No, really – I think they might actually be too tight, too perfected. At least on record. That could be a bizarre complaint, but then, it’s also bizarre hearing a jam-band track that sounds this rehearsed.

As a composition, “Keep Me in Mind” offers some cool musical changes to pad out its slight theme. But the band moves through everything so smoothly that that padding also starts to seem slight. Even when they transition into a Luther-Vandross-R&B groove – audacious on paper – they do it with so little drama that you hardly notice it.

After a pleasant opening, the record starts to fade into the wallpaper, like a party guest whose presence you can take or leave and probably won’t remember either way. I’ll go for a less varnished live version if one comes out; for now, sounds like they’re all checking their watches.

Written by Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette and Nic Cowen

Grade: B-

Listen: Keep Me In Mind

A sound sentiment stuffed in a sound-impaired package.

The generic “moody” 90′s production does some of the damage, as does a patchwork melody that can’t seem to connect its phrases. But you can also  hear McGraw still ironing out his vocal technique, as his likably nervous tremor in the verses meets a series of clumsy trills and some pitchy “baby”s and “maybe”s.

That great title sentiment shines bright, though, almost overcoming the facelessness of the story and the aforementioned sonic issues. Just not quite.

Written by Jerry Laseter and Kerry Kurt Phillips

Grade: C

Next: It’s Your Love (with Faith Hill)

Previous: She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDkpeer6hsU

One of those great country titles that says it all upfront.

Unfortunately, it’s also one of those country titles that carries an entire song. The melody here lands just shy of memorable, and ditto to the story, which never takes its characters deeper than their first encounter at the jukebox. (Instead it does that annoying second-verse thing where it just rephrases the chorus and spells out a few obvious inferences the listener has already made.)

It’s the kind of song destined to be played at such jukeboxes, though, and the title pops out enough to ensure you’ll pick it. You just might not remember doing so later.

Written by Dickey Lee, Tommy Rocco, and Johnny Russell

Grade: B

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQF-kvbyxD4

(See the full image here)

Although I might append a “-ly Cool” to that “Ridiculous” depending on the day you asked me.

But yeah, let’s talk about this. She’s playing up her primary marketing persona to such an extreme as to make its artifice glaringly, even amusingly obvious. In a way, that doesn’t bug me – it’s not like any of us ever actually believed her to be a vengeful pyro/ex-girlfriend/abuse victim.

But “Kerosene” and “Gunpowder & Lead” are great records because they tap into the hearts of women who have been those things – or at least, because they construct believable hearts for those women as characters. So while it’s cool, in a Tarantino way, to imagine a cute blond getting all aggro, we know that firepower can’t be the whole story; it has to be based on something. For the most part, Lambert seems to have gotten that.

But the silly reference to burning up some guy’s luggage in “Baggage Claim” bugged me a bit, and now we get bold graphics like this. I’m thinking things could either go very right or very wrong here. This is a striking photo, but I’d hate for Lambert to become a parody of herself.

What do y’all think?

(Note: If the album cover shows up as a Mosaic, click “Show Album.”)

It’s always interesting to see how music industry awards reflect (or don’t reflect) larger narratives in the industry itself.

If you’re interested in the narratives behind this year’s CMAs, look no further than the two men who’ve made the biggest strides on the ballot: Blake Shelton and Jason Aldean. Both show up in Entertainer and Male Vocalist, plus Album and Single, plus assorted other stuff. But the marketing approaches that have gotten them there are vastly different.

Shelton’s is the traditional wisdom: cover all media ground with an inoffensive product until the people buy in. So he’s a core act at radio; he’s on a popular TV show (The Voice); he hosted the ACMs; he was in a ton of magazines for his marriage; he Twitters a lot.

Then there’s the Aldean approach: make a distinct product, generate enough radio support to plant the seeds, then go straight to the fans, tour relentlessly, build up word-of-mouth – let the industry come to you. I think it’s the more effective approach, personally. Look at Eric Church, who has a fraction of Shelton’s ubiquity but beat him in first-week album sales and is still beating him cumulatively - no TV spotlights, no gossip mags, no Twitter.

And look at how many acts on this ballot started on indie labels. Aldean, Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band, Thompson Square, the freaking Civil Wars. Major-label power still matters, but it seems to mean less all the time. Media saturation still matters, but it seems to mean less all the time. Music is the only thing that always counts, and even the highly political CMAs are starting to have trouble ignoring it.

Just my thoughts, anyway. What say you to this list?

Entertainer

• Jason Aldean
• Brad Paisley
• Blake Shelton
• Taylor Swift
• Keith Urban

Who’s In: Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift

Who’s Out: Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band

Male Vocalist

• Jason Aldean
• Kenny Chesney
• Brad Paisley
• Blake Shelton
• Keith Urban

Who’s In: Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney

Who’s Out: Dierks Bentley, George Strait

Female Vocalist

• Sara Evans
• Miranda Lambert
• Martina McBride
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood

Who’s In: Sara Evans

Who’s Out: Reba McEntire

Vocal Duo

• The Civil Wars
• Montgomery Gentry
• Steel Magnolia
• Sugarland
• Thompson Square

Who’s In: The Civil Wars, Thompson Square

Who’s Out: Brooks & Dunn (historical moment!), Joey + Rory

Vocal Group

• The Band Perry
• Lady Antebellum
• Little Big Town
• Rascal Flatts
• Zac Brown Band

Who’s In: Nobody

Who’s Out: Nobody

New Artist

• The Band Perry
• Luke Bryan
• Eric Church
• Thompson Square
• Chris Young

Who’s In: The Band Perry, Eric Church, Thompson Square

Who’s Out: Easton Corbin, Jerrod Niemann, Zac Brown Band (won)

Notes: Bryan and Young are both on their second nominations here, but for once there’s no obvious frontrunner. Thompson Square pick up the category-filler nom from Jerrod Niemann. This reminds me: where has Easton Corbin gone?

Album

• Blake Shelton, All About Tonight
• Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party
• Taylor Swift, Speak Now
• Brad Paisley, This Is Country Music
• Zac Brown Band, You Get What You Give

Notes: Shelton’s is a low-selling EP. Uhhh.

Single

• Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
• Zac Brown Band, “Colder Weather”
• Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
• Blake Shelton, “Honey Bee”
• The Band Perry, “If I Die Young”

Song

• “Colder Weather” – written by Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, Levi Lowrey, and Coy Bowles
• “Dirt Road Anthem” – written by Brantley Gilbert and Colt Ford
• “If I Die Young ” – written by Kimberly Perry
• “Mean” – written by Taylor Swift
• “You and Tequila” – written by Matraca Berg and Deana Carter

Notes: Nice to see there are still some Matraca Berg fans out there amid the Brantley Gilbert ones. Interestingly, Swift’s first nomination in this category.

Musical Event

• “As She’s Walking Away” – Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson
• “Coal Miner’s Daughter” – Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow and Miranda Lambert
• “Don’t You Wanna Stay” – Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson
• “Old Alabama” – Brad Paisley with Alabama
• “You and Tequila” – Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

Notes: I’m troubled by the fact that “Don’t You Wanna Stay” is nominated for Single and “As She’s Walking Away” isn’t.

Music Video

• “Honey Bee” – Blake Shelton
• “If I Die Young” – The Band Perry
• “Mean” – Taylor Swift
• “Old Alabama” – Brad Paisley featuring Alabama
• “You and Tequila” – Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

Notes: The worst Brad Paisley video ever to be nominated here, I think.

Musician

• Paul Franklin
• Dann Huff
• Brent Mason
• Mac McAnally
• Randy Scruggs

Who’s In: Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas

Who’s Out: Brent Mason, Randy Scruggs

.

Related Posts

Blake Shelton, Superstar?

2010 CMA Nominations

I feel sad for the young people whose lives Lady A are soundtracking. This music just isn’t built to last beyond a few elevator rides, and it’s going to sap all the fun out of those kids’ nostalgia sessions.

Grade: D+

Listen: We Owned the Night

And yet, “Drink in My Hand” is also just a radio hit, no higher aspiration than to be a slightly cooler version of “All About Tonight.” And the secret’s out now: Church can do better. So wait a few months and check back in. In the meantime, let’s get him away from whoever approved “boss-man can shove that overtime up his can.” (Evidently, there’s such a thing as trying so hard to talk like the common man that you end up talking like no one.)

Written by Eric Church, Michael P. Heeney, Luke Laird

Grade: B-

Listen: Drink in My Hand

The 80′s keyboard is like a cheese grater grating extra cheese onto the pizza that is “You Look So Good in Love.” To the modern ear, it imbues the song with an unintentional levity even before George gets to his third-verse recitation. Throw in the über-earnest chorus – not to mention the video – and the thing becomes just about impossible to take seriously.

And yet – screw you, who doesn’t love “You Look So Good in Love”? It’s one of those rare records you can sort of enjoy ironically and unironically at the same time, as the wimpy, dated production collides with Strait’s rich croon and one of the most singable melodies he’s ever found. Will it make anyone’s all-time list? No. Has every country fan over 25 sung the chorus to a shower head or steering wheel? “It’s easyyy to see.”

Written by Glen Ballard, Rory Michael Bourke and Kerry Chater

Grade: A-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO_iS_U5FkA

Either way, it works, if in a disposable way. It could even function as a prequel to the melancholy “‘Til Summer Comes Around.” But Urban’s so revved up here that you hope not.

Written by Keith Urban and Richard Marx

Grade: B

Listen: Long Hot Summer

But it’s a record that defies explanation. Because Jackson perfectly inhabits the song’s affable weariness, and because Scott Hendricks and Keith Stegall arrange it to honky-tonk heaven. You end up believing that some boozed-up guy actually could be making this request – if, perhaps, mentally – and couching his hurt in a quirky half-joke, the way people often do when they’re first emerging from a lonely spell.

In sum, it’s like hearing a sunnier, contemporary Johnny Paycheck. Little surprise, then, that this odd duck took Jackson’s career to its rightful next level.

Written by Alan Jackson, Roger Murrah and Keith Stegall

Grade: A

Listen: Don’t Rock the Jukebox

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMDq-MnpbTo