Instead of focusing on just one particular artist, similar to previous editions of "On the Record," today's edition features several "up-and-coming" male artists that, in my opinion, will play a large part in shaping the future of country music. As much as it pains me to admit, many of the influential, male country legends such as George Strait, Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks have begun to pass on the traditional, "hat act" torch down to newcomers as their legendary careers begin to wind down, or in the case of Garth Brooks, come to a grinding halt. With the retirement of Garth Brooks and an upcoming 2-year farewell tour from George Strait (don't worry, he still has ongoing plans to record new music), it seems as if the "legends" are stepping aside to make room for promising new artists, such as the ones featured within this post. The concern, however, is whether or not the artists that choose to step up and "fill the boots" of past legends actually share the same musical vision and appreciation for traditional country music as the ones that came before them so harmoniously demonstrated.
The following male country artists are three artists that I, personally, believe are capable of filling the iconic boots of the legendary artists that have paved the path for so many talented artists, both male and female, to travel through on their musical journeys to stardom. Regardless of whether or not you appreciate the following artists' personal taste in music, it would be difficult to argue that their musical taste is rooted in anything but traditional country, which is also one of the many reasons why I'm a fan of their music.
The first of the featured artists, Randy Houser, is a native of Lake, Mississippi, where he first began his career as a singer-songwriter in a local band. Penning hits such as Trace Adkins' "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" and Justin Moore's "Back That Thing Up," Houser quickly garnered attention after his move to Nashville as both a talented singer and songwriter. Now enjoying the success of his recently-released third studio album, "How Country Feels," Houser is beginning to feel comfortable in his own skin. Priced at a mere $9.99, "How Country Feels" is a definite bargain, boasting 15 individually creative tracks.
With his "true-to-roots," infectious country sound, Houser is destined to success with this radio friendly, every-track-for-its-own record. Clear standout hits for the upcoming spring and summer seasons are sure to be found in "Runnin' Outta Moonlight" and "Sunshine on the Line." Other noteworthy tracks are "The Singer," "Power of a Song," "Along for the Ride," "Shine" and his hit single, "How Country Feels." His duet with the fabulous country vocalist, Kristy Lee Cook, in "Wherever Love Goes," however, is sure to rank highly amongst the wildly popular country duets such as Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson's 2010 hit, "Don't You Wanna Stay." All in all, Randy Houser's "How Country Feels" album is a consistently solid, country record that demonstrates, track after track, that it is more than capable of being both a traditional and radio friendly album.
Floridian Easton Corbin released his sophomore album, "All Over the Road," along with the album's first hit single, "Lovin' You is Fun," in January of this year. Corbin has been extremely successful in his short-lived career so far. With two number-one singles, "A Little More Country Than That" and "Roll With It," already under his belt from his first album alone, it is evident that Easton Corbin is not playing games when it comes to his musical career. Just after coming down off the major success of his first album, Corbin was already back in the studio hard at work on his second album.
After listening to Corbin's sophomore studio attempt, I think this album will be equally as successful, if not more successful, than his 2010 debut album. With clear chart-toppers such as "Dance Real Slow," "Are You With Me," "This Feels a Lot Like Love" and "I Think of You," Corbin's rookie success is likely not to waver in the near future. Flirty, playful singles such as "Loving You is Fun" and "All over the Road" have already experienced radio success since the album's initial release. Easton Corbin's "All Over the Road" is a grounded, expertly-perscribed country record that is destined for radio success and industry notoriety.
While perusing the iTunes music store during my weekly "shopping trip," I came across a new face that I wasn't familiar with, so naturally I "had" to check it out. What I expected to come out of my computer's speakers was completely opposite to the deep, traditionally twangy vocals that I heard gliding through my speakers. After I recovered from the initial shock, I began to think, "this guy sounds familiar!" Or does he? In reality, I had never actually heard any of Jon Wolfe's music, however, the reason I found his sound to be so familiar was because he sounded very similar to somebody else, someone I listened to quite frequently.
If you, like me, are a newbie to Jon Wolfe and haven't yet been exposed to his music, you are probably wondering where I am going with this detailed description of Mr. Wolfe's sound. You want to know why I am so enamored with this artist? Because as much as I hesitate to say, his signature sound is very reminiscent of George Strait's early music and vocal ability. It's actually quite a startling realization, at first.
Regardless of his vocal inclinations, Jon Wolfe's album, "It All Happened in a Honky Tonk," is a classic, western-swing/honky-tonk-esque album. With standout tracks such as "The Only Time You Call," "I Don't Dance," "I'll Take my Chances" and "Something to See," Wolfe is surely to make a lasting impression with this album from Warner Music Nashville. However, the tracks "Two Out of Seven," "That's Not Very Texas of You" and "Play Me Something I can Drink too" sound like they literally fell straight (no pun intended) out of a George Strait (now you get it!) record. And believe me, as a George Strait worshipper, that is NOT something I say every day. Regardless of Mr. Wolfe's current standing within the industry, I predict that Jon Wolfe will be someone that we hear a lot more about in the near future.
Thanks for tuning into today's edition of "On the Record," please stay tuned for more upcoming posts about the hottest new music/artists on the market. You can find any of the previously mentioned albums on iTunes or at your local music retailer. All image rights belong to the respective artists and their recording labels.
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