CountryChart #1 for Country Music Charts

Seth Walker has had a red-hot blues career for a little while now, but the new album "Leap Of Faith" changes everything. This album is burning up with potential hits and should send the talented musician's career into the stratosphere. Seth Walker was born to classically trained musicians who lived on a commune in North Carolina. Walker first took up the cello but he soon discovered his love of the guitar. And Walker hasn't looked back since. Likewise, his stellar new album "Leap Of Faith" is a fitting tribute to his musical heroes like T-Bone Walker, B.B. King and Snooks Eaglin. On "Leap Of Faith," Seth Walker has never sounded so good. The artist's amazing passion and musicality are presented in a new and fresh way. Producer Gary Nicholson brings out the very best in Seth Walker, including the title track, "Leap Of Faith." According to Walker, this album was recorded at a difficult time. He said: "The idea of a leap of fai...

Take a little Bonnie Raitt, throw in a heaping handful of Janis Joplin along with a dash of Wynonna Judd and you've got Carolyn Wonderland, the amazingly talented Austin, Texas-based singer who has created a country, rock, soul and blues masterpiece with "Miss Understood." Carolyn Wonderland is a musical genius. The powerful intensity of her vocal performance is without equal in the music business today, and her confident proficiency on the guitar is a revelation of musical bliss. To top it all off, Carolyn Wonderland has another unique talent - she can whistle with perfect pitch. Yes, Carolyn Wonderland aims to use every ounce of the musical talent God bestowed on her. The best song on "Miss Understood" is the passionate country ballad "Bad Girl Blues." It is here that Wonderland allows listeners to glimpse the deep feelings from her soul. Her vocal performance is flawless, and this song deserves to be a major country music chart hit. Moreover, ...

The new millennium has been kind to Eric Hisaw. This talented singer-songwriter debuted in 2000 with "Thing About Trains," and he hasn't looked back since. Today, the number one thing you can say about Eric Hisaw's new album "Nature Of The Blues" is that the music and the artist are 100% authentic. That's rare these days. Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Hisaw moved to Louisiana at age 17 and settled in a condemned trailer for 80 bucks a month. From there, he took off to Memphis  (towards Millington on Highway 51) in a vintage Airstream. Needless to say, Eric Hisaw's country-blues lyrics draw on rich, and, yes, authentic, personal experiences. The style of "Nature Of The Blues" is earnest, yet laid-back. It's a good combination that makes this album a must-buy for fans of Steve Earle, Chris Knight and Stevie Ray Vaughn. In fact, subtle elements of each of the aforementioned artists can be detected in Hisaw's musical style. Eric...

Brandon Jenkins is already a well-known singer and accomplished guitarist with 8 albums under his belt. But "Faster Than A Stone" is the artist's finest album to date. That's saying a lot since Jenkins has also produced creative gems like "Unmended," "VII" and "Down in Flames." Brandon Jenkins is not an artist that can easily be pigeonholed. For instance, this album offers great blues with "Big Mama's Kitchen," southern rock with "Faster Than A Stone" and red dirt with "Just Like California." And that's just the first third of the album. The musical talent on display in the album "Faster Than A Stone" is amazing. Jenkins songs and vocals are perfectly complemented by the artist's mastery of the guitar. Likewise, the other musicians on the record, including backgrounds by Stoney Larue on four songs, are also top-notch. One of the best songs on the album is the final track "Got ...

Otis Taylor has a full, rich voice so full of bluesy soul that it could melt butter, and Taylor's new release, "Pentatonic Wars And Love Songs," will also melt your heart. Fans of roots and Americana music enjoy Otis Taylor because of his signature sound which emotes passion and intensity even in low-key tracks such as the album's first song "Looking For Some Heat." Otis Taylor feels the lyrics, and at some moments he channels Barry White with some blues-infused Americana. Plus, Taylor is an accomplished instrumentalist, and his skills on guitar are breathtaking. Country fans may have first discovered Otis Taylor on "Recapturing The Banjo," which is his stellar 2008 release that examines the banjo's African roots. "Pentatonic Wars And Love Songs" takes an entirely new direction and explores all elements of love. The biggest surprise on the album is the melodic and ethereal "Silver Dollar On My Head." Otis Taylor has ne...

Ricky Stein's new album "Crazy Days" will sneak up on you like a few too many shots of whiskey. The cover of "Crazy Days" shows Ricky Stein to be an average Texan with a relaxed expression, windswept hair, checked shirt, jeans and boots. However, the album will catch you off guard, because there's nothing common about the bluesy, country talent of 25-year-old Ricky Stein. And it's obvious that Stein has immersed himself in the wealth of live music found in his native Austin, Texas. The album begins with the blues-infused "One And The Same," which illustrates that Ricky Stein can rock a concert stage. It's followed by the terrific "Don't Leave Me Hangin' On." But the album really comes into its own with the Americana track "Keap St (We've Come A Long Way)," which shows the musical influence of artists like Townes Van Zandt and the Traveling Wilburys. The music is infectious, and Stein's authentic vocal...

Jason Eady's strong baritone vocals sparkle and surprise on his third album "When The Money's All Gone." Each song is as socially relevant as the album's title, and the Mississippi native's new project is the most musically innovative of his career with elements of soul, gospel, blues, country and Cajun music. The album's cover art shows a long stretch of power lines with what appear to be empty factories in the background. The concept of the album "When The Money's All Gone" is perfect for the tough times we're living in, but Jason Eady's music doesn't seem to dwell on the negative. In fact, the album starts out with a New Orleans-style, gospel party song "God Fearing Blues." It's almost impossible to stop yourself from clapping your hands and tapping your feet when listening to the opening song. The title track, "When The Money's All Gone" is a more sober affair, and the lyrics offer a life lesson...

If you like your music hard and fast with a slightly cheeky sense of humor, then Watermelon Slim's new album "Escape From The Chicken Coop" should be at the top of your music wish-list. With songs like "Skinny Women And Fat Cigars" and "It's Never Too Hard To Be Humble," this Norman, Oklahoma native and Vietnam War veteran has crafted a unique, signature album that will be enjoyed and appreciated for years to come. Primarily known as a legend of Blues music, Watermelon Slim has conclusively provided his country music "bona fides" with the terrific track "Hank Williams You Wrote My Life." Watermelon Slim's brilliant vocal performance will make true believers out of even the most skeptical country music aficionados. Truck drivers will especially appreciate fine music like "18, 18 Wheeler" and "Truck Driving Songs." The cut "Wreck On The Highway" is a winning combination of southern gospel and ...

It's clear that The Kat Moore Band treasures the lasting legacy of country music legends, and the band's debut, "Big Texas Sky," embraces classic country and adds a unique, rockin', bluesy vibe that captivates listeners from beginning to end. Lewisville, Texas native Kat Moore was raised by musician parents and has been a fixture on stages across Texas (especially in Dallas-Fort Worth) since the age of 11. The years of experience show in Moore's confident vocal performance on "Big Texas Sky." Kat Moore is a singer whose voice demands attention, and her band's album is especially relevant because it will broaden the minds of listeners who have a more narrow view of the definition of country music. The message of the album is clear: The Kat Moore Band loves to have fun playing country music with a little added rock and blues, and the band wants you to have a good time, too. The album starts off strong with the catchy honky tonk track "Roll ...

Matt Stell & The Crashers' new release "The Sound And The Story" was released regionally a few months ago in Southern and Central Missouri, Central Arkansas and Western Kansas where the band has received widespread radio airplay and toured extensively. Now, Matt Stell & The Crashers are ready to expand their territory to the rest of the USA with their own fiery brand of Red Dirt music. Matt Stell is either really lucky, a good salesman or one heck of a charming guy. You see, Stell only began playing music while he was a sophomore in college. Within a few months, he became buddies with the owner of a famous local honky tonk in his Missouri college town who then introduced him to his future bandmates. Now, when they're not headlining their own sold out shows, Matt Stell & The Crashers open for major label acts like Jason Boland, Cross Canadian Ragweed and The Eli Young Band. But it wasn't just luck that made Matt Stell a success. He wrote every song o...

In the tradition of John Prine and Warren Zevon, Alabama native Adam Hood stands head and shoulders above the rest of the new crop of roots singer-songwriters. In fact, "Different Groove" illustrates Adam Hood's love affair with rock and country music treasures of the past while still breaking new artistic ground. With ten studio tracks accompanied by a band and three acoustic cuts, Adam Hood's "Different Groove" starts out strong with the blues-infused country track "22 Days Too Long" and is followed by the love song "Shelly" which offers a unique Gavin DeGraw meets Darius Rucker vibe. The biggest surprise on the album is the classic country track "Late Night Diner." This is an amazing nod by Adam Hood to the pioneers of country music. Indeed, the lyrics are thought provoking, and Hood's vocal performance is pitch-perfect. But the album's finest moment is the cut "Whole Town Talking." The track has beautifu...

Kelly Carmichael's new album "Queen Fareena" is a blues and dixieland delight with superb instrumentation, excellent lyrics and an upbeat tone. In fact, doctors should prescribe "Queen Fareena," because even the most depressed listener cannot help but break into a great big smile. The brilliance of "Queen Fareena" is derived from the joyous intensity of Kelly Carmichael's vocals and guitar along with Jean-Paul Gaster's expertise on drums and a talented crew of brass musicians. One of the best tunes on the album is "Untrue Blues." This song could be a major radio hit with its melodic chorus and a perfect balance of instrumentation and vocals. The biggest surprise on the album is the more easy-going track "She's Funny That Way." Carmichael's vocal performance shows a serious intensity without being overdone, and the track slowly builds to a crescendo with a perfect pacing that is both satisfying and musically impres...