Lee Ann Womack- “There Is a God”

After only two singles off her previous album Call Me Crazy, Lee Ann Womack is back with the lead single from her upcoming, untitled 7^th studio album. “There Is a God” is a lovely lyric that goes through many reasons why the singer believes God exists.  Lee Ann’s voice is in full control from the first line she sings and her heart and soul are laid out throughout.  This is probably Lee Ann’s most inspirational single since “I Hope You Dance” and one of her better singles ever.  While the subject may annoy some or some may think that the song is a little too “political,” I think the song is exactly what needs to be said. 

You can try and argue that this is formulaic and just another song in a long line of radio fluff, but you probably won’t convince me.  Songs like these come along every so often and get us emotionally charged up some way.  The bridge serves as the catalyst for the debate that there is and will be over the song.  While science relies on human thought and understanding, it is the things we cannot explain, the things that defy human logic, or the things that just take our breath away that offer us the only proof there is that God does exist.  Our understanding is limited and some people are not able to fathom the existence of God or something that is more sound that scientific fact.  This song offers up a lot of examples, but not a complete list, of things that reinforce the faith of Christians and sometimes opens the eyes on non-Christians to the work of God.

Radio is going to play this song a lot because it truly does get all listeners emotionally invested and a little debate over a song is always healthy.  I think Lee Ann gets to the Top 5 for the first time since 2000’s “Ashes by Now,” the single that immediately followed “I Hope You Dance.”

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- Top 5

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Bucky Covington- “Gotta Be Somebody”

After his first single from his sophomore album I’m Alright peaked at least 20 places lower than it should and became his lowest charting single, Bucky is at a point in his career where he needs to make everyone remember that he actually has a good voice and can put good music out on the radio.  Another poorly played single might mean his second album, if released, may be his last.  I do think Bucky has been a little underappreciated, but with a lot of newer male acts finding success, he needs to get back on everyone’s radios soon.  In my opinion, “Gotta Be Somebody” probably won’t do it.  While you cannot argue that he that he is the right person to do a cover of a Nickelback song, I just don’t know if country radio will play this.  I am hoping that they will because I have liked Bucky not only as an artist but as a person since his American Idol days.  I think this song will peak higher than “I Want My Life Back,” but I don’t think it will make the Top 20 like he needs it to do.  Hopefully, this will get enough airplay to get his second album released and another single to the radio.

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- Top 30

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Gretchen Wilson- “Work Hard, Play Harder”

Gretchen Wilson is yesterday’s news. This song does nothing to elevate her back to the status she earned with her first album, though they are still some devoted fans out there.  The last song of hers that really did anything on the charts was “All Jacked Up” which peaked lower than any of the songs on her first album at #8.  While her songs have been okay, they haven’t really charted well. The promise from her first album seems a distant memory now.  While “Work Hard, Play Harder” has a decent lyric, it just isn’t anything special.  It’ll be another in a long line of weak charting singles, becoming her 10^th straight song to miss the Top 20 after 4 straight Top 5s to start her career.

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- Top 40

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Randy Houser- “Whistlin’ Dixie”

Apparently, two official singles from Randy’s debut album Anything Goes was enough, so Randy moves on to his sophomore album and the first single.  You do have to admit that Randy’s first two singles “Anything Goes” and “Boots On” were some pretty good music, but I am all for artists releasing four singles from each album.  I can settle for three, but two makes me think that either the rest of the album was uninspiring or the new music is so good that it makes the first album look weak.  Seeing as I do not own Randy’s debut album, I cannot give my most likely opinion on that.  What I can do is evaluate the first song off his second album.

“Whistlin’ Dixie” is a rockin’ look at life in the south and I would put it on par with “Boots On” in quality.  Listening to it for the first has got me tapping my foot along with it.  I do like the instrumental that is a rockin’ version of a tune familiar to everyone and inspires the title of the song.  If this is a sign of things to come from Randy, his sophomore album more make his debut album look pretty poor.  As for “Whistlin’ Dixie” and its success on the charts, I think it will also be on par with “Boots On” and become Randy’s second Top 5 with a chance to be his first #1.

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- Top 5

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Uncle Kracker- “Smile”

While I thought Uncle Kracker sounded good with Kenny Chesney on their 2004 duet that reached #1 on the Billboard Charts, I never figured he would release a solo single on the country charts.  Then, I heard that he was planning it, but that did not materialize until now.  While it makes a good pop song, I never thought that “Smile” would be a country single.  The version that I have heard isn’t necessarily country, but it is very similar to a lot of today’s mainstream country from Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, etc.  While it is more pop than any other country artist, the fact is the lyric fits into country music.  It’s a love song all the way through and if the version playing on the country radio has a few changes to the instrumental to make it sound a little more country, then Uncle Kracker has a huge hit.  If Kid Rock can take a crappy summer tune to the Top 5, Uncle Kracker can get this song there.  Of course, Kid Rock benefited from the lack of any other true summer single on country radio in 2008 and wouldn’t have had the same success this summer.  Uncle Kracker has nothing that would keep this song from being a big hit with country fans.

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- Top 5

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Jack Ingram- “Seeing Stars” with Patty Griffin

Fresh off his second highest charting single with “Barefoot and Crazy,” which peaked at #10, Jack Ingram has released to radio his duet with Patty Griffin.  I never knew who Patty Griffin was until I purchased Dierks Bentley’s Feel That Fire where Dierks has a duet with her on it.  Patty has a nice folk voice that went well with Dierks on their duet. As for this song, Patty is basically background vocals until the end, which doesn’t help the song enough.

“Seeing Stars” suffers from a lyric that is too plain and doesn’t have much substance.  The basic idea at first is the singer sees stars everywhere.  While the chorus tries to relate it to wishing on stars and praying to God only when you need to, the ultimate purpose of the lyric only shows up in the last verse.  By the time you get to the part where it explains that the guy is seeing stars because of a breakup, you have lost interest in the song.

What this song needs to be something other than album filler is Patty singing a verse herself early on from her point of view to possibly clue the listener in to the idea of the song.  Since that isn’t the case, this song had probably already reached its peak on the Billboard Charts.  It might make it a little higher, but this song is barely worthy of charting.

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- Top 60

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Blake Shelton- “Hillbilly Bone” with Trace Adkins

So, does everybody have a hillbilly bone?  Sure, that’s what you can get out of the lyric.  The lyric is good, but it is not the best part of the entire song.  That honor goes to the vocals of both Blake and Trace.  The deep tones of Trace’s voice are great in backing up Blake’s vocals on the chorus and how well both vocals mesh with the arrangement.  This song has big hit written all over it.  Definitely worth a listen over and over and over…I think that this song has a decent chance at #1 and probably should make it.

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- #1

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Joe Nichols- “Gimmie That Girl”

From the very first line, this song is 100% Joe Nichols.  As soon as he sings that first note, Joe owns this song and makes it sound believable.  Joe has never been the one to dazzle you with powerful vocals, he’s just a guy who sings the lyrics well and connects with the emotion of the song.  “Gimmie That Girl” may just be about wanting the girl that he sees at home more than the public one, but he makes it sound like it’s something that no one has ever thought of before.

There’s only one knock for this song and that is that Joe has begun to struggle on the charts lately.  “Believers” was a good song, but it didn’t crack the Top 20.  I think “Gimmie That Girl” may find the same, showing that good songs don’t always chart well.  I do think that this one has enough good things about it that it may be able to slip into the Top 20 given the right circumstances (several singles removed from the Billboard charts during the same week, for example), but am more inclined to think it will fall short.

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- Top 30

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Toby Keith- “Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song)”

Fresh off his latest #1 single, Toby Keith is back with one of his most heartfelt songs ever.  “Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song)” is a tribute to a lost friend and how the tears that the singer is crying are for him, not for his lost friend.  While the sound of the song is a little different for Toby, the connection he has to this lyric makes your heart ache and want to shed a tear.  We have all lost loved ones and this song accurately portrays how we feel when this happens.  This is definitely going to be another #1 for Toby and may be one of his most remembered songs of all time someday.

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- #1

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Rodney Atkins- “Chasin’ Girls”

Rodney Atkins has a way with finding songs that affect many people at a time without being too “copycat-ish.” “Chasin’ Girls” is yet another in a long line of good songs from Rodney.  While “15 Minutes” didn’t make it to #1, “Chasin’ Girls” has a pretty decent chance of getting closer than “15 Minutes” did.  It has a clever lyric (chasing girls in the teenage boy sense then morphs into the guy chasing his twin daughters around), Rodney connects to the song vocally, and it’s a pleasant listen.  I do think that Rodney probably will not match the same success with this single as he did with some of his previous work, but this one has Top 5 written all over it.

Billboard Chart Peak Prediction- Top 5

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