Miranda Lambert Designs Jewelry and Jamey Johnson Tapes ‘Crossroads’
- Miranda Lambert launched her own line of jewelry. Each piece is personally designed and handcrafted by Miranda herself, making them one-of-a-kind. If you’re looking to score a piece — good luck. Due to high demand everything is almost sold out. She’s not the only one with a new jewelry line, though. Big Kenny’s wife, Christiev Alphin, will unveil her first pieces on QVC on March 5.
- Grand Ole Opry singer Ernie Ashworth passed away on Monday at the age of 80 after a sudden illness. He had a No. 1 hit in 1963 with “Talk Back Trembling Lips” (listen) and joined the Opry in 1964.
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Album releases for the week of March 3, 2009 include:
- The episode of CMT Crossroads featuring Jamey Johnson and Shooter Jennings was filmed in Nashville’s Rocketown club last Friday and will premier March 23 on CMT.
- Ninety Mile Wind’s Craig Bickhardt revisits the topic of deep creativity in his most recent article and discusses increasing productivity and quality through uninterrupted concentration in four-hour blocks.
- Listen to Texas music historian Gary Hartman give a brief bio on Bob Wills for Texas Music Matters.
- How does Justin Townes Earle’s sophomore album stack up against his critically acclaimed debut? Juli Thanki has the answer in her review at PopMatters.
- Chris Parton caught a Wayne Hancock show over the weekend and saw him perform one of his all-time favorite songs, “Thunderstorms and Neon Signs” from Hancock’s 1995 album of the same name. Watch the video at the CMT Blog.
- Tracy Lawrence will release the first single, “Up To Him,” from his new inspirational album on March 24. The album, titled The Rock, won’t be released until June.
- In a couple of new album reviews published to the American Songwriter site, Jim Malec asserts that Atlanta sextet Zac Brown Band walks country music’s fine line between commercial accessibility and artistic authenticity on The Foundation and Paul Zollo says Ramblin’ Jack Elliott delivers a starkly dimensional and soulful collection of dark blues on A Stranger Here.
- Country Weekly introduced a nifty tool to help you find stores that sell their magazine in your area.
- Jack White tells MTV News that the project of unfinished Hank Williams songs, headed by Bob Dylan, might come out this year.
- Mark Wills, Trent Willmon and Jeff Bates will kick off the Honky Tonk Tailgate Party in Dallas on April 17.
- Blake Boldt has a good interview with Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent of Dailey & Vincent over at Country Universe.
Brothers from Different Mothers is your second album together. Were there any shifts in approach or attitude this time around?
DV: We wanted to make the recording quality better. We’re trying to give the best performances we can give. We capture what’s in our hearts and capture the CD in a different light, to make it something that the audience will purchase and play over and over again. - The folks at Americana Roots and Galleywinter are teaming up again this year to host a free showcase at SXSW.
- Watch Stephen Colbert’s interview with Kris Kristofferson.
- Neko Case has been getting as much attention for her album cover as she has her music.
- The Grand Ole Opry has an illustrious history of creating stars and My Kind of Country’s Razor X would like to see it return to its prominence as a dominant force in country music.
- Craig Morgan, Zac Brown Band and Miley Cyrus had new videos under consideration for rotation on CMT this week.
- Justin Townes Earle released a second free track, “What I Mean To You,” from his sophomore album Midnight At the Movies, which was released today. He also needs help finding a van to tour in after his broke down.
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March 3, 2009 at 11:59 am Permalink
It’s going to be hard to come up with a better week for new releases than this week. Anyone feel like lending me about a hundred bucks?
The Hank Williams project certainly has potential, with Dylan, Jack White, Alan Jackson and Lucinda Williams working on it. I just hope the results aren’t too hit-and-miss. The Mermaid Avenue CDs more than did justice to Woody Guthrie’s lyrics, but that was mostly just Billy Bragg and Wilco working on them.
March 3, 2009 at 5:13 pm Permalink
Taylor garners the big bucks from being the #1 sales queen in country, pop, rock, etc. Is Miley now wanting some of that action by now releasing a “country?” song?
March 3, 2009 at 7:15 pm Permalink
Nora Jones is also included in the Hank project, and she sang her song last month on “Spectacle.” If the others are anywhere near as good as the one I saw her do, it’ll be an album for the ages!
March 3, 2009 at 9:06 pm Permalink
Does Gary Hartman know why Bob Wills supposedly haunts a club in Tulsa? (The link doesn’t work for me for some reason)
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