I’m very curious about the future of Zac Brown Band. And very anxious to hear them live! Seems like you got something from them!

I’ve always thought that Hillary Scott’s phrasing choices sound a lot like Natalie Maines’ phrasing choices; I think it’s that their vowels come out sounding very similarly shaped. I don’t think Scott can stand up to Maines as a singer, though, and I think the DCX as a band have been far more interesting from a sonic standpoint since their early days than Lady A is right now. But like Lynn, I quite like Charles Kelley’s voice (and Hillary Scott’s voice in harmony with it) and their stage presence as a band, so I hope their material catches up with the talent they have.

Canadian Boy, over at his blog at the OC Register site, Ben Wener identified the other new song that Miranda sang as “Money Train.” I’ve no idea if he is basing this on an official setlist or whether he is guessing based on the lyrics he could make out. And here, courtesy ranandblakefan1 at YouTube is a partial cap of the performance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c4wKkRK9I4

Warning: the audio quality is not good at all, so I couldn’t make out any lyrics save for “money train” (I think). The song sounds catchy and closer to Miranda’s previous uptempo singles. I think it is something that could come off as less aggressively rock in the studio performance.

Lynn, thanks for your reviews from Stagecoach. I’m glad that Day 2 proved more under control. I’ve been meaning to check out the Duhks, and your review should be the nudge that does the trick.

I too am excited for Miranda’s next album, what ever it may have in store she’s amazing in my book.

Again yet another great read.

Lady A shares a producer with the Chicks, Paul Worley, and some of their stuff is reminiscent of the Chicks’ early stuff on Wide Open Spaces. Maybe that’s what you hear too.

One can only hope that Lady A grows up as well. At the moment, very few of their songs have any depth at all. That should change with age and experience. Hopefully.

Great recaps. Glad you persevered through it and that day 2 was easier than day 1.

I adore Lady A. Their music is so special to me. They sort of remind me of the Dixie Chicks, though I can’t quite put my finger on why. Maybe it’s Scott’s raw voice, as you pointed out?

Lynn, I’m with you (and CMW) on this point. When I saw Miranda perform last summer– she was second billed on triple feature with Trace Adkins and Keith Anderson– I was surprised by how rock-leaning the live arrangements of all of her songs were. Even “Dry Town” had a hard edge to it.

While she’s certainly able to pull off that style with more authority and conviction than some of her contemporaries, it was the twanginess of her voice and of the jaw-harp and production choices on “Me and Charlie Talking” that really sold me on her post-Nashville Star. I’m still optimistic about the quality of her upcoming album, but I have plenty of nagging questions about its overall direction.

I’m looking forward to the album regardless of its direction, but I have to admit that while not completely fair, I’m already feeling little nostalgic for the old Miranda.

I’m feeling the same way. I’m confident that she’ll be interesting regardless of what she does, but have a nagging suspicion that I prefer where she has been to where she’s heading.