Brooks, Yearwood may have been exposed to COVID

Gunslinger

If naming your release "Gunslinger," you'd better let it rip and go for a harder country sound, especially if donning a black cowboy hat on the cover. The reality does not exactly match that sentiment for Garth Brooks, but at times he comes mighty close. The high points for Brooks are the three most traditional country songs - a couple of honky tonkers ("Honky-Tonk Somewhere" and "Cowboys and Friends") and a ballad ("Whiskey to Wine"). ...

PrizeFighter: Hit after Hit

Trisha Yearwood is better known these days for being on the Food Network for her cooking show and publishing cookbooks plus being Mrs. Garth Brooks than she is for her own recording career. "Prizefighter" is a greatest hits collection plus with 10 hits and 6 new songs, going all the way back with her career song and debut single, "She's in Love With the Boy," which still resonates 23 years later. There are the upbeat ("XXXs and OOO's" and "Heaven, ...

Man Against Machine

After releasing his debut album in 1989, Garth Brooks released music almost every year until he announced his retirement in 2000. Since then, he has released repackaged hit collections, new music on "Scarecrow" and "The Lost Sessions" and last year's cover song collection "Blame it All on My Roots." Over the years, there have been live recordings, concert and music video collections. The country songwriter became a pop culture icon, transcending genre to become ...