Drive By Truckers Album, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, Steps Into the Light
- The new Drive By Truckers’ album is a whopping 74 minutes long, and the Houston Chronicle’s Andrew Dansby says even that is after a trim. Joshua Klein suggests that the 19-song Brighter Than Creation’s Dark may be the band’s strongest record in his in-depth interview with the band for Pitchfork Media.
- Mark Cuban emphatically declares the album dead and suggests that labels and artists ponder serializing the release of songs. Like a TV show, the artist could release a new single every week for a season. He feels like consumers would be more willing to spend 99 cents a week rather than $9.99 all at once for an album.
- Spiraling music sales and bold statements about the demise of the album litter the headlines these days, but what the world needs now is…
- Kenny Chesney’s tour doesn’t kick off until April 26, but he’s already made his first stage appearance. He was in Birmingham, Alabama rehabbing his shoulder last week when George Strait’s tour rolled through, so he joined Strait on stage for “Amarillo By Morning”.
- The first Texas Music Chart of new year has been released and perched firmly at the top is Jack Ingram’s “Maybe She’ll Get Lonely”.
- Ashton Shepherd’s “Takin’ Off This Pain” is the free Single of the Week on iTunes. (via The Lost Highway)
- Billy Joe Shaver revealed a few more details from his shooting ordeal in an interview with Twang Nation’s Baron Lane.
Anybody else would have done the same thing I did, this guy (Billy Bryant Coker) was a real big bully and he pulled a knife and cut my arm and I let it go at first but then he insulted me so bad we just had to go outside and one thing led to another and , he already had a gun, and I had time to go out to my car and get one. He took so long to aim his little ‘ol 22 and I got lucky and hit him in the face and he dropped everything and then he said he was sorry!
- Dave Robbins is leaving Blackhawk.
- Bucky Covington–the same guy who recently suffered grease burns during a camping accident–is partnering with Zippo, a manufacturer of pocket lighters. Apparently Bucky is a big Zippo fan, too.
- No official study has been conducted but the trade group Airports Council International suspects that the airports in Nashville and Austin have more live music than any other airports in the country.
- This past Saturday night Charlie Daniels was officially inducted into the Opry by Marty Stuart and Connie Smith.
- Kix Brooks enjoys his wine. His vineyard will have it’s official kick-off party on Super Bowl Sunday. Now we need a connoisseur to tell us who has better wine: Miranda Lambert or Kix Brooks.
- Having lived a life worthy of a country song, Glenn Campbell says he’s ready to hang it up to give himself a little time.
- “Roll up another joint, one more time to clear my head..” If you don’t know anything about Eleven Hundred Springs yet, check out the short, but informative, video interview with the band on the Dallas Observer music blog. (Thanks, Kelly!)
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Forgotten Artists: Goldie Hill Had Carl Smith and Goldie Hill been born 30 or 40 years later, they might have been like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw–the dominant married couple in country music.
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.
Miranda Lambert - “More Like Her” This kind of material, as opposed to her tough-chick-done-wrong romps like “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “Gunpowder and Lead,” is where her real promise lies
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.
Darryl Worley - "Tequila On Ice" A groovy mid-tempo that sways, a refreshing reprieve from the exhausting pace of a format that clamors for loud music and swelling choruses.
Blake Shelton - "She Wouldn't Be Gone" It’s all about nailing the melody rather than providing a legitimate interpretation that accentuates the lyrical content, although Shelton does do a pretty good job of injecting what limited emotion he can.
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.
In Memory of Don Helms (1927 - 2008) Helms dated back to a time when an excellent four or five piece band and a good singer were all that were needed to make great country music. No drums, no light shows, no production tricks in the recording studio–just good music.Tagged In This Article
Ashton Shepherd // Billy Joe Shaver // Bucky Covington // Charlie Daniels // Connie Smith // Drive By Truckers // Eleven Hundred Springs // George Strait // Jack Ingram // Kenny Chesney // Kix Brooks // Marty Stuart
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13 Comments
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January 22, 2008 at 10:39 am Permalink
As to the Ashton Shepard song being free, I was reading the review, and I think that most people do not even listen to the song before commenting, or just make rude comments because the free song is country - while I cannot say this is my favorite song, it is not the worst song out at the moment.
January 22, 2008 at 10:57 am Permalink
My sis-in-law is a wine expert sommalier kinda lady. I’ll have her give us a heads up on which vino is better!!!
January 22, 2008 at 12:23 pm Permalink
Eleven Hundred Springs rulez!
January 22, 2008 at 1:00 pm Permalink
Bucky Covington is a clown.
January 22, 2008 at 1:29 pm Permalink
“Now we need a connoisseur to tell us who has better wine: Miranda Lambert or Kix Brooks.” That’s an invitation to get your drink on if I’ve ever heard one. Is it legal to drink and critique? Let the adventure begin.
January 22, 2008 at 1:34 pm Permalink
“Is it legal to drink and critique?”
I certainly hope so!
January 22, 2008 at 3:42 pm Permalink
Bucky Covington is a clown.
Pithy. I am afraid of clowns. Plus, Zippos and greasepaint are not a good combination.
January 22, 2008 at 3:48 pm Permalink
I think Mark Cuban is really on to something with his ideas about serializing CD releases. I can easily see millions of music fans logging on weekly to see what is new from some centralized list of releases and making it a habit to buy five (or whatever) new releases every week. For years.
And maybe this isn’t going to save music but Mark Cuban gets credit for a rare fresh idea.
Manga version of Jack Ingram: http://youtube.com/watch?v=EpuOCZxcz0M&feature=related
January 22, 2008 at 3:59 pm Permalink
Blackhawk are still around? I thought they packed it in when van passed away…
January 22, 2008 at 6:18 pm Permalink
Funk - I agree, but I think the serialization idea will apply especially well to certain types of artists: 1) artists who tour a lot, record their shows, and have a huge live following, 2) veteran artists with lots of catalog in the vaults - unreleased cuts, live tracks, different versions of hits, remixes, etc…, and 3) prolific singer-songwriters who record their own cuts, either their demo versions or indie recordings of songs written for other artists.
I don’t know how well the concept could be executed for your average pre-packaged recording star who doesn’t record a ton of songs at a time consistently.
January 23, 2008 at 1:41 am Permalink
Perhaps the most unfortunate thing about Campbell’s possible retirement is that the guy is still a phenomenal talent. I saw him play an excellent set at the Ryman in late 2006, the only time that I’ve seen him live. His voice is still in great shape (albeit with a few dropped keys) and he’s the consummate entertainer. It’s also difficult to comprehend just what a great guitar player the guy is until you’ve seen him live: it’s just effortless. Definitely one of the great session players in the history of American music, and how many 70 year olds are still playing the guitar behind their heads?
January 24, 2008 at 3:19 pm Permalink
By the way, if you didn’t get the “more cowbell” reference, watch this video.
January 24, 2008 at 5:18 pm Permalink
That sketch is classic. A rare SNL skit that was funny from beginning to end.
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