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43rd Annual ACM Awards Wrap-Up
Best performance: Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, “Make the World Go Away.” Carrie Underwood sounded awful in her show-opening performance of “Last Name” but has never sounded more beautiful than in this tribute to Eddy Arnold. Major award shows too often fail to even acknowledge the passing of exceptionally talented and influential legends, and […]
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43rd Annual ACM Awards Preview
It’s the old versus the new in the 43rd Annual ACM Awards.
This doesn’t mean that it’s the traditionalists versus the pop stars, which would make for an interesting showdown. Rather, it’s what happens to awards shows when eligibility criteria are too liberal and not enough good music has been released in the past year: […] -
John Hiatt Joins Lofty Company With AMA Lifetime Achievement Award For Songwriting
The Americana Music Association announced yesterday that John Hiatt will receive their lifetime achievement award for songwriting, which will be presented to him during the Sept. 18 awards show at the Ryman Auditorium. Past winners include Willie Nelson, Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, Cowboy Jack Clement, John Prine and Billy Joe Shaver.
Aside from his forthcoming album, […] -
Rodney Atkins - “Invisibly Shaken”
Songwriters: Rodney Atkins and Bill Kirsch
Rodney Atkins’ latest single from his blockbuster album If You’re Going Through Hell is the somber piano ballad “Invisibly Shaken,” which Atkins co-wrote with Bill Kirsch. It tells the tale of a guy who is pretending to be ok with a breakup, but is in fact, “invisibly shaken, quietly […] -
More Performers Added To CMA Music Festival Lineup
A whole slew of performers were added to the lineup for the CMA Music Festival, including everybody’s favorite Celebrity Apprentice, Trace Adkins. The lineup also sees Randy Travis returning after a decade long absence.
Do Lyle Lovett and Australian pop singer Ben Lee look alike? Sixty-eight percent of the voters at Spinner see at least some […]Continue reading "More Performers Added To CMA Music Festival Lineup"
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Tim McGraw Channels Inner Shel Silverstein for New Children’s Book
A new children’s book, My Little Girl, penned by Tim McGraw and singer-songwriter Tom Douglas will hit bookshelves in October, with a forward foreword from Faith Hill.
Hal Bogerd gushes over Peter Cooper’s newest album, Mission Door, claiming “if the year keeps going like this my 2008 top ten list is going to get pretty crowded.”
Trisha […]Continue reading "Tim McGraw Channels Inner Shel Silverstein for New Children’s Book"
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Kenny Chesney Dominates ACM Awards Nominations
Kenny Chesney leads the 2008 ACM Awards nominations with 11 while Rodney Atkins pulled in six. Here’s a list.
Ricky Skaggs will be awarded a Berklee honorary doctorate of music on the Grand Ole Opry stage.
Skaggs’ virtuosity, his rich musicality, and his commitment to the deep roots of American music make him a deserving recipient of […]Continue reading "Kenny Chesney Dominates ACM Awards Nominations"
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Your Essential Willie Nelson Songs
Michael Corcoran lists “Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain” as the number one essential Willie Nelson song and asks, “Which Willie Nelson songs can you not live without?” It’s hard to argue with his list, but seeing as though it wasn’t included in the list of ten, I’d have to say the Townes Van Zandt […]
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The Best Country Songs of 2007
First off, Happy New Year to everyone. To start the new year off, we’ve compiled a list of the best songs from 2007. The staff had a lengthy discussion about which songs should be available for nomination for such a list and we decided that a song had to be an original recording on an […]
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Stop the Scripted Encores, Already!
Mike Osegueda is tired of predictable and lame encores. He’s sick of the fake suspense and thinks the ticket buyers deserve a little unscripted magic. Make it a real encore.
Here’s a tip: If the lights don’t go up when the band leaves the stage, there’s gonna be an encore. Doesn’t matter how loud you squeal […]
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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
- Marc: John Rich, Gretchen Wilson and Cowboy Troy were, as usual, awful. I used to like...
- Rick: Thanks for the links to the tunes by Elizabeth Cook and Sarah Buxton, two of my ...
- jana: That Susan Gibson album is pretty awesome....
- Rick: My favorite three cuts on "Heartbreakers Hall of Fame" are "Here Lately", "Laven...
- Rick: Just a comment regarding the old Davis Sisters song "I Forgot More Than You'll E...
- dallas: Peter.every concert we have been too .have been sell outs.that has to say somet...
- dallas: Kenny Chesney.he sells out all his concert.so he must have a real big fan base i...
- Courtney: Is she aiming to be hard to understand? Most of the words I don't understand. Bu...
- J MacAulay: I think he should release "The longer the waiting" as his next single as there i...
- dallas: Rascal Flatts is the best band in country music....
