Brad Paisley’s “Online” Heads List of CMT Music Awards Nominees

When it comes to Lady Antebellum, I think they are a wonderful example of country-pop/contemporary country at its best.

I feel as though bands like Rascal Flatts are picking up all the bad qualities of pop and infusing them into country. Lady A is infusing the good qualities.

Lady A is great live, and should be a force to be reckoned with in 2008. If “All We’d Ever Need” isn’t a top 10 record, then radio has truly gone to hell (a real possibility).

Marketing.

I am sorry change the subject- But I was sadden to hear two or three months ago that Steve Holy had a police officer hold a gun to his gead. But I just recently heard the 911 tape on an online site for a local Dallas newspaper and Holy sounds very drunk,confused, and far more pissed off then scared. I think that this story might be more complex than it was reported on first glance. The only reason I am bringing it up is that there may also be some other problems with him, and it may become an even sadder story. I like his voice. I think if he had better songs we would hear an even better voice. Sorry for the aside.

I got to see Lady Antebellum perform last week at the historic The Mint Club (since 1937!) here in Los Angeles. There was even a short article in the Nashville Tennessean mentioning they sold it out, but the club is tiny and only holds less than 200 people…

I went primarily to see if Hillary Scott looks as good in person as in photos and the video, and the answer is a decisive YES. Hillary does not have a great voice (its okay), but her presence is appreciated and her smile lights up the stage. Her friendly on stage banter with the audience adds a lot to their act.

As for the music there was not one drop of tradtional country in the mix. Lady Antebellum is a very competent rock band at its core that mixes in a few other influences, but twangy country is not one of them. They promised at the start to play a song that everyone would know, so I was thinking Cash or Haggard or Willie. They wound up playing a bluesy rock version of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together”. Crikey, mate….

They are a talented group and the musicianship is first rate, so if you like rock music and they come your way, go for it….

I like the Lady A song, but I don’t find it country either. I recently read that the lead male singer previously recorded two pop albums. It seems all someone needs to do to be country these days is to record in Nashville or proclaim “I love country” and market themselves as such.

I haven’t figured out yet why that really bugs me. Maybe it’s because I no longer hear actual country music on my radio. Or maybe perhaps because what people are calling “country” isn’t country and I just want to yell at my radio or my TV screen – “that isn’t country!”

That said, I think Lady A has talent and should be heard, but let’s hear them on a rock station and let’s call a spade a spade.

surprised no one has yet mentioned how much L.A.’s male singer sounds like Eddie Vedder LOL

Matt C–

The CMA revises its Hall of Fame criteria from time to time. It was just done again a few years ago, and I imagine it will be altered again before too long. I would venture that it’s something that gets discussed a lot by certain CMA committees.

I would argue there are quite a few artists from pre-WWII that should be in there but aren’t, and by inducting only one every three years, I don’t think they’re in danger of running out of candidates soon.

However, the other alternating categories actually pile up candidates much faster than they put them in. A musician goes in every third year, and considering this is a fairly new category, there’s far too many musicians who deserve to be there that aren’t there yet. At present, they’re putting the A-Team in one at a time. That will take another 15 years or so before all those guys get in. Harold Bradley suggested they be inducted as a group of players, but the problem is, everyone has a different definition of who they are.

It’s even worse for songwriters. They’re lumped in with non-performers, so they are listed with producers, record execs, deejays, tv personalities, whoever else had an impact on country music without actually singing or picking it on record. So you have Hank Cochran (or any songwriter of your choice) in a category with Billy Sherrill, Buddy Killen, John Lair or last year’s entry from this category, Ralph Emery.

However, I like that the inductions are limited and remain a select group. The Rock Hall of Fame has become a travesty, or at best very controversial, because they induct so many artists every year. It’s not as meaningful as it should be. I do believe getting into the Country Music Hall of Fame is still considered a big honor, as it should be.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will remain a travesty as long as Kiss isn’t in it.

Regarding Lady A., I don’t get the Creed or Eddie Vedder comments at all.
I love the one song that I’ve heard. Yeah, it would be pop rock 20 years ago, but so what? I don’t have time to get too hung up on labels.
I’m pretty new to listening to country, and I started because what passes for musicianship in pop rock is usually pretty poor these days, with a few notable exceptions. With the likes of Chingy on a top 40 station, I’ll take the big tent of country from Randy Rogers to Cadillac Sky to Lady A. and beyond.
One thing though: really dumb band name!

Baron – You’re right. What country needs is some more clarinet. ;)