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Sugarland – “Tonight”
Songwriters: Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush and Kevin Griffin This is where the machine needs a little more oil. On the third single from The Incredible Machine, Sugarland trades bare emotional honesty for bad inspirational goop that hardly satisfies those who look to the duo for their humorous and heartfelt recordings. “Tonight” centers on one of [...]
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The Band Perry – “You Lie”
Songwriters: Aaron Henningsen, Brian Henningsen and Clara Henningsen Coming off the forgettable “Hip to My Heart” and sleeper hit “If I Die Young,” The Band Perry’s Kimberly, Reid and Neil Perry have managed to combine uneven output with small flashes of brilliance, showing just enough lyrical leg to keep radio and critics alike interested. For [...]
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The Bellamy Brothers Raise Questions Over Britney Spears Single; George Strait/Reba McEntire Lead Country Tours in 2010
Britney Spears‘ new single was released Monday, which wouldn’t ordinarily be news here, but The Bellamy Brothers are taking issue with some of the songs lyrics, specifically the line “If I said I want your body now, would you hold it against me?” It’s eerily close to the Brothers’ 1979 classic “If I Said You [...]
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Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer Perform Toegther; Country Stars Land Roles in New Civil War Mini-Series; Free Rodney Crowell
Up until this past fall, sisters Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer have kept their musical lives separate. Recently though, they’ve performed several intimate shows together as part of what they’ve dubbed their Side By Side tour. NPR is streaming a collection of songs that they performed live in Studio 4A, including the song they open [...]
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The C Word
There is country radio, and then there is Country Radio. When I first began covering the business a decade ago, I was at first annoyed to see the way that radio insiders insisted on referring to their milieu as “Country Radio” in every casual mention (see here)—but I eventually became grateful for the useful distinction. [...]
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Merle Haggard Praised at Kennedy Center Honors; Songs From Hank, Willie, & Bob Wills Added to GRAMMY Hall of Fame
Merle Haggard was among the honorees praised during Sunday night’s Kennedy Center Honors gala. The Recording Academy announced inductees for the 2011 GRAMMY Hall of Fame, an institution set up to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old. Songs in the country category include: “Lovesick Blues” by [...]
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Eddie Montgomery Announces Divorce; ‘Billboard’ Covers Miranda Lambert; ‘The Guitar Song’ Goes Gold
Eddie Montgomery broke the news that he’s getting a divorce via Twitter this morning. The comments have since been deleted, but not before Country Music Is Love was able to report the news. “U find out u got cancer then u found out ur wife can’t handle that so she seek of and files for [...]
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Sugarland – “Little Miss”
Crossover is such a dirty term for country music purists, but a series of genre-busting A-listers–Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum and Carrie Underwood, for starters–have grabbed hold of the format and refuse to lose their grip. Sugarland, who caught the public’s imagination with their winning blend of pop-country, is also intent on helping shepherd in a [...]
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Sugarland Settles Lawsuit with Founder Kristen Hall; Country Shows Expand; Anna Wilson Adds Jazz to Country Standards
Current Sugarland members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush settled a lawsuit with the group’s founding member, Kristen Hall, who claims she was owed more than $14 million. Details of the settlement weren’t disclosed. NPR’s Meredith Ochs says the new Hank Williams box set The Complete Mother’s Best Recordings…Plus! challenges commonly held perceptions: Though it’s well-known [...]
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In Defense of the Critic
Kevin J. Coyne over at Country Universe caused a ripple in the space-time continuum of the country music blogoverse a couple of weeks ago with his ruthless takedown of Sugarland’s latest. “The Incredible Machine is a terrible album, an unmitigated disaster that manages to fail in ways that shouldn’t even be possible,” he wrote, concluding [...]
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- Jack Hanford: For those who are interested, there is a new 90-minute documentary video about Tompall & the Glaser Brothers on DVD ...
- joe morris: how come nobody mentions his fan club which started 1950 and was called the " the penny pushers " which ...
- jane: I'm reading this article in 2013 and I've yet to hear anything from the album played on the radio.....
- Catwandy: I guess Matt C. is eating his well-deserved crow 'bout now. Critics....gotta love 'em , bless their little hearts.
- Ed McClendon: Saw the brothers in Greeley CO on the occasion of Tompall's 50th birthday. The show wasn't well promoted and there ...
- Roby Fox: I'm sure no one else will know, or even care about this little tidbit of trivia. "Keep Your Change" was ...
- kate wonders: Roni Stoneman is still on Hee Haw every Sunday night on RFD channel.
- Marsha Blades: Tommy, You were so kind to me during a tough time in my life and I don't think I ever ...
- Leona Jones: I seen Chris at the Grand Ole Opry last week.. First time I have heard of him.. He rocked the ...
- Sonicjar Music: Agree with Lucas, But one thing is certain, for a song to come to existence, so many things have to ...
