Country Mike Blog

Short commute

Mike Sudhalter  |  September 18, 2007

You can't complain about a short commute, about 5-10 minutes in my case.

But one thing it limits is the opportunity to listen to music. Drive time is usually one of my only chances to hear some music. Before I leave the house, I grab a handful of CDs with the hope of listening to some of them.

I always end up listening to less than I'd hoped for. Today, I got some good stuff in. Gene Watson released "In A Perfect World" on the Shanachie label, and the honky-tonk legend sounds great. It's too bad that Watson's name isn't mentioned alongside Haggard, Jones, etc. The disc also receives a boost from contemporary traditionalists like Lee Ann Womack, Joe Nichols, Mark Chesnutt and legends Vince Gill and Connie Smith. It doesn't get any more country than Watson handling a honky-tonk ballad.

I wondered about Rockie Lynne, being that he ended up a one-hit wonder with "Lipstick", but the guy has a solid debut album. And I hope he comes back for more.

I don't watch American Idol, but I hope to see former contestant Lindsay Cardinale release an album. I heard her duet with Stephen Cochran on Cochran's self-titled debut. Cochran combines high-octane country with a neo-traditional flair. And I hope he gets some attention on country radio.

Obviously, the deck is stacked against folks like Watson, Lynne and Cochran as Nashville releases faux-country like Rascal Flatts. Hopefully, the pendulum will swing from the pop wanna-bes to the true honky-tonkers.