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Single Review: Carrie Underwood, “See You Again”

August 6, 2013 Dan Milliken 21

carrie see you againYou’d be forgiven if Carrie Underwood’s current hit left you a little underwhelmed. After the one-two murderoo of “Blown Away” and “Two Black Cadillacs,” the releases that announced Underwood’s ascension from superstar singer to potentially cool artist, the Narnia-inspired “See You Again” may feel like a retreat back to simpler days. Actually, with its mechanical piano, bloated chorus production, and vague celestial imagery, it almost sounds like a descendant of “Inside Your Heaven,” Underwood’s sappy American Idol single. Uh oh!

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Freakin' "Accidental Racist," Y'all

April 9, 2013 Dan Milliken 69

Accidentally Racist HandshakeIn case you spent yesterday outdoors and missed it, Brad Paisley released his eyebrow-raising new collaboration with rapper LL Cool J, “Accidental Racist,” and the Internet’s eyebrows shot up into outer space.

Summarizing this song and all it entails feels, frankly, beyond me. It has to be experienced firsthand. Listen to it if you can find a clip that hasn’t been taken down, or download it on iTunes. But here are the lyrics:

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ACM 2013 Live Blog

April 7, 2013 Dan Milliken 13

acm awardsIf you’re tuned into tonight’s show at Blake and Luke just ain’t gettin’ it done for ya, come commiserate on the state of this genre with us. It’ll be fun, maybe!

And as always, please let us know in the comments if you have any trouble with the live blog client.

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Grammy 2013 Live Blog

February 10, 2013 Dan Milliken 25

55th Grammy AwardsThe telecast starts at 8 PM Eastern/7 Central, and we’ll be launching our coverage about a half-hour prior. We’re trying out the newfangled live blog client again, hopefully with better prep and results this time! Please let us know if you have any issues accessing the client/the site in general in the comments section, or at our Facebook or Twitter.  -DM

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Single Review: Darius Rucker, "Wagon Wheel"

January 21, 2013 Dan Milliken 19

darius wagon wheelNo matter that Old Crow Medicine Show’s original track isn’t even ten years old yet. Thanks to the proliferating powers of the modern age, “Wagon Wheel” has already become a chestnut – so much so that any new recording of it is bound to feel a little stale, even a long-overdue FM bid like this one.

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Single Review: Florida Georgia Line, "Get Your Shine On"

January 6, 2013 Dan Milliken 16

FGL shineLove it, hate it, or tolerate it, the one thing “Cruise” undeniably had going for it was a mighty hook. Not just a catchy one, either; as in all great sing-alongs, there was a universal quality to it; it captured a certain moment in the human experience. Yes, I really do think “Baby, you a song / You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise” speaks to something substantial – kind of like “Oh, play me some mountain music / Like Grandma and Grandpa used to play” or “You and me goin’ fishin’ in the dark!” – or, to hew closer to Florida Georgia Line’s probable influences, “I don’t ever wanna feel like I did that day” and “You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you want it, you better never let it go.”

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Single Review: LeAnn Rimes, “What Have I Done”

December 12, 2012 Dan Milliken 25

Long lost in the torrent of tabloids, lost in the fickle four-lady shuffle of country radio, is the truth that LeAnn Rimes – whatever her choices, relevance – is an exceptional country artist. An artist who hit her commercial peak early, but whose creative peak is still sloping up with each passing year, as her natural talent imbibes the wisdom and weather of age. The chipper tween who Patsy-parroted through “Blue” was charming, but nowhere near as compelling as the guarded optimist of “What I Cannot Change.” And even she, in turn, sounds a little simplistic compared to the woman we now encounter in “What Have I Done.”

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CMA 2012: Live Blog

November 1, 2012 Dan Milliken 80

Winners

Entertainer: Blake Shelton

Female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert

Male Vocalist: Blake Shelton

Vocal Group: Little Big Town

New Artist: Hunter Hayes

Vocal Duo: Thompson Square

Musician: Mac McAnally

Album: Eric Church, Chief

Single: Little Big Town, “Pontoon”

Song: Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton, “Over You”

Musical Event: Tim McGraw & Kenny Chesney, “Feel Like a Rock Star”

Video: Toby Keith, “Red Solo Cup”

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