Live
Artist: Chris LeDoux

Chris LeDoux's Live captures the modern-day cowboy at his best, leading a devoted audience through his rowdy contemporary country. LeDoux is more energetic and exciting in concert than he is in the studio, which means the record is tougher than many of his other albums, and that makes Live a standout in his catalog. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine,... Read More

Burnin' the Roadhouse Down
Artist: Steve Wariner

Burnin' the Roadhouse Down finds Steve Wariner in typically fine form. It may have been five years since his last vocal album, Drive (there was an instrumental album, No More Mr. Nice Guy, in the meantime), but all that time off has revived Wariner, resulting in an album that's the equal of his 1991 high-water mark, I Am Ready. His music may not... Read More

Wide Open Spaces
Artist: Dixie Chicks
Community Score: 9.05

When sisters Martie Seidel and Emily Erwin founded the Dixie Chicks in 1989, could they have possibly known the success that would someday be theirs? After three independent records and several lineup changes, the group was re-energized by new lead singer Natalie Maines and the support of a major label, and exploded onto the contemporary country... Read More

What Livin's All About
Artist: Rhett Akins
Community Score: 9.00

As the title suggests, What Livin's All About finds Rhett Akins stripping back the production gloss somewhat in favor of straight-ahead, direct neo-traditional country. Of course, Akins still has his eye on the new country audience, so the album is hardly honky tonk, but it does reveal that he has a strong ear for material. Most of the songs... Read More

Come on Over
Artist: Shania Twain
Community Score: 8.40

Shania Twain's second record, The Woman in Me, became a blockbuster, appealing as much to a pop audience as it did to the country audience. Part of the reason for its success was how producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange -- best-known for his work with Def Leppard, the Cars, and AC/DC -- steered Twain toward the big choruses and instrumentation that... Read More

Outside the Frame
Artist: Paul Brandt
Community Score: 8.50

Paul Brandt's second album, Outside the Frame, is a successful continuance of the neo-traditionalist formula that made his debut, Calm Before the Storm, such a success. Again working with producer Josh Leo, Brandt finds the middle ground between traditional honky tonk and contemporary country pop and while the songwriting is occasionally uneven,... Read More

Greatest Hits
Artist: John Michael Montgomery
Community Score: 10.00

After only four albums and five years of recording, it may be a little soon for John Michael Montgomery to release a Greatest Hits album, yet this collection does everything it should do -- it features all of Montgomery's biggest hits and best-known songs in one place, providing an excellent summary of the first part of his career, as well as an... Read More

Just Between You and Me
Artist: Kinleys

The Kinleys' debut album Just Between You and Me is an engaging set of country-pop illustrating that twin sisters Heather and Jennifer are quite gifted vocally. It's a joy to hear them sing these sweet country-pop tunes, even if the songs don't always equal their performances. With a more consistent set of material, the debut could have been... Read More

Another Perfect Day
Artist: Blake & Brian
Love & Gravity
Artist: BlackHawk
Community Score: 8.00

Love & Gravity finds BlackHawk breaking away from the standard slick contemporary country formula and attempting to deepen their musicality with layered harmonies and subtly structured songs. Although the results don't always work -- several of the songs are simply unmemorable -- its best moments demonstrate that BlackHawk is more talented and... Read More

Greatest Hits
Artist: Diamond Rio

Greatest Hits is a fine collection of the hit singles from Diamond Rio's first four albums, featuring such hits as "Meet in the Middle," "Mirror Mirror," "Norma Jean Riley," "In a Week or Two," "Oh Me, Oh My, Sweet Baby," "Love a Little Stronger," "Night Is Fallin' In My Heart," "Walkin' Away," "That's What I Get for Lovin' You," "Holdin'" and... Read More

Best of Billy Ray Cyrus: Cover To Cover
Artist: Billy Ray Cyrus
Community Score: 7.00

Billy Ray Cyrus recorded only four albums before releasing The Best of Billy Ray Cyrus, which indicates his status as a one-hit wonder. "Achy Breaky Heart" was the hit that made his career, but it also ruined it, since its jokey refrain and his good looks meant that no one took him seriously. There's not much evidence on The Best of Billy Ray... Read More

One Step at a Time
Artist: George Strait
Community Score: 5.83

One Step at a Time continues the hot streak George Strait began with Blue Clear Sky. It's not on par with that latter-day masterpiece, yet equals its follow-up, Carrying Your Love With Me, by offering a uniformly excellent set of songs that are all delivered with conviction from Strait. If anything, Strait is getting better with age, as he's... Read More