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There is an old adage of "work hard and you will reap big rewards" has come true for the Texas-based Eli Young Band. After forming as a group of 18-year-olds, the group has slowly built up their brand and have recently released this as their national debut single.

Passionate about the industry he lives and works in every day, successful songwriter and now recording artist Jason Matthews recently sat down with Roughstock to discuss a variety of topics. His passion flowed through in everything we discussed.

If there was ever a case of perserverence in country music, Steve Azar would be the subject. He first signed a record deal in 1995 and scored his only hits with Mercury Nashville in 2002. By 2006 he had signed with his third record deal before pulling that album and deciding to self-release it earlier this year.

Lee Ann Womack knows how to play the heart strings of America. "I Hope You Dance" remains synonymous with Kleenex the way that Budweiser goes with Buffalo wings. However, having scrapped an album of tear-jerking ballads, Womack does not go for power pop here. Instead she offers

With the success of sparse albums by the likes of Neil Diamond, Loretta, and Cash, it was probably only a matter of time before Glen Campbell came out with his own collection. Using Cash's albums as the template to transform contemporary songs, Campbell serves up "Meet Glen Campbell" as a way to introduce himself to a younger audience.

Arkansas' SingleTree presents themselves to the marketplace with a questioning over closure. "Is It Really Over Now?" reveals the pains of a not-so-mutual breakup. Does this new group have what it takes to succeed in country music? Read on to find out.

Like all things, country music is cyclical and history tends to repeat itself. With pop-based songs now owning most of the country radio real estate, artists like Michael Scott are out to prove that traditional country deserves a spot on the charts as well. Is his debut single worthy of inclusion?

Grammy Award-winning Gretchen Wilson has a touch for reaching the hearts and ears of the masses, stemming back to her proud 2004 outcry "Redneck Woman." That same attitude resurfaces on "Don't Do Me No Good."

Read some of the interesting things RCA newcomer Crystal Shawanda had to say about the tracks of her new album "Dawn of A New Day."