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James, in his guise as editor of Lyric Magazine (www.lyricmagazine.co.uk), is lucky enough to receive a lot of albums and songs in advance from record labels and PRs. He's got advances of TWO albums being released in March that have blown his mind in a way that only really Carly Pearce's 'Written in Stone' did last year. Listen in to find out which two artists have made such a big impression on him!

Kip Moore released a re-recorded version of fan-favourite 'Crazy One More Time' two weeks ago and sent the song to radio. The song originally appeared on his debut album over a decade ago. Is it a good idea? Which other artists have done this, if any? Is it the start of a new trend? If so, what other five songs from five different artists would benefit from the same treatment. James addresses all those questions and more in today's episode and laments, again, the mistreatment that Cam's song 'Diane' received at radio. 

In the first episode of 2022 James looks to the year ahead and identifies where the great Country music is coming from. He gives a shout out to a series of artists to watch out for, albums to check out and predicts three big trends that he expects to see in the industry. Oh, and he doesn't mention Covid at all! (Spoiler - he does)

It's that time of year again folks! In true Ross Geller style, James has made a pros and cons list about Country music for the year of 2021. What have been the good and bad things that have happened in Country music this year? James takes a look and finds some reasons to be cheerful about the genre for the year ahead.

Last night (Weds 10th November) Bridgestone Arena in Nashville hosted the 2021 Country Music Association awards. It was great to have them back, restored to in-person glory. Every award evening is not without debate and intrigue, supposition and speculation and last night's was no exception. In today's episode James analyses the winners and rounds up the reaction to the evening, the surprises (Kelsea Ballerini and Stapleton) and the disappointments (Miranda?).

Zac Brown Band's new album, 'The Comeback' is a triumph after years of messy, almost legacy killing rubbish! In today's episode, James explores whether Zac means it this time or whether we will get more experimental, 'Swayze'-style tripe in the future. Can you really like 'The Comeback' without worrying that it might all go to pot again like it did with 'The Owl' and 'Controversy'?

The big controversy this week in the world of Country music was the announcement that the new album from Kacey Musgraves, 'star-crossed' would not be eligible for a Grammy this year in the Country music category. Well, talk about meltdown. In this podcast James, an arch liberal progressive inclusionist when it comes to Country music, explores why he thinks the Grammy committee were 100% correct to make this decision.

Announced last week, the nominations for the 55th CMA awards in November make for interesting reading. They seem to suggest that there is a shift in focus and a changing of the guard quietly happening in Country music. James explains why.

James comes to the conclusion that with their new album, 'Good Things' Dan + Shay have transitioned out of Country music in the same way that Taylor Swift and The Band Perry famously did. Does it matter? Are the genre rules breaking down these days? What do you think?

It's gone viral!!!!!! Yep, Country music has never been as popular as it is now..............on TikTok. The recent success of Walker Hayes' 'Fancy Like' song combined with the emergence of artists like Priscilla Block, Ashley Cooke and Tigerlily from The 615 House in Nashville has focused attention on TikTok as a platform on which musicians can advance their careers and attain that nirvana of a fabled record deal. in this episode James addresses head on his thoughts on this issue and the artists that are changing the face of the Country music industry in ways that might surprise you!

The craft and the art of making great albums is something that isn't valued in Country music as much as in other genres. Country music is all about the hit and the radio single and has been since at least the 1950s. In this episode James looks into why and name-checks a few artists that are beginning to bring back the art of making an album. He also poses the question - Can you actually name a 'great' Johnny Cash album that wasn't a live recording!

Made for You by Jake Owen is just coming to the end of a two week stay at number one in the Country music charts. James thinks it may well be the most remarkable Country song of modern times. Find out what he means by remarkable and learn a little more about the fascinating life story this song has had.