Country Mike Blog

Exciting time

Mike Sudhalter  |  September 23, 2008

This is an exciting time for country music. It seems like a lot of albums are being released around this time, a last final push before the holiday season, when all you can buy, is, well, holiday music.

As most of y'all know, my interest in Texas Music has grown exponentially since I relocated to the Lone Star State. One of the best shows I've seen recently is Eli Young Band at Hurricane Harry's in College Station, Texas. It was a CD release party for "Jet Black and Jealous", but I enjoyed the show so much that I ended up purchasing the "Live At The Jolly Fox" album from 2006. It really captures the essence of a live EYB show.

The next day, I hung out in College Station, had a barbecue with some friends before the A&M-Miami football game, walked around Northgate, purchased a nice pearl snap shirt in a second hand store and made the scenic drive to Brenham. It was the last night of the Washington County Fair, and I thought Kevin Fowler was playing. Instead, it was 38 Special, and I wasn't about to wait around four hours for a bunch of has-been southern rockers.

I drove back to Houston, and what do you know? I've got power back. You never miss electricity until you don't have it.

I'm on a real Randy Rogers Band kick now, since I bought there "Rollercoaster" CD Friday in Houston, and I'm fixin' to go to their CD release party on Wednesday, at the Firehouse Saloon in Houston. Sunny Sweeney, another one of my favorites, is opening the show.

I bought their "Like It Used To Be" album off itunes, and thought it was amazing, especially "Lost and Found." Who couldn't relate to lyrics like that?

While Texas Music is, in fact, all the rage, thankfully it's not the only good thing going. Kenny Chesney is fixin' to release a new album, and it's going to stay in that laid back, beach bum sound. Should be a good listen.

But the highlight of my recent non-Texas listening experience is former American Idol contestant Kristy Lee Cook. I listened to her major label debut, "Why Wait", but unlike some bands (EYB, I'm looking at y'all), she didn't take her previous recordings off itunes. I shouldn't blame EYB, that's almost certainly a corporate decision.

Cook's album is great, but her best song is the self-titled ballad on her debut album, "Devoted."