or living room dance parties.Not to say he doesn’t tackle – or mis-tackle – the occasional oddball song [...]

Continue reading "Josh Turner — “Time is Love”"

If you’re looking for a good time, so the song says, just get out of the city and travel far enough into the country until you start to hear banjo music. There, you’ll find yourself at peace in the country and free from stress. Of course, that advice didn’t work so well for the guys [...]

Continue reading "Rascal Flatts — “Banjo”"

It’s fitting that the new single from Shooter Jennings’ upcoming album entitled Family Man (due out March 13) finds him channeling his father with a loose, late ‘70s-flavored country love song. Sung over twangy Telecaster, pedal steel, and the steady thump of a bass drum, the lyrics may lean a bit too hard on the [...]

Continue reading "Shooter Jennings — “The Deed and the Dollar”"

For those who haven’t paid attention to 90210 or One Tree Hill, Jana Kramer is an actress, but she says that her heart has always been in music. Ordinarily, that should raise an immediate red flag, because the music industry gets inundated regularly by actors who want to be singers. For every Jeff Bridges album [...]

Continue reading "Jana Kramer — “Why You Wanna”"

Songwriters: Jay Knowles and Adam Wright After lackluster songs like “It’s Just That Way” and “I Still Like Bologna,” it’s nice to have Alan Jackson paired up with top notch material once more. “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore,” his best single in at least half a decade, finds him willfully shouldering all [...]

Continue reading "Alan Jackson — “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore”"