The 9513 - Country Music Blog

Songwriters: BC Jean and Toby Gad As an artist with an impressive 30-year run in country music, it’s no wonder Reba McEntire knows how to stay hip. In 1994′s “Why Haven’t I Heard From You,” the singer was on the cutting edge of mobile technology, praising the wonders of phones carried in “your briefcase, on [...]

Continue reading "Reba McEntire – “If I Were a Boy”"

The lack of dramatics on today’s playlists have threatened to turn country radio into a complete yawn. Enter, stage left: one of the genre’s most talented ambassadors, Reba McEntire, who can deliver a masterful vocal performance like few others in the format. With a stunning string of 59 Top 10 singles, McEntire’s astonishing consistency is [...]

Continue reading "Album Review: Reba McEntire – All the Women I Am"

When tickets for Garth Brooks flood benefit concert went on sale Saturday, they went quick. So quick, in fact, that show after show was added until virtually nine shows were sold out in three hours, raising more than $3.5 million. The presence of Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, and Zac Brown Band in the CMA Awards [...]

Continue reading "Garth Brooks Sells Out Nine Shows; CMA Entertainer Category Causes Confusion; Stream New Bruce Robison/Kelly Willis Song"

The most famous braids in America are no more. Chris LeDoux will be memorialized next month with a 13-foot bronze statue and the renaming of a park in Kaycee, Wyoming. The statue, featuring LeDoux riding a horse named Stormy Weather atop a guitar-shaped base, will be called “Good Ride Cowboy” after the 2005 Garth Brooks [...]

Continue reading "Willie Cut His Hair; New Music From Jason Eady, Ryan Shupe, and Todd Snider; Chris LeDoux Memorialized"

Broadway star Laura Bell Bundy’s major label debut Achin’ and Shakin’ is divided into two distinct six-song segments. The first, Achin’, features a series of expressive pop-country ballads which Bundy handles with delightful intimacy. Her voice is a warm whisper on album opener “Drop On By,” while swanky standout track “Cigarette” plays like a cabaret [...]

Continue reading "Album Review: Laura Bell Bundy – Achin’ and Shakin’"

In her ubiquitous smash hit “You Belong with Me,” Taylor Swift’s cute quirks work for her. To fend off a prettier, more-perfect romantic rival, she‘s making her would-be man think twice about his options. “She wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts/She’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers,” Swift sings, fully aware that she’s got [...]

Continue reading "‘You Belong with Me?’: Taylor Goes for Grammy Gold"

What did Beyonce think after Kenya interrupted the awards? She figured the country’s government must still be bitter that Taylor Swift is only bringing her tour to the West coast of Africa. — Karlie What subgenre is Taylor Swift? Moody electropunk jazzbilly thrash metal with operatic overtones. Or just pop-country. — CMW When will I [...]

Continue reading "October Mailbag: What Did Beyonce Think After Kenya Interrupted The Awards?"

With all of his endeavors at full-throttle, Kenny Chesney confessed in an interview with EW.com’s Whitney Pastorek that he’s been running on empty for the past couple of years. In order to refuel, he’ll be sitting out the summer of 2010. Country Haiku has a series of haikus inspired by the Kanye West/Taylor Swift controversy: [...]

Continue reading "Kenny Chesney Taking A Breather; New Lady Antebellum Video; Keen’s Rose-Colored Vinyl"

On the heels of Sugarland’s live album release Live on the Inside, ChicagoPride.com recently published an interview with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, discussing the band’s affinity for cover songs. CP: How do you keep continuity, musically, between your own songs and the covers–how do you make the covers your own? JN: Well, there’s my voice—I’m [...]

Continue reading "Your Take: How Far is Too Far?"