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Rucker Proves That Sometimes, The Best Marketing Is No Marketing At All
Don’t look now, but Darius Rucker, lead singer of 90s rock group Hootie & The Blowfish, has a country hit on his hands. “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” currently sits at number 14 on Billboard’s country singles chart and continues to pick up spins. What you probably haven’t heard is that Rucker […]
Continue reading "Rucker Proves That Sometimes, The Best Marketing Is No Marketing At All"
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Dolly Parton Hurt By Howard Stern’s Tasteless Manipulation
Last week Howard Stern manipulated and re-edited sound clips from Dolly Parton quotes “to make it appear the singer was making racist and sexually explicit remarks about Kenny Rogers, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Carson and others.” Kristin Whittlesey says it wasn’t mildly upsetting either, it was so filthy and nasty that it can’t even be paraphrased. […]
Continue reading "Dolly Parton Hurt By Howard Stern’s Tasteless Manipulation"
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Who Could Sue Country Music?
In light of 50 Cent and Universal getting sued for promoting a gangsta’ lifestyle, Mike Severson asks who could sue country music for the lifestyle it promotes? “Soccer moms? Former 70’s rock fans? The state of Texas?”
Sugarland, Little Big Town and Jake Owen all share the No. 50 song on Billboard’s Hot Country […]
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Artists to Watch in 2008 (Part 1 of 5): On Notice
Anita Cochran. Bryan White. Mark Wills. These were a few of the names on the country music radar ten years ago. My, how times change.
Each day this week I’ll be taking a look at the artists who are poised to vie for our attention in 2008; most of them will go the way of […]Continue reading "Artists to Watch in 2008 (Part 1 of 5): On Notice"
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October ‘07 Album Review Wrap-Up
October is over with and it seems like there was a whirlwind of new music. Some was good. The rest? Not so much. Browse through our assessments of the albums and let us know what you thought about the quality of October’s releases.
Brooks & Dunn – Cowboy Town
What is most disturbing about Cowboy Town is […] -
Big Kenny Doing What He Can In Sudan
Tanya Tucker, who just moved from Nashville to Malibu in July, may lose her home, wardrobe, and memorabilia to wildfires that have destroyed some 200,000 acres in the area. Tucker was in Las Vegas when her daughter and four pets had to evacuate the home.
Carrie Underwood reveals that she doesn’t ever want to be pigeon-holed […] -
Merle Haggard Debuts At Number 1 On Bluegrass Charts
The Politico has a great “story behind the song” type feature about how “For These Times” was written and eventually ended up on Martina McBride’s latest album, Waking Up Laughing. Inspiration is everywhere.
It begins in Pittsburgh on election night 2006. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), losing to Democrat Robert P. Casey Jr. by a wide margin, […]Continue reading "Merle Haggard Debuts At Number 1 On Bluegrass Charts"
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“Your Confederate-Flag Boxers Were Hanging On My Grammy”
Musician, novelist, and former Texas gubernatorial hopeful Kinky Friedman talked to Nashville Scene about…politics. Who’d a thunk it? Along with Billy Joe Shaver these two guys could crank out some pretty lofty books of quotes.
Rolling Stones‘ Top 15 cheating songs as chosen by their readers.
Toby Keith scored his 23rd number 1 on the country singles […]Continue reading "“Your Confederate-Flag Boxers Were Hanging On My Grammy”"
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Rissi Palmer - “Country Girl”
Rissi Palmer is a fine addition to the very small group of contemporary female Country vocalists who actually sound Country. That’s how any review of her debut single, “Country Girl,” should begin.
But Rissi Palmer is black, and there’s no escaping that fact in a genre identifiable as one of the most racially exclusive […] -
“Categories Are Bleeding Together, And People Are Just Listening To Music”
While perusing the Galleywinter forums I came across a link to a great article on the Hampden-Sydney College website about Drew Kennedy from back in 2002 and 2003. The article says that:
For his senior thesis, Drew traced the origins of west Texas country music and combined his research with his own talents as a singer […]Continue reading "“Categories Are Bleeding Together, And People Are Just Listening To Music”"
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Forgotten Artists: Bradley Kincaid In a manner similar to Alan Lomax, William Bradley “The Kentucky Mountain Boy” Kincaid was one of the great American musicologists and collectors of American folk, country and parlor songs.
Forgotten Artists: Goldie Hill Had Carl Smith and Goldie Hill been born 30 or 40 years later, they might have been like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw–the dominant married couple in country music.
Miranda Lambert - “More Like Her” This kind of material, as opposed to her tough-chick-done-wrong romps like “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “Gunpowder and Lead,” is where her real promise lies
Joey Rory - “Cheater, Cheater” It’s actually downright frivolous, but that just makes it all the more fun. And really, are you allowed to say “ho” on country radio?
Josh Gracin - “Unbelievable (Ann Marie)” Despite initial marketing that touted the album as deep and personal, “Unbelievable (Ann Marie)” is anything but deep or personal.
Josh Turner - "Everything Is Fine" Turner is the rare example of an artist who records material that’s both quality and trademark.
Darryl Worley - "Tequila On Ice" A groovy mid-tempo that sways, a refreshing reprieve from the exhausting pace of a format that clamors for loud music and swelling choruses.
Blake Shelton - "She Wouldn't Be Gone" It’s all about nailing the melody rather than providing a legitimate interpretation that accentuates the lyrical content, although Shelton does do a pretty good job of injecting what limited emotion he can.
Don’t look now, but Darius Rucker, lead singer of 90s rock group Hootie & The Blowfish, has a country hit on his hands. What you probably haven’t heard is that Rucker is the first black artist to chart a single in the country top 20 since Charley Pride last did it in 1988.
News that former Sugarland member and co-founder Kristen Hall is suing her ex-mates, to the tune of $1.5 million, goes a long way towards providing a bit of context regarding the Atlanta singer/songwriter’s sudden departure from the group.
In Memory of Don Helms (1927 - 2008) Helms dated back to a time when an excellent four or five piece band and a good singer were all that were needed to make great country music. No drums, no light shows, no production tricks in the recording studio–just good music.Current Discussion
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