Tom's Country View

"... growing out of the person you were into the person you are now. Growth is painful, growth is hard. It is beautiful and it can leave you feeling hungover." (Monologue / Ella Langley, 1. November 2024)

"'Whirlwind' is another superior example of Wilson's ongoing collaboration with producer Jay Joyce, and how it generates grabbags of songs that sound completely diverse from track to track and yet all authentically country and certainly all utterly her." (Chris Willman / variety.com, 23. August 2024)

"On February 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr., considered one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, dies at the age of 49 in a last-lap crash at the 43rd Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida. After being cut from his car, Earnhardt, whose tough, aggressive driving style earned him the nickname “The Intimidator,” was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead of head injuries." (history.com / A&E Television, November 13, 2009)

"TJ insists that wading into hot-button issues has never been his or the band’s intention. From gun control to gay rights, they’ve always spoken their truths, yes, but that’s not necessarily the same as getting political. 'I don’t see it as [making] a political statement. I see it as just simple right and wrong, the humanitarian aspect,' TJ says." (Jeff Gage, TJ Osborne / www.rollingstone.com/music, September 15, 2023)

"In January 1999, one month after he turned 14, Jason DeFord was baptized by full immersion at Whitsitt Chapel Baptist Church in Antioch, Tenn. By the end of that year, he was incarcerated for the first, but not the last, time." (Melinda Newman / billboard.com, Juni 1, 2023)

"Above all, this new EP from Ballerini is a powerful ode to the messiness of love and loss. It’s Ballerini at her best – raw, vulnerable and honest, with open songwriting that is universal and deeply personal. This project is a triumph and will be a healer to many." (offtherecorduk.com, February 15, 2023)