Martina McBride Joins Republic Nashville; Hillary Scott Named SESAC’s Songwriter of the Year; Stream Reba McEntire

Asked if he would be willing to describe what he hopes will be his own legacy, Mr. Sherrill said, with his patented directness, simplicity and modesty, and misting a little around the eyes, “Let’s see: Somewhere there might be a boy and a girl, and he’s too shy to tell her that he loves her, and she’s too shy to tell him. So I tell them. All they have to do is play my record. That’s it.”

McEntire never simply relies on what she does well; she always challenges herself to stay contemporary and try new sounds. On her current hit “Turn On The Radio” and the title song “All The Women I Am,” McEntire handles the aggressively modern arrangements just fine. But the contrived lyrics waste the powerful performances she gives them.

New releases for the week of November 9, 2010 include:

• Blake Shelton – Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton (Amazon)

• Charlie Louvin – The Battle Rages On (Amazon)

• Reba McEntire – All The Women I Am (Amazon)

• Various Artists: Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Tribute To Loretta Lynn (Amazon)

Where do you see the [bluegrass] genre heading?

That’s a good question. It’s hard to say, for me. One of two things will happen: the definition of bluegrass will expand or contract. Basically what we’re talking about is stringband music. So much of what gets called “bluegrass” by the mainstream is just music made on string instruments. It will either become music that is completely derived from the Bill Monroe sound—the original concept of bluegrass—or “bluegrass” as a term will come to encompass all music that’s stringband-related.

Reverence, or at least too much of it, is often the death knell for tribute albums. If a legend’s legacy looms too large, artists err on the side of homage instead of interpretation. That’s the obvious problem with this salute to country icon Loretta Lynn [...] too many of the musicians pay their respects without adding anything interesting to the songs.

He does go on to say that sometimes they don’t need to, and lists a few examples from the project.