Sunday Morning Comment Corral & Forum Roundup, Issue #4

Welcome to your morning–er, late morning–edition of the Roundup, your bird’s eye view of the week in 9513 land. While you’re reliving all the fun we’ve had recently, why not listen to the first episode of our brand-spankin’ new Podcast, which features exclusive performances by Reckless Kelly and Jeremy McComb–you can stream or download it here.

On an unrelated note: Our comments section and forums have both been full of (sometimes heated) political discussion lately, and that’s understandable due to the historic nature of, and passion surrounding, the upcoming election. The9513.com is a place where everyone is welcome, and we’ve done our best to provide a respectful open forum for discussion, while still keeping things more or less on topic.

With that in mind, I wanted to take a moment to ask you, whether you’re a redneck or a blueneck, to remember that on Tuesday the time for discussion ends and the time for action begins. If you haven’t already voted, please take a little bit of time out of your schedule to go to the polls and make your voice heard. Remember, the 2000 election was decided by 534 votes.

That’s less people than will read this article in the next 24 hours.

Now, on to the good stuff…

Election-week forum roundup for Sunday, November 2nd. Get along little doggies…

• Stormy, in response to Matt B’s question about whether or not we’re tired of hearing political songs, including Hank Jr.’s new “McCain-Palin Tradition” (listen to the song):
  

  “I’m not as tired of political songs as I am of Hank Jr. becoming an increasingly worse Hank Jr cover band.”

  Steve Harvey’s response to “McCain-Palin Tradition”:

  “Good lord, that is worse than “Raising McCain.” Can’t someone stop artists from destroying their classics like this? It’s “Candle In The Wind” all over again.”

• Fresh in the “unsubstantiated rumors and gossip” category, Gracless waxes on the relationship between Tim McGraw and his label head:
  

  There are issues between Mike Curb and Tim that the public doesn’t know about that will forever prevent Tim from being released. Which is why the relations between Curb and Tim are increasingly strained (read: The press release Tim released upon the bad sales of his GH3 package) Mike Curb RARELY lets any artists out of contracts…his are perhaps the most binding off all the music industry.

• Reader reviews of Kenny Chesney’s latest, Lucky Old Sun, are almost universally negative.
• Forum member Ten Pound Hammer on why the liner notes from some of Sawyer Brown’s early albums don’t include songwriter credits:
  

  “…Maybe the genius that came up with “Betty’s bein’ bad, bad bad bad, Betty’s bein’ bad, bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad” just didn’t want to show his face.”

• Chris D asks what songs aren’t country, but could be.
• In “Thoughts About Carrie Underwood and Vocals in General,” Occasional Hope goes there, regarding Underwood and the “O” word, claiming that everyone’s favorite Checotan has a “…much-mentioned tendency to oversing, which has been exacerbated on her records by the producer’s abetting her and over-producing it as well.”

  Ten Pound Hammer counters…sort of:

  “At least Carrie isn’t singing 48 songs in a row about how life is so good and flowery and I’m so blessed because I found God’s Will, and even in my daughter’s eyes everyone is equal, because after all, this one’s for the girls.”

• Do you actively seek out new music?
• In Issue #3 of this very feature, I asked you a simple question: If you were given a free Rascal Flatts CD, would you take it, or run away in the other direction?. Well, not only did Rainbow receive a free Rascal Flatts CD, he listened to it–”again.”
  

  “OK, so I listened to the free RF CD I got again, and I discovered that I really like “No Reins” and “How Strong Are You Now.” I need rehab.”

• The 9513’s chief historian Paul W. Dennis on one of the reasons why George Strait is the only country artist on Yahoo’s list of artists with the most top-ten albums.
  

  “This list needs to be taken with a huge salt tablet. Prior to the introduction of SoundScan, Billboard took phone reports from various record stores. Often the people (usually kids) giving the reports never paid much attention to country album sales. The week SoundScan was introduced (5/25/91) several country albums that had been in release for extended periods of time, such as Garth Brooks’ No Fences (released in September 1990) took huge upward leaps in the chart rankings.”

• Help JR Journey figure out what Lee Ann Womack’s “The Bees” is about.

Comment Corral: Choice nuggets from the peanut gallery…

• On Carrie Underwood’s supposed lack of stage presence:
  

  “Good to see a critic finally giving Carrie Underwood a bad review. Too many of them say how great her voice is but fail to point out her lack of stage presence or a personality. If you watch the AI auditions, even after day one Randy told her she needed to work on stage presence. She is so boring I’m surprised no reviewers have said so before.” — Nick

  “Carrie Underwear is pretty, sweet, a talented pop diva vocalist, and I consider her about as interesting as watching paint dry. Carrie’s lack of substance actually makes her more relatable and appealing to her legion of “airhead country” fans. These AI types can’t grasp the artistry of a real country artist and aren’t interested anyway.” — Rick

  “So everybody who’s taste in music happens to be different then yours is an airhead? I believe Tsar Putin is looking for a new program director at Radio Moscow, maybe you ought to apply.” — NorthTexas

• On George Strait being named the Academy of Country Music’s Artist of the Decade:
  

  “George Strait artist of the decade? You’ve got to be kidding. … Someone who is not a songwriter, and openly admits he doesn’t even pick up a guitar until it’s time for a tour.” — Amazace

  “I wonder if Allison Krauss sleeps with her fiddle when she’s not on tour?” — Jeff

  “Amazace–George Jones has rarely written any of his hits. Same goes for Patsy Cline, Ray Price…the list goes on and on. If they were named Artists of the Decade in their time, would you criticize them for not writing their biggest hits?” — M.C.

  “Wait, which decade? Surely not this one?” — Marc

  “I think George Strait is country-ish, enough so to retain plausible deniability when being accused of completely abandoning the tradition, sanitized, consistent, and boring above all else. In other words, he is the perfect pick for “artist of the decade” for country music in the 2000’s.” — Hollerin’ Ben

• On Toby Keith’s new album, That Don’t Make Me A Bad Guy:
  

  “Toby Keith – Let’s Talk More About Me–The Sequel.” — Thomas

  “Toby Keith seems to think he is a real artist now-due to putting out his own recordings. But the truth of the matter is that his music went from ok to what-kind-crap-is-this? “She’s A Hottie” makes my insides hurt. The sad fact is that Keith really never was a singer-songwriter. He really is just a guy who sings and writes his own stuff. Few of his songs could be called personal unless you notice that the main theme of all of his songs is himself.” — Craig R.

• On the new Waylon project, Waylon Forever:
  

  “I picked up the Waylon Forever CD a couple of days ago. Well worth the $. It basically sounds like Waylon Jennings fronting a hard rock band. And it works.” — MikeKY

• On Jessica Andrews announced project for Carolwood:
  

  “I am glad to hear that Jessica Andrews will be putting out a new album, but not sure about having Jay DeMarcus as producer. Jessica has always been one of my favorites and her music has never left my iPod.” — Lanibug

• On the relatively disappointing first-week sales of Kenny Chesney’s Lucky Old Sun:
  

  “Unlike most people who will be reading this, I don’t hate Chesney one bit. I actually like him, but I still am not surprised at his low sales numbers. His “island themed” music is growing old pretty quick, not to mention it’s only been a year since his last release.” — Josh

  “Kenny Chesney is not my favorite artist, but he’s not my least favorite. I really like some of his island music, but it is starting to get old, like Josh said. I don’t think that he should have released a new album already, Poets and Pirates just came out around a year ago.” — Billy

  “I wonder if Kenny Chesney’s “low” sales really has much to do with the island shtick getting old or if it has more to do with the fact that the stock market is doing poorly, et cetera. The Billboard article also mentions that sales last week were down 17% compared with sales of one year ago. Maybe the problem is the economy, not Kenny.” — Hairandtoenails

  “No, it’s Kenny. Sure the economy played a part, but I think it really is Kenny’s lack of anything remotely new or interesting or country.” — Chris D

• On seeing Crystal Shawanda live:
  

  “Crystal Shawanda performed a short acoustic set in Long Beach, CA last Friday afternoon and she blew me away with her vocals. It was just Crystal and her husband DeWayne with acoustic guitars and as Taylor Swift might say, it was awesome! Songs included Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”, Keith Whitley’s “I’m Over You”, and Hank Williams’ “You Win Again” as well as about half the songs off “Dawn of a New Day”. If you get a chance to catch Crystal doing an acoustic set, DON’T miss the opportunity.” — Rick

Album Reviews:

• Melonie Cannon — And The Wheels Turn

  “On the whole, Cannon’s understated vocals, the warm acoustic setting, and a generally strong set of songs make And The Wheels Turn a supremely enjoyable and consistent effort.” — review by CM Wilcox

  “Thank goodness for the entire bluegrass music scene that helps support and foster artists like Melonie and Becky Schlegel even though they aren’t purely bluegrass artists. Its a shame more real country fans aren’t aware of artists like Melonie as she would appeal to all the folks who have quit listening to mainstream country radio due to the preponderance of pop-rock dreck.” — Rick

• Todd Snider — Peace Queer

  “Of the eight songs on Peace Queer there is an instrumental, a recitation, a musical version of that recitation, and a cover. It’s a bizarre record, mostly because of how incredibly unexpected it is after Snider’s remarkable 2006 Devil You Know, but Snider really commits to the direction on Peace Queer and the result is an exceedingly pleasing effort..” — review by Ben Cisneros

  “Couldn’t agree more. I downloaded the record last week and can’t stop listening to it. “You haven’t technically flown ’til you land…” Great, great stuff.” –Timmy Mac

  “Good review of a good record. I’m glad you go into the musical aspects, which sometimes get short shrift in these parts. The folk music influence is well-taken, but the opening “Mission Accomplished” is pure Bo Diddley, and uses his signature beat throughout, something Snider openly refers to with the call-and-response at song’s end. That there is what people used to call rock ‘n’ roll.” — M.C.

  “Love the release. I had someone tell me once that Snider was Steve Earle with more poetry and humor in him. I like that.” — Baron Lane

Single Reviews:

• Gary Allan — “She’s So California”

  “Like so many Californians before him, Allan’s music is a hybrid, inclusive of mainstream sensibilities but fundamentally rooted in tradition–the resulting sound being one that is polished in principle but gritty in perspective..” — review by Jim Malec

  “I don’t believe this is anywhere near Gary’s best song but I do think it is second best on “Living Hard” behind “Watching Airplanes”, and compared to other singles out on Mainstream Radio I believe it really stands out.” — Todd

• Darius Rucker — “It Won’t Be Like This For Long”

  “Rucker does a commendable job of mastering his performance, taking complete control of the song, and the production is pleasant, but neither do enough to make up for the lack of originality and insight.” — review by Brady Vercher

  “I concur with Brady on the lack of originality. I genuinely enjoy Rucker’s voice & he brings something else to the table of the today’s country music. He makes generic & ordinary lyrics sound good.” — Tim

  “This song shows the true feelings of a parent for a young girl who one day turns into a young woman and is gone. Unless you have experienced that pain, you should not be commenting on it. Spoken from the (brokern) heart!” — Mom in GA

Forgotten Artists (by Paul W Dennis):

• Ernest V. “Pop” Stoneman and The Stoneman Family

  “Most people trace the dawn of recorded country music back to the famous Bristol sessions of 1927, from which Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family rose to prominence. While I am not sure that even Ernest Stoneman (May 25, 1893 – June 14, 1968) represents the dawn of recorded country music, he has a far better claim to it than do Jimmie Rodgers and the Carters..” — PWD

  “I remember watching “Those Stonemans’” show on Saturday afternoon in the 60’s either before or after the Porter Wagoner Show. The running gag on the show was who ate the most biscuits and “Pops” always won. I don’t remember if a flour company or biscuit company was their sponsor or not. I remember seeing the first show after “Pops Stoneman” died and they showed his empty rocking chair.” — Ed H.

• Jeannie C. Riley

  “Starting out at the top may not be a good thing. After all, there is no place to go but down. For 23 year-old Jeannie C. Riley, the top of the mountain was reached in August 1968, when “Harper Valley PTA” jumped from No. 81 to No. 1 on the Billboard (all-genres) Singles Chart. It subsequently reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles Chart and charted in a number of countries around the world (reaching No. 12 in the UK). Jeannie became the first female country singer to simultaneously top the pop and country charts and she won the 1968 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Vocal Performance and the CMA Single of the Year award.” — PWD

  “Definitely not forgotten by me. The first time I ever heard Harper Valley PTA, I was thirteen, and I fell in love with the song and the fiery delivery of the singer. Riley is often found on lists of one hit wonders, but at least it was a good one.” — Chelsea.

  “Have you ever heard her version of “Good Morning Country Rain”? It’s wonderful, I keep hoping that MGM material (which, I agree with you, was top-notch) will eventually be re-relased on CD or iTunes.” — Timeo

  “Until seeing those pictures above, I didn’t realize that Jeannie C. Riley was such a babe.” — Matt C.

Interviews:

• 12 Questions With Jimi Westbrook from Little Big Town:
  “A kind of humorous thing you might not know is that on one of the tracks there is some really crazy instrumentation. On the title cut, Karen actually played a 1979 Coleman cooler…” — Jimi Westbrook

  “Best record of last year, best record of this year.” — Chris N.

  “LBT is hands down, no question my favorite band. It continues to amaze me every time I go to a concert of theirs that I’m one of a handful of people who know more than “Boondocks,” or much less are at the very least rocking out. I’ve long since thought that they have never received the attention they deserve, but maybe it’s better (for me, at least) that way!” — Glads Gal

• Q&A: A Little Bit About Billy Currington’s Non-Coffee Album:
  

  “For sure, at this moment in time, this is it for me. These are the best songs I could come up with and the best songs I could write for it. All the above. I don’t regret anything. I enjoy this record and I’m very proud of it“. — Billy Currington

  “Not a big fan of the album, although I do usually like a good amount of Billy’s music. “Everything” is in the same mold as Sugarland’s “All I Want To Do” and that terribly repetitive song on Pickler’s new album… I don’t know why artists are recording these type of songs lately. Hopefully “Swimmin’ In Sunshine” is the next single, it’s a catchy upbeat number that would chart well for him I think.” — Drew

Introducing Joey + Rory — “Like Names Carved in an Oak Tree”:
“Donning stage attire that typically consists of boots, a collared shirt and overalls, 43-year-old songwriter Rory Lee Feek, who has penned hits including Clay Walker’s “Chain of Love” and Blake Shelton’s “Some Beach,” stands far apart from the quasi-rock styled twenty somethings that dominate CMT. In fact, Feek may be one of the least likely individuals to ever be vaulted into the national spotlight via a reality TV talent competition–let alone one aired by the aforementioned, MTV-owned network.” — Jim Malec

“They seem like really cool people and I’m definitely enjoying the album so far, but “Joey plus Rory” is a stupid name. Sorry. Just have to be blunt and say it.” — Dan Milliken

“Joey + Rory sound like great people and I really dig their album. They’re success so far has been pleasantly surprising, I only wish more people like them were given a chance in the industry.” — Brady Vercher

Giveaways:

Congratulations to all of our recent winners! Here are a few tidbits we learned from our contest entrants:

Favorite Lee Ann Womack songs, as cited by The9513.com’s readers–

1st Place: “A Little Past Little Rock”
2nd Place: “He Outta Know That By Now”
3rd Place: “The Fool” and “Never Again, Again” (tie)

What our readers love most about Dolly Parton–

1st Place: Personality/Attitude
2nd Place: Voice/Music
3rd Place: Songwriting

Free Download: Joey + Rory’s Debut Single, “Cheater Cheater,” courtesy of Sugar Hill Records.

• “Cheater Cheater” (Download — 3.5 MB)

Free Downloads from IBMA winner Andy Hall, courtesy of Sugar Hill Records.

• “The Chase” (Download — 4.8 MB)
• “Velocity” (Download — 4.6 MB)

Hey, did I mention that we recently made the inaugural episode of our Podcast available for download? Check it out by clicking the cover image below.



Jim Malec is Managing Editor of The 9513 and can be reached by email via jmalec[at]the9513.com