There’s always something new under the sun. This week it’s the "hick-hop" of Cowboy Troy, a mix of rap and country music akin to Nelly and Tim McGraw’s "Over and Over," but with a lot more yee-haw!

 A quick listen to Troy Coleman’s debut CD Loco-Motive, and you’d be forgiven if it left you wondering when Will Smith went country.
 
 "You know, Will Smith is actually one of my heroes/inspirations," Coleman said in a telephone interview last week. "Seriously, I consider him one of the best of all time. I really respect what he’s done in the show business."
 
 However, don’t consider Coleman a mere "novelty" act.
 
 "I want people to understand that this is who I am. This is what I wanted to create when I began making music. I listen to many different artists spanning many genres, and I just decided that this is what I want to do, this is the niche I wish to pursue, this is my voice," he said.
 
 Along with the Fresh Prince, Coleman cites Metallica, Dwight Yoakam, Ludacris, Run DMC, Z.Z. Top, Charlie Daniels and even a little Megadeath as music that has influenced his listening ear over the years.
 
 "I’m not trying to bridge any gaps. I’m not trying to take country music and infiltrate rap/lyrical rhyme schemes, the same way Run DMC and Rage Against the Machine did with rock music and hip-hop. I’m just writing and recording music that I like, and really that’s the bottom line," said Coleman. "It’s what I like, and if you feel like you’ve taken something away from it then, cool. If not, that’s fine, too. Basically, it’s all relative.
 
 "I get looks all the time. You know, I’m 6’5", 250 pounds and I’m sportin’ a cowboy hat and a huge silver belt buckle. People say, ‘You don’t belong in country music,’ and you know, that’s fine. If they don’t like what I do, so be it. It’s not for them. I don’t think there’s an act out there that is respected by 100 percent of the population. It’s just not in the cards. So if I can reach out and touch a few open-minded people, then I feel like I’ve accomplished something positive."
 
 Cowboy Troy’s major label debut Loco-Motive is the first on Raybaw records (an imprint of Warner Brothers) which is run by the Muzik Mafia, of which Coleman is a member, along with Gretchen Wilson and up-and-coming country stars Big and Rich (who perform on a number of songs), among others. Loco-Motive is more banjo than beat-box. It’s an album filled with guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle and Troy’s lyrical prowess, which speaks about life experiences - primarily those that involve partying and having a good time.
 
 Right from the get-go Coleman strikes quick. In "I Play Chicken with the Train," the first single from Loco-Motive, he tries to silence his critics before they even begin to ponder what they’re hearing.
 
 "People said it’s impossible… Not probable… Too radical/ But I already been on the CMA’s, hell Tim McGraw said he like the change./ Said he likes the way my hick-hop sounds and the way the crowd screams when I stomp the ground."
 
 Coleman’s self-proclaimed "hick-hop" is unrelenting in its approach to make people shake "what their mommas gave them." He takes pride in his performance and says that, "If people aren’t smiling when they leave a Cowboy Troy performance, I haven’t done my job correctly.
 
 "I want people to get their money’s worth. I want them to get up out their chairs and stomp as ferociously as I am on stage. I want them to forget their day-to-day routines for the short time we share (at a show). I’m traveling so much and leaving places so quic

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