This week Chuck Dauphin takes a look at a group of 10 tracks that are mostly from new, promising talent like Ashley Monroe, Jaida Dreyer, Rachel Farley and Adam Hood. Billy Ray Cyrus is the lone 'veteran' artist on the rundown. The songs from Monroe, Dreyer and Farley are all vying for mainstream radio success at some point but Hood and Cyrus are looking at secondary smaller radio markets with their new potential hit singles.
Rachel Farley - "Ain't Easy" (RedBow Records)
Gritty and personality filled. The second coming of...Tanya Tucker! She definitely loves up to the hype!
Adam Hood - "Hard Times In The Life Of Plenty" (Carnival Recordings)
A churning number about missing a loved one. Adam Hood continues to impress with each release. One of the most impressive male newcomers in Nashville (and Texas).
Billy Ray Cyrus - "Hillbilly Heart"
Definitely has a backwoods - outdoors feel. Song benefits from some incredible guitar work, and Cyrus sounds like he is having as much fun as he has in years!
Eric Lee Beddingfield - "That Ol' Outlaw Song" (Rebel Dawg Records) - Beddingfield gives a spirited and reverential treatment to a style that he is not only knowledgeable about, but one that influenced him during his club days in Georgia and Nashville. With performances like this, there is no reason he should not be a star.
Ash Bowers - Red (Wide Open Records)
To be honest, I loved the instrumentation as much as the rest of the record. Vocally, a lot of Aldean influence, but haven’t we heard the lyrics before?
Half Broke Horses (Streamound Records)
Jaida Dreyer continues to show why Byron Gallimore has confidence in her. Great vocals combined with a deep lyric.
Clinton Gregory - Too Much Ain’t Enough (Melody Round-Up)
A flawless performance from an artist who has been through the emotional wringer a time or two, and has lived to tell the tale.
Ashley Monroe - Like A Rose (Warner Nashville)
A song that is nothing short of real life. Monroe deserves to be a star, and with more songs like these, she will be.
Bart Crow - Dandelion (Smith)
Vocally and instrumentally, the band is very tight. A definite winner.
Anthony Orio - Girls Will Be Girls (AO)
I didn’t want to like it. I really didn’t. It’s been done before, and though the song is nothing earth shaking, Orio’s vocal does leave you wanting to hear more...
Next week will see Kenny Chesney's "Pirate Flag" along with nine others. We hope you return to find out what Chuck Dauphin (who works as a radio DJ in addition to his writing gigs) has to say!
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