Nothing Like Last Of The Breed Will Ever Come Along Again And New Book Names Top 100 Country Fan Clubs
- I can’t read enough about Last of the Breed. It’s to the point where I don’t remember the last time I was this excited about one thing. My intense excitement is mostly due to something Chet Flippo mentions in his review of the Last of the Breed album, “nothing like this is ever going to come along again.”
There will probably never again be three country artists of this towering magnitude and talent around to record together. Artists won’t be able to spend a lifetime developing their songwriting skills and their recording expertise and finesse at performing. These are truly the last of a breed. Not too much longer now and the sorts of bars and honky-tonks and dancehalls that shaped and nurtured these men and their music will no longer exist.
View more of our Last of the Breed coverage.
- The new Country Music Black Book lists the top 100 country music fan clubs. Inside you’ll find inside information on the artists and their fan clubs and even some tips on how to join.
- John Goodspeed covers the San Antonio music scene, beginning with a concert to benefit a little girl with a brain tumor. Performers include Moe Bandy, Johnny Bush, Doug Moreland, and others.
- Renee Grant-Williams is holding a day long Vocal Master Class in Brentwood on April 14. The class costs $299 for critiques from a star panel, but it might be worth it to some people considering her client list boasts notable singers by the likes of Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and Martina McBride. I’ve often thought of taking a vocal class or two, just so I could carry a decent tune, but I’m afraid there’s no hope for me. My skills are rawer than raw.
- Michael Deeds writes an exquisite review of a Patty Griffin concert for The Idaho Statesman.
Elegant and personable, Griffin did not disappoint. She cherry-picked songs all the way back to her 1996 debut but dipped most heavily into this year’s excellent, personal “Children Running Through.” Perhaps more than any of her work, it illustrates Griffin’s breadth as a singer-songwriter. This concert took the same approach. Whether playing quiet acoustic guitar or kicking up a knee while her four backing musicians rocked their faces off, Griffin fired on all cylinders. Almost without exception, her breathtaking voice was flawless.
- The University Star tries to explain what Texas Country/Red Dirt music is. It’s not an easy thing to define, but they come pretty close to defining the sound as broad, distinctive sounds where some artists fuse rock with their music while others try to go for a more traditional country sound.
- Update: Linda from Still is Still Moving posted about Willie Nelson, Larry Butler Johnny Gimble, & Cindy Walker being voted into the Central Texas Music Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held on March 29th in Waco, Texas.
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Martina McBride - “Ride” Catchy, but a little low on cogency–not to mention originality. And it essentially resolves into the same kind of positive “message song” that has defined so much of McBride’s recent work.
Richie McDonald - “How Do I Just Stop” So gloriously simple and unequivocally lackluster that people of every political persuasion should rejoice in the opportunity to come together and have a hearty laugh at its expense.
Donnie Vondra - “If I Didn’t Love You” Combinining a golden trifecta of country music—steel guitar, fiddle and a strong, twangy vocal—"If I Didn't Love You" pulls together a sweet, toe-tapping ditty reminiscent of Marty Raybon-era Shenandoah.
Lance Miller - “Bacon Frying” A charming country song that is beautiful for its simplicity, a musical remnant from a time when songwriters understood that often the best thing to do is just get out of the song’s way.
John Rich - “Another You” For a guy who is supposed to be a genius songwriter, John Rich sure does seem to be running out of ideas. 
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Tagged In This Article
Last Of The Breed // Patty Griffin // Red Dirt // Texas Country
Current Discussion
- Jim Malec: No, I agree with you Kelly. I find "Chicken Fried" a disappointing pander to radio compared to the rest of ...
- Kelly: Man, I guess I am in the minority here, as I really think "Chicken Fried" is the album's liability. ...
- Paula_W: I was thinking about getting it for my son because he LOVES 'Chicken Fried'. But after reading this review ...
- Brady Vercher: Rick: "In fact Randy should have given the uptempo songs to Ronnie Dunn and Trace Adkins..." I dunno, Dunn and Adkins ...
- Trailer: I'd give it about a 3. He's got great potential though. I was thinking this but couldn't put it into ...
- Paul W Dennis: The Time Jumpers are a terrific group but there are other groups working western swing. Try John England & The ...
- Vicki: :Yawn:...yeah Taylor is tops on the Billboard. No surprise there. She writes extremely well and knows how to ...
- scooter: I also listened to the clips and was also disappointed. I like the title track and thought this would be ...
- Rick: Wow, the article I have a link to above is even mentioned in Chet Flippo's brand new "Nashville Skyline" column ...
- CMW: This review pretty much confirms what I suspected from listening to the clips a few days ago: too many indistinct ...
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March 23, 2007 at 9:32 am Permalink
I enjoyed Filippo’s review, too. But I usually do.
I had that same feeling, didn’t you, when I was watching the LOTB show: This is special; I’m so lucky to get to see this.
March 23, 2007 at 11:09 am Permalink
Perhaps LOTB truly is the last of its kind, but it doesn’t have to be. Booking agencies are practically begging Willie, Merle and Ray to repeat the tour next year. Furthermore, I don’t understand why there aren’t more projects like this. Many legendary artists complain about how difficult it is for them to record new albums because people just aren’t sending them songs anymore. A project like LOTB is the logical alternative. Many like to tour but play more dates each year than they would like to in order to support their bands. More combined tours would be a great way for older artists to sell more tickets than they are currently selling and attract more publicity to traditional country music while maintaining very manageable schedules. George Jones and Merle Haggard recently released an album together and each is playing many dates this year. Why not do it together?
March 23, 2007 at 9:10 pm Permalink
Yeah, there’s a lot of groupings (is that a word?) that I would like to see/hear, too.
March 24, 2007 at 7:46 pm Permalink
New York Times did s nice review on the Radio City show.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/24/arts/music/24bree.html?_r=1&ref=music&oref=slogin
March 25, 2007 at 6:11 pm Permalink
Last March (2006) I had the honor to sit in on the recording of the “Last of the Breed” album in Nashville. It was without question the greatest music event I have witnessed. The album was a year in making and fine tuning, and will never again be duplicated in the music business. Everyone who gets this 2 CD album will have a rare masterpiece of musical talent, with voices backed up with some of the very finest musicians in Nashville.
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