Keith Urban - Golden Road

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For Keith’s second solo album, he has decided to capitalize his name. That’s not the only change. Mr. Urban has quite likened himself to the banjo; actually it’s a six string instrument that he calls a ganjo. He also has discovered the well kept secret that a cardboard box makes a great set of drums. No, I’m not kidding here. Listen closely to the album’s first single “Somebody Like You”, and you will hear keith, oops, Keith banging away on the ol’ Budweiser box. This tune became a multi-week #1, so, maybe more artists should start using cardboard boxes. It would cut down on overhead.

Keith also takes a turn inward and becomes more reflective in his songwriting. There is a noticeable depth in the writing on this album that did not show on the last. That doesn’t mean that this album is better. In some ways, it’s not. Sometimes Keith gets a little too carried away lyrically and it winds up weakening the song. Case in point is his ode to his father called simply, “Song For Dad”. This is a nice tune telling how the older he gets the more he sees his father in himself. The problem, is there are too many words in the lines, and it comes out being a jumbled mess and hard to follow. It’s kind of like listening to a scrambled word puzzle. However, there are high points on “Golden Road”. Keith sounds great on “Who Wouldn’t Want To Be Me”, “Whenever I Run” and “You Look Good In My Shirt”. These uptempo numbers are what Urban does best. Among ballads, “You’ll Think Of Me” is one that stands out. Who hasn’t been dumped in a relationship and told that person, “just wait, one of these days…”. “You’re Not My God” and Radney Foster’s “Raining On Sunday” are well done ballads as well.

Of course, Urban’s musicianship is one of his strongest points and it comes through on this album. There seems to be a little less of his guitar on this one, but maybe that’s due to that ganjo thing he’s playing. Deep lyrics make for a little disappointment as this is not as strong as his solo debut, but it’s not a bad effort though.

Dale Jones

Pinmonkey - Pinmonkey

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Are you ready to take a deep breath of fresh air? Then say hello to the new group Pinmonkey. So what is a pinmonkey? They were the guys that sat up the pins and returned the bowling balls before bowling alleys became automated. Pinmonkey is also the name of a new group that has a great sound. A sound that takes roots country, bluegrass and Americana and wraps it all up in a package that is a Christmas present to your ears.

Made up of 4 talented musicians, Chad Jeffers (who plays just about everything), brother Michael Jeffers, plus drummer and percussionist Rick Schell. Last but not least is lead vocalist Michael Reynolds, who has a sound so different from anyone else on the charts. His vocals find just the right mark on all of the material here. Make no mistake; there is a bushel basket of great material within this little disc. Michael Reynolds uses his pen as well to give one of the album’s best moments with the gospel themed “Jar Of Clay”. Reynolds also gives the perfect attitude treatment to the Bobby Carmichael/Leslie Satcher creation “Every Time It Rains”. “When the thunder rolls, that’s just me calling your name, yeah you’re gonna miss me every time it rains” are some of the best lyrics on the album.

One of the most pleasant moments is “Augusta”, where Reynolds and crew just make you feel like you’re floating right on down to Georgia. Then get ready to tap your toes as the guys do a down-home front porch rendition of Sugar Ray’s “Fly”. This just makes your feet want to get up and sing. The only time this album fails to deliver is when they get a little too commercial sounding with “The Longest Road” and to a certain extent the album’s 2nd single “I Drove All Night”. Still, this is one of the best sounding groups to come out of music row’s offices in some time. If you are tired of boring Lonestar sounding wanna-be’s, do your ears a favor and give the guys from Pinmonkey a listen. These guys have bowled a strike.

Dale Jones

Ray Price - Time

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Ahhh... the very first notes you hear on Time belong to twin fiddles kicking off a country shuffle of heartbreak, “You Just Don’t Love Me Anymore,” sung by Ray Price. Need I say more? How about the fact that all the surviving members of the original Nashville “A” Team (including Harold Bradley, Buddy Harmon, Jimmy Capps, Buddy Emmons and Pete Wade) were hired by veteran producer Fred Foster for the sessions? Then consider that the songs on Time were written by folks like Cindy Walker, Max D. Barnes, Hank Cochran, Harlan Howard and Price himself, and you can probably imagine the result without even having to read this review. Yes, Time is nothing short of timeless, just like Price’s voice.

For a sample of how masterful these session players really are, listen to the musical breaks in “Take Back Your Old Love Letters” and “Both Sides Of Goodbye.” You simply don’t hear music like this any more, kids. And that’s a crying shame. Even a “young’un” gets to join the mix, with Vince Gill singing (low) harmony vocals on Harlan Howard’s “What If I Say Goodbye,” a tune that Gill himself cut in the early years of his career. But for a crash-course in Country Music Singing 101, try “No One But You” on for size. Price’s phrasing and vocal range on this outstanding fiddle-and-steel shuffle could bring a tear to a glass eye. To once again steal a line from a local deejay, “Are there any questions?”

The Max D. Barnes-penned title track, with its stark-reality lyrics, is nothing short of haunting: “Time is a weapon, it’s cold and it’s cruel; It knows no religion and plays by no rules; Time has no conscience when it’s all said and done; Like a beast in the jungle that devours its young.” That’s so good, it hurts! Price’s still-amazing vocals are simply the chilling icing on the cake. The great weeper ballad “If You Think You’re Lonely” (“If you think you’re lonely, you should be here with me”) is also deserving of mention. Shoot, just hit “play” and enjoy, okay? Time is a prime example of what country music could, and should, be in a perfect world. Rock-solid material, stunning musicianship and amazing production, all capped off with the vocals of a master. And isn’t it about “time?”

Lisa Berg

Hank Williams, Jr.- Outdoor Lovin’ Man

Sara Evans- Why Should I Care

Damon Troy- Rest Your Love On Me

Please! Someone stop the madness!!

Dale Jones

• Steve Azar, “Waitin’ On Joe” Director, Steven Goldmann; Producer, Robin Rucker
• Elizabeth Cook, “Stupid Things” Director, Chris Rogers; Producer, Clarke Gallivan
• Toby Keith, “Who’s Your Daddy” Director, Michael Salomon; Producer, Mark Kalbfeld
  
  In a month with some very innovative and humorous videos, Steve Azar, Elizabeth Cook and Toby Keith make up our triumphant trifecta. Director Steven Goldmann scored a coup by getting actor Morgan Freeman to serve as the “narrator” for Azar’s “Waitin’ On Joe” clip. Azar follows the storyline of his song nicely, serving as the lead actor in the thought-provoking vid. “Who’s Your Daddy” has a much more lighthearted vein, with Keith driving around in a big ol’ Ford truck as a femme fatale “breaks in” to his mansion, making herself right at home. Shades of Tom Cruise in “Risky Business” in a few of the scenes. When Keith finally arrives home, the surprised gal asks who he is. Keith responds with the same. Then the gal says she’s waiting for “Barry” (Cledus T. Judd’s “real” first name). Turns out Barry/Cledus is only the lawn boy for Keith’s mansion. Quite a humorous twist to wrap up a very entertaining clip. But Chris Rogers gets the creativity award this month for Cook’s “Stupid Things” masterpiece. The unique work has a cartoon-like feel to it, featuring things like Mount Rushmore “singing” and a plane flying by at the end toting a “Hey Y’all” (the title of Cook’s new album) banner. It’s a very fun video to watch, utilizing a style that we certainly don’t see every day.

• Terri Clark, “I Just Wanna Be Mad”
• Dixie Chicks, “Landslide”
  
  Shot in San Francisco, “I Just Wanna Be Mad” scores with Clark’s strong on-screen presence, as well as a great cameo by a parking attendant guy. “Landslide” features some impressive special effects to spice up what could
  have been an otherwise “draggy” video, based on the tempo of the song.

• Trace Adkins, “Chrome”
• Shania Twain, “I’m Gonna Getcha Good”
  
  Twain’s London-made “I”m Gonna Getcha Good” clip reportedly cost a cool million dollars. While it is impressive in scope and mindful of something we’d perhaps see on the big screen, I simply can’t get past the fact that, at least at quick glance a few times, Twain somehow resembles Michael Jackson in her singing close-ups. Creative, but frightening at the same time. “Chrome” is predictable - lots of girls, lots of automotive chrome. And check out the Adkins “Look, Ma - no ponytail!” long hair look.

• Jennifer Hanson, “Beautiful Goodbye”
• Cledus T. Judd, “It’s A Great Day To Be A Guy”
• Holly Lamar, “These Are The Days”
• SHeDAISY, “Mine All Mine”
  
  Hanson’s “Beautiful Goodbye” and Lamar’s “These Are The Days” rely on lots of shots of the artist doing lots of singing. It’s great to ingrain the name-with-the-face concept in viewers’ minds, but once we’ve seen the gals from all angles, there’s not much else there. And “It’s A Great Day To Be A Guy” is pretty predictable, though the synchronized swimming scenes are quite funny. But this time, Cledus as “Barry” far outshines Cledus as “Cledus.”

Lisa Berg