Strait & McEntire Sell-Out Tulsa; Rabin Takes on Kitty Wells; Lady Antebellum and Patty Griffin Drop New Records

“Though Wells was rightly hailed as a pioneer who inspired multiple generations of female country singers, a deep, almost self-parodying strain of masochism courses through her songs. For a particularly over-the-top example, listen to “I Gave My Wedding Dress Away,” a maudlin melodrama about a woman who stands passively by when her spoiled younger sister steals her fiancé and decides to marry him. Normally, you’d have to plunge into the films of Lars von Trier to find selflessness taken to such grotesque extremes.”

Patty Griffin – Downtown Church:

“Griffin wisely enlisted guides familiar with the territory: among others, the gospel-singing McCrary sisters and Mike Farris, the spiritually-minded Julie Miller and, most importantly, her multi-talented husband Buddy Miller as producer. Recording in a vast, historical church sanctuary (which inspired the title), he captured a sound that’s as metaphysical as it is physical, percolating and reverent in turns.” — Jewly Hight for American Songwriter

“Though heartfelt, Downtown Church comes off as a little generic at times, landing squarely in the well-stocked category of ‘tasteful, intelligent, unruffled roots music.’” — Noel Murray for A.V. Club

“Downtown Church is a stunningly powerful and compassionate work addressing homelessness, kindness, deceit and finding the strength to persevere through troubled tides. Produced by Buddy Miller, and partly recorded in a 19th century chapel in Nashville, Downtown Church proves again that Griffin’s talents transcend the singer-songwriter category through sheer force of her soulful voice and interpretive ability.” — Michael McCall

Lady Antebellum – Need You Now:

“It’s unlikely that Lady A intended “Need You Now” to be a concept album, but it does cohesively describe the moment in young adulthood when wild promise starts to give way to more realistic expectations. Scott has a gift for strongly expressing tentative feelings, like cautious hope on “Perfect Day” and recovered self-respect in “Ready to Love Again.” Kelley is far less subtle, and his meaty gestures often threaten to overwhelm the fine material. But Lady A is making progress in its effort to balance comforting clichés with new realities.” — Ann Powers

“Kelley seems like the kind of guy who hogs the mike at the karaoke bar. He dominates this album with his smug tenor, leaving Scott to trill in the background all too often. He would have been wise to let his co-pilot take the wheel on “When You Got a Good Thing,” a song that flirts with the heat of “Need You Now” but cools during the second verse, with Kelley’s lyrics sounding like they were cribbed from Hallmark.” — Chris Richards for The Washington Post

“Lady Antebellum returns with an uninspired sophomore effort that is a prime example of style over substance. One of country music’s most hyped new acts, the trio (comprising singers Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and multi-instrumentalist Dave Haywood) has little to say on a record constructed almost entirely from derivative licks, recycled pop arrangements and an unrelenting parade of clichés–all factors that combine to render Need You Now a 44-minute blur of ineffectual, unmemorable pop country.” — Jim Malec for American Songwriter

Charles Kelley: ["Need You Now" is] huge, honestly. We keep saying it was very unexpected and just a huge confirmation that this record is hopefully going to be a kind of life-changer for us. Doing the second album is a lot of pressure, and having the first single do so well hopefully takes a little bit of the pressure off. But on the flipside, it’s a double-edged sword because now the rest of the record has to live up to the first single.

“Country music singer and anti-mountain top removal advocate Kathy Mattea was also asked to join the talks. She expressed several concerns to the leadership including about the security at the competing rallies across the state. ‘We want everyone to be able speak. Everyone on any side of this issue to be able to speak and not be in fear for their lives or their safety,’ Mattea said.”

“Reba McEntire showed Friday night at 1st Mariner Arena why she is arguably the queen of country music, while veteran crooner George Strait left me wondering why he hasn’t been kicked from his throne.”