This Texas-bred singer knows how to convey heartfelt and complex emotions with one clever turn of a phrase.

A couple of back-to-back tracks midway through the project bear a sonic similarity to each other, but their topics are so different, you’ll want to keep listening.

Uncaged, does nothing to tarnish their sterling image and even manages to expand it a bit.

The only real clunker is a lugubrious redo of “Lodi,” featuring John’s sons Tyler and Shane, but otherwise, this should be a must for Fogerty followers.

Bocephus-like clarinets, old-timey lyrics and Toby's smooth-as-whiskey delivery assure purists that there is still Hope for classic barroom singalongs.

The resulting album is earthy, warm and spacious, not sounding too fussed over or suffocated with studio tricks.

While he’s done nearly a dozen yesteryear-based solo albums, this one is distinguished by its smartly chosen representation of the Gershwins’ musical breadth and the handpicked, multi-stylistic band (with Mickey Raphael’s winsome yet penetrating harmonica again providing a crucial link to Willie’s larger body of work) fittingly snazzing up the affair while making the most of Willie’s no-dress-code musical fusion.

At times the slower tempos make the album feel longer than it actually is, but it’s never dull.

Heroes indicates that the future is in good hands.

With this vocal showcase, Ronnie may finally garner a long-overdue best male country vocalist award.

This is easily Carrie's most well-rounded and confident work to date.

Release Me provides a clear picture of Lovett's stylistic bedrock, and reminds that he's stood steadfast upon it all along.

Despite the presence of utterly infectious single “Downtown” and the jangly “Better Off Now That You’re Gone,” the first half of Golden is a little too polished, as if the trio couldn’t escape the pull of Own the Night’s gravitas.

She doesn't just alternately pay homage to country and jazz here; she elegantly blends the two.

Even if the whole affair is something of a lark, Norah's songbird stylings and The Willies' uncluttered arrangements send it skyward.

Keith promised that Fuse would change things up, and he delivered.

The collection really soars when it blends the personal and the spiritual.

Kill the Lights isn’t consistently pleasing, but it does represent a progression and evolution from Luke’s previous material.

This road-tested group boasts tightknit sibling harmonies and an ear-pleasing tribute to the joys and tragedies of working folk and weekend warriors.

A true duo, Joshua Scott Jones' rugged rock voice blends and contrasts at the right moments with Meghan Linsey's fluid soul singing.

Darius' brand of country music, much like Radney's, is full of detailed, true-to-life accounts of love, regret and loyalty to childhood stomping grounds.

With these 15 tracks, it's clear he can do it all pretty damn good.

If last year’s Heroes, with the tongue-in-cheek “Roll Me Up,” was Willie proving he’s still vital, Let’s Face the Music and Dance is a legend who has seen it all reveling in the melancholy of time’s passing.

His recorded albums, and even his mesmerizing live show, have gradually incorporated a country sound. That trend continues on his latest, the rewarding 14-song Rebel Soul.

Taylor wrote or co-wrote everything here herself (including the hit “Tim McGraw”), and while the most immediately striking songs are her eviscerations of no-good teenage boys (“Should’ve Said No,” “Picture to Burn”), the more thoughtful material suggests a talent poised to last well past high school.

Kip's grainy, warm and confident vocal delivery ties the tales together into a believable tapestry.

Not everything works, however. ... Overall, though, this is the Hank Jr. we’ve been waiting to hear for years, and it’s a welcome return.

Country die-hards are likely to favor something sturdier, but listeners who walk on the wilder side are sure to find a few kicks inside Little Red Boots.

Easton gives fans of traditional country everything they've been missing.

It’s the incredible balance of Lady Antebellum’s many shades that makes this a flight worth catching.

You’ll want to hit the road and play this one over and over.

Younger listeners will get the most out of this sometimes-inspired, retro-leaning smorgasbord; the more observant among them may even discern that Wanda's "bad girl" '50s persona, unlike today's blunt and blush-worthy equivalent, is nothing more than an act.

Ultimately, Life on a Rock’s most exciting moments come when Kenny pushes his limits on something unusual

True to form, his major-label debut is a personal, understated and unpredictable collection.

If that weren't the case, the well-rounded first installment of Remember Me would nonetheless serve as a modest but fitting memorial to a world-class artist, as well as a testament to Willie's enduring musical ties to Nashville.

This album brings together a diverse lineup of artists for a collection that promotes the message that God has more to do with love than religion.

Kenny's sincere vocal delivery and the lyric content of each track are promising--but together, they register barely above maudlin, thanks to an overabundance of puttering tempos and downtrodden story lines.

While the album lacks some of the energy and freshness of 2010's Nothing Like This, introspective tunes such as "A Little Home," "Sunrise" (co-written by Joe Don) and the Lady Antebellum-esque "Come Wake Me Up" add even more depth to the trio's sound.

While some of the project’s dozen tracks, like the beautiful ballad “Do You Remember” and the refreshingly ’70s-sounding “Lay Low,” which calls to mind Gary Stewart, are of Blake’s caliber, others feel rushed.

As he moves beyond his rap boundaries into more country-rock fare, this album is a step forward for the Kid.

Overall, Josh's sound boasts enough twang to keep it country and enough soulful passion to keep things interesting.

Country Hits Bluegrass Style is mostly a rehash of Ricky's 2008 album for Cracker Barrel.

After the success of his "six-pack" album concept with Hillbilly Bone, Blake is back to delivering a full-length offering of music.

There’s a common theme of relationships among many of the songs, with the ballads “Lonely Tonight” and “Anyone Else” coming away as the strongest of the bunch.

Overall, though the lyric content is among the best on a Tim McGraw album to date.

The tunes are infused with banjos, B3s and other instruments without sounding cluttered. It’s nicely done, but you would hope for better material.

For the most part, Lady Antebellum strikes a nice balance between the two, keeping the penchant for bighearted ballads and the vocal chemistry between Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott intact.

Far from being a punching bag, this album contains enough musical muscle to throw a few punches of its own.

"Family" oozes with humility and domestic contentment, while the gentle, Nashville-leaning "Lucky That Way" (sung with Kenny Chesney on Crossroads) is a Walsh mini-biography

It's a formula sure to satisfy any fan--even Bruce.

There's nothing wild or organic about this overly calculated debut.

It’d be nice to see Luke, the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year, grow out of the fields he’s so clearly comfortable in. But for now, if the soil is still bearing fruit, you can’t blame him for continuing to plow ahead.

Much of the rest of the album features ho-hum mid-tempos and ballads that don’t move the meter much in either direction.

Overall, a solid debut from a young, still-maturing artist.

Hank's been bruised but not broken, and Old School's aggressive attitude evidences that he still rules, with or without reinforcements, on his particular piece of the playground.