Bryan, Whitters take ACM honors

I'm In Love

Hailey Whitters smartly plays with words on the title track to this six-song EP. "He's in a Chevy/And I'm in love," she explains contrastingly. With its upfront mandolin part, the track nicely resembles Whitters' hit, "Everything She Ain't," which is reprised on this release - albeit more acoustically. It may not be as conceptual as Whitters' full-length, "Raised," was, but this smaller offering nevertheless covers familiar and enjoyable Whitters territory. ...

Summertime Blues

Some have described celebrated singer/songwriter Zach Bryan's style as 'sad boy country' and only this sort of unhappy artist can make even getting off work sound a little depressing. However, Bryan does just that with his "Summertime Blues EP" opener, "Quittin Time." The track is introduced with mournful banjo and fiddle, which foreshadows Bryan's restless lyrical wait for his workday to end. Yes, he sings about how "I'll take my gal to town" ...

Raised

Hailey Whitters' "Raised" album is very much a biographical collection. From the title cut to the extended family sung about during "Big Family," Whitters sings again and again about her relatives and upbringing. She doesn't have to say the words 'small town' for the listener to know without a doubt she's telling us about country living. It's also an album built upon solid, traditional instrumentation, which makes it all the better. ...