The Crossroads’ Month in Review

By: Sam Corbett

Well, welcome BACK to The Crossroads! I know we’ve been away, and I have a lot to catch up with. First off, I found a new cohost. Zane has graduated on to greener pastures, and Andy has taken his place. He’s done well, learning more and more obscure artists that fit our sound. 

Through the first month of shows that we’ve been back on air, we’ve covered two well-known stars, a breakout guitarist who made headlines this summer, and an underrated voice. 

Oliver Anthony

The honest, emotional song “Rich Men North of Richmond” was the top song in the summer. Its peak was when it was a topic of discussion in the GOP primary debate. Anthony’s sincere and bare vocals with his lone guitar add to the genuine feeling that the everyman sings with.

Alongside the chart-topper, we reviewed “Cobwebs and Cocaine” and “Ain’t Gotta Dollar”. Both tunes were bare as well, but were both powerful in their own ways. While neither song is long nor complex, they both are beautifully sung, especially when Anthony howls at the high notes. 

The folk singer goes more dark Americana in the first, while more upbeat in the second. Anthony’s acknowledgment of his poor upbringing and community add to the honesty and genuine emotions behind his work. Grade – A-

Zach Bryan

One of the biggest names in all of country music, Bryan’s self-titled album was one of our favorite works to review on the show. Truly, both Andy and I agreed that there were no skips. Of the 54 minutes in the album, we covered the introductory “Fear and Friday’s” poem version along with “Overtime”, “I Remember Everything”, “Hey Driver”, and “East Side of Sorrow”. Bryan displays a vast range of emotion throughout the songs, and he is aided by amazing vocals from Kacey Musgraves on “I Remember Everything” and The War and Treaty on “Hey Driver”. 

While I found the opening poem to be the most moving song for me, (I’m a sucker for sad cowboy music), Andy liked “East Side of Sorrow” the most because of Bryan’s delivery and a great instrumental to pair. 

Bryan has already released more music following the self-titled album, adding his Boys of Pain EP on September 22nd. Grade – A

Tyler Childers

Another heavy hitter. Childers released a shorter project, Rustin’ In The Rain, on September 8th. The work only has 7 songs, totaling 28 minutes. We reviewed the opening track that shares the same name as the album, “Percheron Mules”, and a cover of S.G. Goodman’s “Space and Time”. 

Frankly, we were underwhelmed by Childers on this one. The title track is typical Childers. Upbeat, folk, twang, and good guitar. The other songs we didn’t feature were almost too slow and too sad for sad cowboy music. “Percheron Mules”, on the other hand, was described as “weird” by Andy over 15 times between all of the times we listened to it. It’s a quirky Childers song, and then takes a complete 180 with the introduction of backing vocals that sound like a barbershop quartet. 

The Goodman cover is…good. Slower music is Childers’ best, although not love songs. I’ll still belt the lyrics though. Cool album cover. Grade – C+

Tim Montana

Last week, we covered Montana’s newest single, “Devil You Know”. After it dropped on August 30th, I knew we’d cover him at some point this semester. Montana, a great blend of country and rock, goes HEAVY with the rock aspect in this one. 

Yes, it’s a bit slow at times. But, when he starts to belt, it ROCKS.

Montana has received criticism for sounding like Kid Rock (which isn’t as bad a thing as people might think), which is why he’s flown under the radar for a while. But, we’ve featured some of his previous singles, and we think his sound is perfect for The Crossroads. Grade – B+

That’s all for now. Our next review will feature a rockin’ cowboy from Couer d’Alene, Colby Acuff. Tune in every Wednesday at 8p to hear us play and talk about the best country rock music around! EMBRACE YOUR INNER OUTLAW.