CountryChart #1 for Country Music Charts

COUNTRY SUPERSTARS REBA, MARTINA MCBRIDE, RASCAL FLATTS & MORE WILL BE FEATURED ON THE HOLIDAY ALBUM & CANDLE GIFT SET   Our good friends at Big Machine Records have teamed with Colonial Candle to announce a partnership just in time for the upcoming Christmas season. A star-studded lineup of country artists singing their favorite Christmas tunes – combined with the magnificent scent of fresh cut pine and a yuletide fire – provides a perfect gift for the holiday season.  Country superstars Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts and Reba will be featured on the new candle gift set and Christmas album. Besides the holiday CD, the package includes a "Holiday Sparkle" fragranced Colonial Candle (8 ounce)  packaged with an 8-ounce Colonial Candle “Holiday Sparkle”-fragranced candle. The suggested retail price is $25. The package will be exclusive to Colonial Candle and Big Machine Records and featured artists include Justin Moore (“Run Rudolph Run”), Rascal Flatts (“Ma...

Stoney LaRue Stoney LaRue's "Velvet" takes command of the Official Texas Country Chart Top 40 for the second week as The Turnpike Troubadours rise dramatically to take the Number Two spot on the Texas music and Red Dirt chart with "Long Hot Summer Days." Josh Abbott featuring Pat Green on "My Texas" came in at Number 3, and Kevin Fowler didn't disappoint at Number 4 with "Hell Yeah I Like Beer." Cody Canada and The Departed rounded out the Top 5 with "Ballad Of Rosalie."  The Turnpike Troubadours "Another Like You" from Hayes Carll rose 14 places to Number 6, but Deryl Dodd fell 5 places to #7 with "Baby Where's My Bottle." Adam Hood's "Flame And Gasoline" jumped to Number 8 (from previous position of #32), and Reckless Kelly fell 5 places to number 9 with "Good Luck & True Love." The Number 10 place on the Official Texas Country Chart Top 40 went to Brandon Jenkins...

Liverpool, England is known worldwide for its musical heritage, and the folk country band The Good Intentions are near-perfect musical ambassadors with the new album "Someone Else's Time." But from the evidence presented in the 11-song album, it is clear that the project should have been called "Our Time" That's because The Good Intentions star shines bright on their seemingly mistitled album "Someone Else's Time." A famous quote says that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but the opposite is true for the Liverpool band members who named themselves The Good Intentions who have the sound of modest angels sent from heaven to bestow beautiful music to the world. In most cases, praise like this would be over-the-top and undeserved, but no so here. The Good Intentions begin the album with the quiet but masterful folk track "Gone So Long," which will have Americana radio program managers squealing with delight. The elegant...

Love is not the only thing that "wins" on Crystal Yates new country fusion CD titled "Love Wins." That's because the genre of country music is a "winner" since it can now boast an accomplished, new artist such as Crystal Yates that blends elements of folk, bluegrass, blues, contemporary Christian and country to create a winning formula that is deserving of radio chart success. The album begins with the bluesy country vibe of "No More Sighin'," which showcases Yates' perky but intellectual vocals. Radio program directors from multiple genres will find something to like in the lead-off cut. However, Crystal Yates shows off  her traditional country music chops in the stellar "Stupid In Love," which more than proves that Yates has the talent to pull off a major country career. The song builds to a memorable chorus that has surprisingly accomplished production values for a new artist. With an intro worthy of Jason Mraz, Cry...

Describing her sound as "country-flavored, southern-fried blues," EG Kight offers some "Lip Service" to country music on her new album of the same name. And the blues artist extraordinaire has never sounded better. Country audiences will swoon to the confident, sultry sound of the first track "Sugar Daddies," which shows that EG Kight is no Bonnie Raitt wannabe. As she has proven over the years, EG Kight is an artist with a unique sound and terrific vocal performance instincts. The next cut, "I'm In It To Win It," is an upbeat celebration of self-confidence, but it is the slow-burning "That's How A Woman Loves," which is the album's biggest surprise. Kight offers a carefully nuanced performance that works by tugging at the heart. The title track "Lip Service" is a memorable delight that is catchy enough to be sold later as a movie or TV show theme song. However, the album's best song by a mile is "...

If Reverend Horton Heat had children with Lucinda Williams they might have offspring that could form a band that sounds like Paladino on their quirky and intensely interesting "Paladino" self-titled album. The project begins with the upbeat "Lonely Mountain" that can best be described as "cowboy punk." With a laid-back but fast-paced vocal style that is unusually compelling, lead singer Jonathan Harkham deserves careful artistic examination as do other founding Paladino members Chris and Adrienne Isom. Harkham is also a talented painter, and his artistic nature is the driving creative force on the album since he wrote most of the songs (and even painted the album cover). Paladino's cowboy swagger emerges on "Snow Deer," which offers elements of traditional country presented in a style that would befit the Grand Ole Opry stage. However, the punk influences resurface on "Ode To Misery," which also features elements of alt country...

Cassandra Darensbourg Rebecca Linda Smith prize winner Congratulations to Cassandra Darensbourg, a resident of the wonderful city of San Bernardino, California, for winning Country Chart's Rebecca Linda Smith sweepstakes and taking home a prize of 5 CDs and a DVD from the talented Texas country music artist Darensbourg, a receptionist in San Bernardino, has won five CDs from award-winning vocalist Rebecca Linda Smith, including the 12-song CD "American Heroes," the 14-song CD "Jesus' Grace," the 12-song CD "Timeless," the 15 song "True Love" and the CD single "Forgotten Heroes." Plus she will receive a DVD containing pieces of the life of inspirational and country artist Rebecca Linda Smith and her husband and songwriter Dr. Robert Frank Smith - both of whom are veterans. Rebecca Linda Smith Country Chart would like to congratulate Cassandra Darensbourg on her win, and we hope Cassandra and her family enjoy the musi...

The Chart is offering readers a chance to win a Stoney LaRue "Velvet" T-Shirt and CD in our latest sweepstakes competition in conjunction with WildfireApp - the only Twitter and Facebook approved contest app. Simply click here or the box below to enter now! Stoney LaRue's new album "Velvet" has been at the top of virtually every album chart this month, and Stoney LaRue's hit single (and title track) "Velvet" has also been atop virtually every song chart. The winner of the contest will be chosen at random by WildfireApp software. Sweepstakes rules can be found by clicking the box below or the photo of the T-shirt and CD to your left. Good luck winning the Stoney LaRue "Velvet" Sweepstakes! The competition ends at 11.59pm CST on September 25, 2011. To enter via the Twitter interface click here . Or, click here for the main sweepstakes entry form.

Drake Jensen has a deep country voice that could just as easily come out of El Paso, Texas rather than the island of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Canada - where he was born and raised. Nevertheless, the country crooner is on his way to finding his own country music dream with his surprisingly accomplished new album "On My Way To Finding You." The album's first single "Wash Me Away" received a music award, and the track has a hard-driving beat with a memorable melody. The new single "All You Need" will please traditional country fans, and it actually has a retro-cool George Strait meets Mickey Gilley vibe. The album's first cut, "Where You Goin' With That" actually sets the perfect tone for the Drake Jensen album, and the Canadian who recently moved to Ontario showcases his deep throaty vocals. The album's production quality is also stellar. The next track, "I'm Here To Love You" also could draw comparisons to th...

Texas Country Music's first ever fan-voted "Texas Country Chart" Top 40 Songs was published today with Red Dirt star Stoney LaRue's hit "Velvet" and Deryl Dodd's "Baby Where's My Bottle taking the first and second spots respectively. The fan voters found some country love for Eli Young Band's mega-hit "Crazy Girl" at #3 and Reckless Kelly's "Good Luck And True Love" at #4. Rounding out the Top 5 is "Ballad Of Rosalie" from Cody Canada & The Departed. Placing in the sixth postion of the September 13, 2011 chart was Max Stalling's "6 x 9 Speakers (Revisited)."  Next, "Hell Yeah, I Like Beer" from the rockin' Kevin Fowler and Casey Donahew Band's "Breaks My Heart" dropped in at #7 and 8 respectively while "The River Song" from Mark McKinney arrived at #9 "Too Big To Fail" from Brandon Jenkins is the #10 song.

Fort Worth native and American Idol alum Casey James sizzles with sultry country vocals in his debut single "Let's Don't Call It A Night." The third-place finisher in Idol's ninth season begins the song complimenting his new lady friend's dress. He sings: "Love the way you look in that dress; You got me thinkin' thoughts in my head." James' vocals are pure and crisp. While the new country artist was not previously known as a country singer during his brief TV stint, his bluesy southern charm is a welcome addition to country music. Indeed, his Texas swagger and all-American good looks should also help jumpstart his country music career. The most surprising aspect of the song is not Casey James' stellar vocal performance, which TV viewers would have expected. However, James wrote both the words and music to the song, and the memorable melody is impressive in itself. "Let's Don't Call It A Night" has already hit t...

Music reviewers can usually find much to criticize on 2-disc live albums. However, Slaid Cleaves makes the job very hard on his excellent new, 22-track album titled “Sorrow& Smoke" which was recorded live at Austin's famed Horseshoe Lounge. Slaid Cleaves begins the set with the terrific "Hard To Believe," which has a melodic chorus featuring Cleaves' outstanding vocals. Indeed, Slaid Cleaves vocals are so pure and natural that it is somewhat difficult to distinguish the vocals from his studio albums and the live album - except for the generally acoustic nature of the 2-disc set. The artist's famous ode to the site of the live recording, "Horseshoe Lounge," is up next, and the crowd is eating up the renowned cut like horses eating hay. Indeed, this cut is one of the liveliest on the album. However, at his core, Slaid Cleaves is a folk troubadour, which is on full display on "Drinkin' Days" and "Black T-Shirt." H...

Very few artist's have the stamina and simple country charm of Texas country star and Carthage, Texas native Brandon Rhyder. Now, fans have a special 4-disc "Live At Billy Bob's Texas" set (2 CDs & 2 DVDs) that sizzles with excitement and smolders with Red Dirt intensity. The 24 songs on the 2 CDs clock in at a beefy time of almost two hours. The festivities begin with the terrific "You Burn Me" which is followed by "It's What I Do" which slowly builds to a rousing crescendo. It also must be noted that Brandon Rhyder's true country talent is startling as he belts out song after song with solid vocal performances. Indeed, Rhyder has the kind of pure country voice that could draw in outsiders to the Texas country fold. That's no easy feat. Brandon Rhyder wanted to give his fans everything he could on this 4-disc set, and he even includes eight never-recorded songs, which is almost unheard of on a live album. The current single ...

With top-notch production and just the right amount of Red Dirt swagger, Kyle Park bursts back onto the country music scene following a hit album and two successful EPs - including one that landed him in the top 5 of iTunes country chart. That's no easy feat for most artists, but it's just another day at the studio for Kyle Park, who is daring country music fans to "Make Or Break Me" in his new album of the same name. With 15 songs that clock in at just under an hour, the album begins with the title track "Make Or Break Me," which deserves to be another #1 country chart single for Kyle Park. The radio-ready song finds Park's strong country voice in great form, and the musicianship of the instrumentalists assembled for the album is first class, including well known names in country music, such as Texas legend Lloyd Maines and Park's manager John Michael Whitby on piano. The song "Make Or Break Me" is an upbeat love song that offers inspiring...

If you love Travis Tritt, then Columbia Nashville wants to introduce you to its newest discovery - Bradley Gaskin. Download the single "Mr. Bartender" right now - free of charge. However, once you listen to the cut, you will immediately realize that you would have paid for it as well. Click the album cover to the left or the link below to download the song free. UPDATE: This offer is now over. However, the song is definitely worth the purchase price.