The appropriately named Heartland don't look or sound like pop idols; they are a refreshingly unpretentious, down-home country group who have connected to a wide audience through old-fashioned grassroots methods.

Featuring the passionate hit title song, I Loved Her First is a collection of heart-tugging, steel-guitar-and-fiddle-laced ballads and uptempo roadhouse rockers, all featuring direct, honest messages that are as country as a longneck bottle on a hardwood bar.