Grade A+

Redbank, Tennessee native Kane Brown is a contemporary country music artist who debuted his eponymous album “Kane Brown” this past December. According to an online music guide service Allmusic, he originally became interested in country music after winning a high school talent contest by singing Chris Young’s “Gettin’ You Home.”

Like many newer artists, he then began turning to social media to expand his listener base, gaining a following online. That seemed to work pretty well for the artist, as his single “Don’t Go City on Me” went viral back in 2014. His debut album “Closer” hit the charts in 2015 — and in 2016 he signed with RCA/Sony Music Nashville. This latest album — “Kane Brown” — has been making its way to the radio streams lately, so you should check it out.

This song teeters on the edge of country and another genre, which is not an uncommon tactic nowadays. “Hometown Proud” is a great single that every graduating senior could relate to, when all you want to do is make your hometown and family proud. It is fast, has a great beat and the lyrics are easy enough to pick up. I can definitely see this becoming a summer favorite.

This next song blew me out of the water. Being the first song I heard from this artist, it is fantastic, sexy and created the best first impression possible. “What Ifs” with Lauren Alaina is the first single from this album that I heard on the radio. It was also a song that made me interested in hearing the rest of the album.

“Learning” is an odd mix of genres, none of which I would consider country. It has some rap and something related to jazz — and makes you want to snap your fingers while swaying side to side. The lyrics provide a very in-depth look at the artist’s dramatic past. As well as it is written, the sound is very different from the rest of the album. Needless to say, it was not my favorite among the album’s singles.

Kane Brown must be the championing artist of loves songs. His tracks come off with the excitement of Hunter Hayes and the sweetness of Brett Young, especially “Thunder in the Rain” which encompasses all of that perfectly.

“Better Place” is a sweet addition to the album. Yet another love track, this one is great, since it is slower and more cheesy than the other songs on this album.

Looking for a summer anthem? “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” is nothing but bikinis, sand, beaches, tans and freedom. As it gets warmer around Maine, a bunch of us are looking to make a playlist that will accompany us to Old Orchard and I am adding this one for sure.

Kane Brown is an exciting country artist who seems to favor mixing, country, rock, rhythm and blues, while playing up the cliches. This does not mean he doesn’t carry the classic arsenal of twang and guitar chords that sound familiar to us country fans. You can definitely see Brown moving up in the charts, making sure we hear more of him real soon.

This album deserves two thumbs up and will be taking it into the summer alongside my other new favorites.

Grade A+

Redbank, Tennessee native Kane Brown is a contemporary country music artist who debuted his eponymous album “Kane Brown” this past December. According to an online music guide service Allmusic, he originally became interested in country music after winning a high school talent contest by singing Chris Young’s “Gettin’ You Home.”

Like many newer artists, he then began turning to social media to expand his listener base, gaining a following online. That seemed to work pretty well for the artist, as his single “Don’t Go City on Me” went viral back in 2014. His debut album “Closer” hit the charts in 2015 — and in 2016 he signed with RCA/Sony Music Nashville. This latest album — “Kane Brown” — has been making its way to the radio streams lately, so you should check it out.

This song teeters on the edge of country and another genre, which is not an uncommon tactic nowadays. “Hometown Proud” is a great single that every graduating senior could relate to, when all you want to do is make your hometown and family proud. It is fast, has a great beat and the lyrics are easy enough to pick up. I can definitely see this becoming a summer favorite.

This next song blew me out of the water. Being the first song I heard from this artist, it is fantastic, sexy and created the best first impression possible. “What Ifs” with Lauren Alaina is the first single from this album that I heard on the radio. It was also a song that made me interested in hearing the rest of the album.

“Learning” is an odd mix of genres, none of which I would consider country. It has some rap and something related to jazz — and makes you want to snap your fingers while swaying side to side. The lyrics provide a very in-depth look at the artist’s dramatic past. As well as it is written, the sound is very different from the rest of the album. Needless to say, it was not my favorite among the album’s singles.

Kane Brown must be the championing artist of loves songs. His tracks come off with the excitement of Hunter Hayes and the sweetness of Brett Young, especially “Thunder in the Rain” which encompasses all of that perfectly.

“Better Place” is a sweet addition to the album. Yet another love track, this one is great, since it is slower and more cheesy than the other songs on this album.

Looking for a summer anthem? “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” is nothing but bikinis, sand, beaches, tans and freedom. As it gets warmer around Maine, a bunch of us are looking to make a playlist that will accompany us to Old Orchard and I am adding this one for sure.

Kane Brown is an exciting country artist who seems to favor mixing, country, rock, rhythm and blues, while playing up the cliches. This does not mean he doesn’t carry the classic arsenal of twang and guitar chords that sound familiar to us country fans. You can definitely see Brown moving up in the charts, making sure we hear more of him real soon.

This album deserves two thumbs up and will be taking it into the summer alongside my other new favorites.

This past Thursday, April 27, students had the pleasure of attending the English department’s last New Writing Lecture series event for the spring. This was the reading and recognition of the Grady Award winner for Creative Writing.

Toward the end of the academic year, the department hosts a special lecture night for the Grady Award winners. These winners are both graduate and undergraduate students who entered the prestigious competition in order for their works to be judged. This competition is for both poetry and manuscript writers. Other student works had the opportunity to be showcased throughout the year, but this particular lecture was reserved for only the first place and second place winners under both styles of writing at the bachelor of arts and master of arts levels.

The poetry winners this year were students Joseph Ahern, Brendan Allen, Katherine Dubois and Paul Eaton.

Katherine Dubois is the first place undergraduate winner for poetry. She read a series of short and mid-length poems. Her leading selection was comprised of 10 parts and encompassed thought processes from underprivileged children she worked with, as well as her own. Her pacing and separation of the parts made this piece dramatic and strong.

Joseph Ahern provides a humorous spin on serious topics like abusive homes, Alzheimer’s and religion. His short poems were creative and witty, leaving the audience laughing until the poem’s true, “tragic” essence sets in. In his nervousness of not having written something new since the awards, he created a poem in preparation of the event. You would never have guessed it was a last second addition. He also provided an untitled poem for which he is “open to suggestions for” when it comes to naming. He was awarded second place for poetry at the undergraduate level.

Among those who received awards for their fiction writing were, Kaitlin Abrams, Brady Andrews, Alex Terrell and Morghen Tidd.

When David Kress introduced Alex Terrell, he mentioned a previous conversation he had with her. “She warned me beforehand that she had never read in public before and this would be a trainwreck,” to which he replied: “Then I hope you deliver and it’s the biggest trainwreck ever.”

Her reading of her short story “Black Dog” was both supernatural and dark. She also sounded like she had been reading for years in front of audiences, as she was very confident in her narration. She was awarded second place at the undergraduate level for fiction.

Morghen Tidd was awarded first place fiction at the undergraduate level. Tidd’s representation of the rapid thoughts of a young woman struggling with herself in her contemporary work (which does not have a set title) perfectly captures anxiety and self-doubt, along with a relatable, strong, feminine stubbornness.

This year, students were judged by Amber Sparks, an author of “The Unfinished World” and “Shut Up/ Look Pretty,” as well as Jenn McCreary, a poet and author of “Elderly’s Not My Country.”

Every year the English department holds a lecture series in which they invite various writers, authors, guest speakers and students to come and read works they have created, or to teach about particular related topics. This lecture continues to be one that is popular among students, because they can see and hear some of the great works that their peers are producing right here on campus