A song-by-song look at the current singles that are taking up the country music airwaves
With May upon us and the Academy of Country Music Awards only days away, this is a good time to stop and consider the current state of country music, and more specificly the singles that are being played by radio stations.
Here's a song-by-song look and a quick tidbit about each of the Top 15 songs according to the April 26th Mediabase report.
- Wasted - Carrie Underwood - Another great song by Carrie, not only is she a great singer, but the song selection on her first album has been outstanding. She continues to be the modern day female face of country music and that's not a bad thing.
- Stand - Rascall Flatts - This is not their best work, but it's still knocking at the door of being a #1 song for them. There's a point of stardom when your popularity can make an average song perform better than it should, and the Flatts have achieved that status.
- Settlin - Sugarland - If you listen closely to the lyrics of this song, it's basicly the exact same message as their 2006 hit "Something More," but the vocals are so good, who cares.
- Good Directions - Billy Currington - The success of this song has got to be shocking to a lot of executives on Music Row. It's a totally different sound than we've come to expect from Billy, and the fact that it's traditional country helps fill a void at country radio.
- High Maintence Woman - Toby Keith - The video for this song is hilarious, and it's nice to hear something off of Toby's next album, but it's not ground breaking stuff and is too much like "Whiskey Girl."
- A Women's Love - Alan Jackson - Alan is back in the Top 10 for the first time since "Monday Morning Church" in 2005, and he's done it the old-fashion way. This song sounds like a track out of a Don Williams song book, it's laid back, and fits Alan to a tee.
- Ticks - Brad Paisley - For a more in-depth view of this song, see the previous articles posted in this country music section.
- Moments - Emerson Drive - Great song, great vocals, great message, is there anything not to like about this song? Emerson Drive delivers their most powerful single yet, by far, and it looks like it will be at least a top 3 smash. Good for the boys from Canada!
- Last Dollar - Tim McGraw - This song did what a lead single of an album is supposed to do. It created a buzz and anticipation for the album release. The easy-to-sing-along-with lyrics of "Last Dollar" will get stuck in your head , and this song easily cuts through the clutter of current country songs.
- Long Trip Alone - Dierks Bently - Dierks is suffering a bit from too many songs that sound the same. This might be the best ballad of his career, but because it sounds a little bit like "Slowdown" and a little bit like "Every Mile," many radio stations aren't playing it up like they have his previous singles. However, this song is true country music.
- Find out Who You Friends Are - Tracy Lawrence - If your radio station has been playing this song since its release date, you have been hearing this song for over 25 weeks, more than half a year! This song is making one of the all-time slowest climbs up the charts, but it's a credit to Tracy Lawrence, his work ethic, and the success of his new self-run record company.
- Wrapped - George Strait - If all else fails in country music, there's always a George Strait song that will keep the genre close to its roots. Blending the traditional sound with a contemporary style is not easy, but the King of Country has it down to a science.
- A Feelin' Like That - Gary Allan - Add this song to the number of Gary Allan singles that stalled in the 11 -15 range on the charts ("Man of Me", "Smoke Rings", "Songs About Rain"). This song just never found the following to keep climbing the charts.
- Lucky Man - Montgomery Gentry - Another solid song from country music's modern-day outlaws. This duo has really done country music a lot of good with their success. They represent the genre well, and have given us a reason to believe that maybe, just maybe Brooks & Dunn won't win the Duo of the Year Award every year.
- Anyway - Martina McBride - Awesome vocal performance, but doesn't she always give you that on her records? The song is well written, spiritual, and inspiring, even if it wasn't a #1 hit.
So if you turned on the radio today, these are the songs with the most airplay. Overall, not a bad group and some might even say it's more impressive that it's been in a while. Good for country music, good for their fans.
The copyright of the article Up-Close Look at the Current Hits in Country Music is owned by Chris Sanders. Permission to republish Up-Close Look at the Current Hits in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
