Three new country albums that blurring the line between country and pop

Jason Aldean: She’s Country (Live at CMA 2008)

“Well, no one would really consider Urban and Rascal Flatts strictly country acts, much less outlaw cowboys. They find their footing and fan bases on country radio, but, like Sugarland and Little Big Town, they’re crossover artists with broad appeal. They leave the butt-kicking swagger to Toby Keith and the pleasures of sun, sand, and margaritas to Kenny Chesney”

“While Rascal Flatts and Urban continue to blur the line between country and pop, Aldean definitely knows the difference. In case anyone’s confused, he spells it out in “She’s Country”: “From her cowboy boots/ To her down-home roots/ She’s country.” Well, at least somebody is.” James Reed, the Bostol Globe

Reba McEntire: Strange

Reba McEntire: Strange (Live at the ACM)

“”I’ve watched many, many decades of entertainers,” she continued. “And I will go watch females and be totally entertained. And when I watch the males, I love their singing, and their lights. But when the girls come on, you better know that they’ve come up with something new and innovative, and they’re going to give you a show.”"

“”It’s a little bit different,” McEntire explained following a rehearsal for last Sunday’s Academy of Country Music Awards. “It’s tongue-in-cheek. It’s a little bit about, you know, ‘I’m supposed to be in love with this guy and really heartbroken, but I’m not.’ So, it’s a tough-woman song.”" Yahoo! News

Rodney Atkins: It’s America

Rodney Atkins: It’s America

“Country-Rock Hunk No. 1, Rodney Atkins, wants y’all ladies to know about a few of his favorite things: bird dogs, honkytonks, blackjack, pickup trucks, sparkplugs, beer pong, throwin’ darts, and extra innings.”

“It’s America’s hit title track idiotically implies that only in the U.S. do neighbors help out when there’s a natural disaster, but Atkins was born with a baritone sturdy enough to put over his prole-romanticizing platitudes, and he’s developing a wit to match—when this good ol’ boy gives up smokin’ and drinkin’ and women, it’s the worst 15 minutes of his life; when he wakes up at 4 a.m. at album’s end, it’s not to confess sins but to go fishing.” Village Voice, Chuck Eddy

Trace Adkins (Feat. the West Point Cadet Glee Club): Til The Last Shot’s Fired

Trace Adkins (Feat. the West Point Cadet Glee Club): Til The Last Shot’s Fired (Live)

“With five minutes in the middle of the ACM Awards last Sunday night, Trace Adkins managed to showcase a powerful song with a restrained vocal performance that hopefully will help make our radio friends realize that Trace Adkins is more than just the singer of silly songs like “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” and “Marry For Money.”  On a show where vocalists were constantly overrun with their backing band’s music, Adkins didn’t succumb to such pedestrian problems as he caressed “‘Til The Last Shot’s Fired,” a song that makes almost every other modern ‘war’ song pale in comparison.” Roughstock/Matt Bjorke

George Strait: You Look So Good In Love

George Strait: You Look So Good In Love (Live)

“Geaoge Strait sat by and watched a new generation of country musicians take top honors Sunday night at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, but Monday night was all his as most of those performers tipped their hats to the veteran Texas troubadour, singled out as the ACM’s “Artist of the Decade.” LA Times

George Jones: He Stopped Loving Her Today

George Jones: He Stopped Loving Her Today

“The traditional stuff is still out there, if you take the time to look. How can you blame Nashville? Even a legend like George Jones, 77, the man Frank Sinatra allegedly called “the second-best singer in America,” played to an arena that was three-quarters empty last week in the Virginia suburbs. The voice that gave us arguably the greatest country song of all time, “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” went on gallantly with the show. In the so-called good old days, he might not have shown up at all.” Newsweek

Alan Jackson: Sissy’s Song

Alan Jackson: Sissy’s Song (not official video)

“Alan Jackson’s fourth single from his completely self-penned album Good Timeis a real tearjerker.” Country Music Central

“Alan Jackson is blessed with a voice that exudes sincerity. It’s a rare gift in country music, but one that many of country’s greats have shared.” Country Universe

John Rich: Shutting Down Detroit

John Rich: Shutting Down Detroit (Live on K98.5 Real Jersey Kountry www.k985radio.com)

“Indeed, John Rich is Nashville’s leading attention whore, an outspoken redneck populist with an addiction to self-serving publicity stunts such as his tenure as host of the incomprehensibly pointless CMT series “Gone Country.”” Country Music 9513

“He starts off strongly out of the box with his single Shuttin Detroit Down, his ultra-timely condemnation of Wall Street at the expense of Main Street. It’s catchy and gets his message across with a lot of twang.” Country Standard Time

“And for contemporary Nashville, shockingly topical. Mr. Rich, 35, conceived and wrote “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” in late January, in a fit of pique after watching news accounts of the $1.2 million office remodeling by John Thain, the Merrill Lynch chief executive. Within two weeks it had been recorded, mastered and released to country radio stations, as well as added to his new album “Son of a Preacher Man”, which had already been submitted to the label.” New York Times

Sammi Smith: Help Me Make It Through The Night

Sammi Smith: Help Me Make It Through The Night

“For just a moment there, Sammi Smith—“Girl Hero,” is what some folks called her—was the most popular female country singer in the world. In 1971 Smith’s recording of “Help Me Make It through the Night,” penned by a then still little-known songwriter named Kris Kristofferson, topped the country charts for three weeks. It cracked the pop top ten, too, and was honored by the CMA as its Single of the Year.” Living in Stereo

Country Music Association, AMC, 50th anniversary.

The Country Music Association, CMA, based in Nashville, is marking its 50th anniversary this month.

Taylor Swift: Love Story at Country Music Association, CMA, Awards 2008

“But there’s no other genre of music that’s pulled off what we have over the last 50 years.”