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Dolly Parton To Take Her Hits To American Idol Tomorrow Night
- Dolly Parton will be the first of four superstar guest mentors on American Idol this year. Her stint as mentor begins tomorrow night when contestants will choose from her catalog for their performances, but don’t expect her to be too critical. “Even the bad (singers) are just as sincere as the good ones,” Parton said. “Even if they ask (if they are bad singers), I’d try to talk around it.”
- Brian T. Atkinson pins the coveted five stars on Hayes Carll’s new album.
Pay particular attention to the bookend proclamations “Drunken Poet’s Dream” and “She Left Me for Jesus.” Braced equally by rapture and risk, the wobbly powder kegs spotlight Carll’s complex secular and spiritual symmetry. Few songwriters — “You be the sinner, honey, I’ll be the sin,” he coaxes on the former — dare draw tighter lines. Fewer still darken them with razor wit.
- Trace Adkins and Piers Morgan weighed in with their thoughts on each other and the outcome of Celebrity Apprentice.
- More Williams family stories and goodness courtesy of Peter Cooper. Having his life on display doesn’t bother Hank Jr., who says he’s lived in a museum his entire life. And you get the sense there’s a deep emotional chasm between Hank Jr. and Jett Williams and between Shelton (Hank III) and his sisters, Holly and Hilary.
- Twang Nation has a few words for those who keep predicting the demise of alt-country.
Country music as a singular entity is really just a newfangled marketing artifice. What we have come to think of as country music is a mongrel beast of Celtic tunes, sea shanties, blues and gospel music. Hell, what we know as country and rock music today cross pollinated in the 50’s at a little studio at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee and changed the music world forever.
- Richard Cromelin says George Strait remains one of country’s most inhibited live performers, standing still and smiling stiffly throughout his show at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA on Saturday.
“Fortunately, he has one of the best backing groups in any pop genre, and his Ace in the Hole Band kept things rolling with its sharp, effortless playing. They got to stretch out only during the encore, though, when a series of solos fired up their version of “Folsom Prison Blues.” That was a welcome salute to Johnny Cash, but if Strait were a more daring performer he might have paired it with the most provocative song on his new album, which comes out Tuesday. “House of Cash” is a description of the fire that destroyed the singer’s home shortly after his death, and it would have injected some boat-rocking dark humor into Strait’s placid waters.”
- Neal McCoy will get the “Best of” treatment on June 3rd. The Very Best of Neal McCoy will have 20 songs from his career, check out Country Standard Time for a track listing.
- The U-Liners self-titled CD is mostly a collection of covers, but Calvin Powers says the band has a few originals that fit in with the vibe and make for a pleasant listening experience. (The U-Liners MySpace)
- Kathleen Edwards charmed her crowd on Friday night.
- Garth Brooks is concerned about the fading number of honky-tonks, which could have a negative effect on country music in the long run.
“One of the sad things that I feel bad [for] the artists today is they don’t have those places to grow up in, to go out and see these people at 20 at a time, 30 at a time,” he says. “They’re forced into these 17,000-seat arenas with five other names, or they’re forced at these free radio shows that have 60,000 people out there on blankets. That’s tough.”
- Robert Plant and Alison Krauss completed the video for the second single, “Please Read the Letter,” off their critically acclaimed album Raising Sand. (via BluegrassJournal.com)
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Joey Rory - “Cheater, Cheater” It’s actually downright frivolous, but that just makes it all the more fun. And really, are you allowed to say “ho” on country radio?
Josh Gracin - “Unbelievable (Ann Marie)” Despite initial marketing that touted the album as deep and personal, “Unbelievable (Ann Marie)” is anything but deep or personal.
Josh Turner - "Everything Is Fine" Turner is the rare example of an artist who records material that’s both quality and trademark.
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Don’t look now, but Darius Rucker, lead singer of 90s rock group Hootie & The Blowfish, has a country hit on his hands. What you probably haven’t heard is that Rucker is the first black artist to chart a single in the country top 20 since Charley Pride last did it in 1988.
News that former Sugarland member and co-founder Kristen Hall is suing her ex-mates, to the tune of $1.5 million, goes a long way towards providing a bit of context regarding the Atlanta singer/songwriter’s sudden departure from the group.
Forgotten Artist: Wynn Stewart Both Buck Owens and Merle Haggard have cited Wynn Stewart as a major influence on their careers, yet somehow, he was never able to translate his enormous talent into extended and consistent success for himself.
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In this exclusive interview with The 9513, the Show Dog Records trio talks about growing up around Waylon and Jessi Colter, and about how those experiences have helped shaped their music as they set off on their own country music journey.
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Ace In The Hole Band // Alison Krauss // American Idol // Dolly Parton // Garth Brooks // George Strait // Hank III // Hank Williams // Hayes Carll // Kathleen Edwards // Neal McCoy // Robert Plant // The U-Liners // Trace Adkins
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March 31, 2008 at 1:38 pm Permalink
I just want to add this because I’ve seen George recently and that it was what I’ve expected from a man that has accomplished all that one can. And the fact that Little Big Town opening happened to be amazing did bring George down a bit, but you couldn’t tell from the fans. There was a tiny gasp when he messed up a line on “Unwound” however.
March 31, 2008 at 4:23 pm Permalink
Garth Brooks’ sadness over the decline of the honky-tonks is like the fox being upset that all the chickens are eaten. Brooks may have started out in honky-tonks, but his whole recording life has been about numbers: how many cds can he sell, how many seats can he fill, how much of his ego can fit into one room.
Meanwhile if country music is suffering Garth Brooks should see how he helped that suffering along. He treated country music like a cheap whore. He helped create blandness, meaningless lyrics, and shallow style. I know a lot of you guys will disagree with me. I understand that Garth Brooks is not the only one who helped push country music over the cliff, but he sure gave it one hell of a shove.
March 31, 2008 at 6:17 pm Permalink
What annoys me most about Brooks is how he refuses to allow his catalouge to go digital. It’s just stupid to be so stupid of him to ask his fans to buy his new album for, what, 3 new songs? Like you said Craig, all he cares about is selling record, not about pleasing his fans.
March 31, 2008 at 6:29 pm Permalink
To be fair to Garth, his albums can be bought for less (under $5) at Wal-Mart than they would cost if you were to buy the entire album (or five songs) digitally. Likewise, his concert tickets have always been kept at a very reasonable price (around $20). I remember going to a Billy Currington concert that was only about 45 minutes long for $20. Also, buying his Ultimate Hits also gets you an extensive video catalog. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the new songs alone aren’t worth the money. He could have chosen much more wisely in selecting four songs to show us that he’s still a viable artist.
Then again, I understand the annoyance of him not digitally releasing his songs. While I have all of his studio albums, I hate it when I can’t find digital albums from other artists.
March 31, 2008 at 10:21 pm Permalink
Just to be a a booger snot… For me to get to and from the nearest Walmart, I’d use up about a gallon of gas ($3) and waste at least half an hour, which at federal minimum wage would near another $3. That pushes the cost of the album up over the standard digital price of about $10, so it really does cost more to purchase in the store, especially if you live further away from a Walmart.
March 31, 2008 at 11:10 pm Permalink
….nice term Brady…i haven’t used “booger snot” in many years but it get’s a point across quite well! Someone just needs to explain to Garth the definition of the word RETIREMENT!!!!! He hasn’t even “unretired” yet and i am sick of him! I have been happy to see that his rehashed 80’s rock song did not top the charts…maybe the masses are demanding more of him?….sure hope so….
April 1, 2008 at 6:41 am Permalink
Well, Brady, that’s true. I forget that Wal-Marts aren’t readily accessible to everyone. I have two Walmarts within 15 minutes of where I live, a Super Wal-Mart and a regular one. I suppose if I lived so far away from a WM, I’d make a list of other things I needed from there before going to pick up the Garth albums, in order to make the trip worth it. However, if one is not much of a Garth fan, then the price of Garth songs wouldn’t be worth purchasing at 99 cents a song either.:)
To be honest, I fully realize Garth’s problems. Not all of his music is great, he is definitely money driven (then again, so am I, to a point.), the retirement thing is crap and he has an ego bigger than this whole country. So, I certainly understand people’s annoyance with him. It’s just that I’m pretty sure I still wouldn’t be a country music fan today, if a Garth song hadn’t caught my attention. Sure, something else may have done it, but I can’t be sure of it, because nothing else had done it up until that time. Moreover, I believe he has talent, though he may not always use it as I wish he would. Even my absolute favorite, Vince Gill, doesn’t hit the mark with me every time.
April 1, 2008 at 10:45 pm Permalink
Omg, Dolly Parton was so wonderful! You forget how good Dolly is until you see and then you fall in love all over again. What an amazing lady.
April 2, 2008 at 7:09 am Permalink
you know, as much as i love dolly as a songwriter and performer, she is starting to look a bit like a circus clown. there’s just too much plastic surgery going on with her. sad, too. but i remain a fan. :) but hey, i also like circuses. :)
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