New Country Music

This young lady is one of the most underrated Country artists out there right now. She has a full rich voice that makes her stand out from the plethora of cookie cutter females that are all vying for spots on your play list. She has taken one of the hottest Top 40 songs in the country, sung by pop princess Jordin Sparks, and made it sound like it was written exclusively for her. This version has some great banjo and fiddle work, but it doesn't sound like they piled countrified instruments on top of a pop song. It sounds like a great Country song that has a bit of an edge sung by an extremely talented woman. Impacting 5/5.

First off, the opening sounded really familiar- the bass line that kicks off the song is very reminiscent of the 1990 hit, "Black Velvet," from Alannah Myles. Hey, that's not a bad thing at all- "Different Breed" is swampy, soulful and gritty, and the harmonies are once again, incredible. "Different Breed" has all the elements for a perfect summer hit- all it needs is airplay. Impacting now.

I'll admit, when I heard that Capitol signed the Hootie & The Blowfish front man I was skeptical. I loved their music, but it was definitely Top 40. Would it sound just like that? If so, would it work on Country radio? Well slap my ass and call me Betty...this is one awesome song! It is undeniably Country, not just re-hashed Pop with fiddles added in for effect. His voice is as soulful as it ever was and it works perfectly on this Country heartbreak tune. The song, co-written by Rucker, explores the regrets and what-ifs of a love gone wrong. It would be easy to get bogged down in deep meanings and big words with such a heavy subject, but that doesn't happen here. It's just a good solid Country song that deserves to be played...a lot. The official impact date is 6/2 but if you have a copy I don't think they would mind if you gave it a spin.

There has been a buzz about this fresh-faced Richmond, VA native for quite some time so it's great to finally have the single in my hands. Picking an up-tempo song as the debut for Fisher was a great idea as we head into summer. So many newcomers chose the ballad for the first time out and it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. This one stands out and sounds fresh. It's a feel good tune about throwing caution to the wind and seeing where the path may lead. I saw Fisher perform at CRS and I think it is safe to say that this guy has a real future here in our format. So welcome the future with open arms and give this one a whirl. Impacting 5/12.