Taste of Country Staff
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ToC Encore: Turning Personal Tragedy Into Hit Records
Turning a personal tragedy into a hit record is tricky, and not just for all the normal reasons that it's difficult to make a song into a hit. Artists who write a great personal song may be hesitant to record it for months or years. Taste of Country writer Billy Dukes considers three powerful songs and three artists who dealt with the personal tragedies that inspired them in very different ways.
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Win a Cole Swindell Prize Pack
Cole Swindell doesn't just want you to listen to his album -- the singer wants you to live it, and he's offering a prize pack to one Taste of Country reader to ensure the 'Cole Swindell' experience is complete.
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Album Spotlight: Cole Swindell, ‘Cole Swindell’
Cole Swindell set out to make a well-rounded album that tells his story, and he succeeded. The 12 tracks on ‘Cole Swindell’ tread along familiar country themes, but don’t run ruts into any one in particular. It’s surprisingly easy to find yourself halfway through the album a second time without noticing.
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Win a Signed DVD Copy of Kix Brooks’ Movie ‘Ambush at Dark Canyon’
Kix Brooks made his acting debut earlier this year, and now fans have a chance to bring him home. Enter here to win one of 10 signed copies of both the DVD and CD soundtrack to ‘Ambush at Dark Canyon.’
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JJ Lawhorn – ‘Good Ol’ Boys Like Us’ [Listen]
Fans of Justin Moore will really dig JJ Lawhorn and his new song 'Good Ol' Boys Like Us.' The two singers share a producer (Jeremy Stover discovered Lawhorn on YouTube) and -- at least on this song -- share a talent for revealing a country boy's soft side.
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Kellie Pickler, ‘Closer to Nowhere’ [Listen]
Sincere love songs fit Kellie Pickler like a tailored red carpet gown. ‘Closer to Nowhere’ is a big, stirring ballad from the ‘The Woman I Am’ album. Her romantic story talks of getting lost with a lover at the edge of town.
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Win a Guitar and Copy of ‘The Journey: (Livin’ Hits)’ Signed by Craig Morgan
As Craig Morgan's 'Wake Up Lovin' You' climbs its way up the country charts, the singer wants to reward fans for making it a hit. Enter here to win an autographed guitar and a copy of his new 'The Journey: (Livin' Hits)' album.
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ToC Encore: A Defense for Artists Who Play SeaWorld
Nearly a dozen others refused, but Alan Jackson, Gretchen Wilson and Kid Rock have taken the stage to play SeaWorld's Bands, Brews & BBQ concert series, despite heavy protest from a controversy started after a documentary called 'Blackfish' aired. Should those who play be demonized?
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Valentine’s Day Kisses – Blake Shelton’s Top 5 Bromance Moments [Watch]
Blake Shelton is perhaps country music's most loving singer. The 'Hillbilly Bone' singer has proven he'll pucker up for just about anyone. His wife, his co-host, a random guy on a red carpet ... Shelton doesn't discriminate with the lip love! Taste of Country's Valentine's Day gift to you is these Top 5 Blake Shelton bromance moments ever.
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Maggie Rose, ‘Looking Back Now’ [Listen]
Maggie Rose’s new single ‘Looking Back Now’ is the reason her debut album ‘Cut to Impress’ ended up on a number of Top Albums of 2013 lists. For some, there is a special place for women who commit acts of violence in the name jealousy or safety. Never has a country song told a revenge story in such vivid detail, however.
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Album Spotlight: Eric Paslay, ‘Eric Paslay’
Eric Paslay’s self-titled debut album is a songwriter’s album, but that doesn’t mean the redheaded singer sounds out of place fronting a full, ultra-modern production. Paslay dabbles with several different styles during the 11 tracks on ‘Eric Paslay.’
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Miranda Lambert, ‘Automatic’ [Listen]
Miranda Lambert does nostalgia as well as she does crazy. Her new single ‘Automatic’ is a yearning look back at a time before computers, cell phones and 800 channels on TV. With familiar and original references, the singer introduces a softer tone for her fifth studio album.