As a general rule, you can scan the credits of any new country album and assume that if Brandy Clark is a writer on one of the songs, it’s the best song on the album. As Clark readies the release of 12 Stories, her debut album as an artist, it’s a great time for fans of that remarkable set to get caught up on Clark’s work to date.
Believe the hype. Clark really is as good as everyone is saying she is. Possibly even better, as these twenty tracks suggest. Scroll down to the bottom, and you can listen to snippets from all of them as you read along.
The Singles
Even if you’re only a casual fan of country radio, you’ve probably already heard Clark’s distinctive brand of songwriting. She’s penned huge hits for the Band Perry and Miranda Lambert in the past year, along with a should’ve-been hit for LeAnn Rimes and the upcoming release from frequent collaborator Kacey Musgraves.
Here’s a rundown of her radio releases so far.
“Better Dig Two”
written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, and Trevor Rosen
from The Band Perry album, Pioneer
The production nearly overwhelms the sharpness of the lyric here, but after a few listens, it’s easier to get past the clutter and enjoy the wicked wordplay.
“Crazy Women”
written by Brandy Clark, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Shane McAnally
from the LeAnn Rimes album, Lady & Gentlemen
That Aqua Net reference at the beginning was flagged by us upon release as “the best opening line in recent memory.” It still holds up well today, sounding just as fresh and clever on Clark’s debut album.
“Follow Your Arrow”
written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, and Kacey Musgraves
from the Kacey Musgraves album, Same Trailer Different Park
Arguably the strongest song on Musgraves’ remarkable debut set, “Follow Your Arrow” is a remarkably progressive anthem of tolerance and individual expression. It is slated to be the third single and in a perfect world, Musgraves will use that as a reason to perform it on the CMA Awards next month.
“Mama’s Broken Heart”
written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, and Kacey Musgraves
from the Miranda Lambert album, Four the Record
Easily the best thing Lambert’s done in years, “Mama’s Broken Heart” is a whole lotta crazy without feeling even a little bit forced. It manages to slip in some sly feminist commentary, too.
“Things a Mama Don’t Know” (with Toby Keith)
written by Brandy Clark, Mark Narmore, and Liz Rose
from the Mica Roberts EP, Days You Live For
The debut single from Mica Roberts featured her Show Dog label head, Toby Keith. It’s a potent song about a woman who follows the wrong man across the country and doesn’t want to let her mother know how much she’s suffering as a result of this poor choice. It’s always nice to hear Keith’s voice, but his presence gets in the way of the lyric, making for an odd switch between third and first person during the second verse.
The Album Cuts
Many of Clark’s best songs have never been sent to radio. Here are some of her lesser-known tracks.
“The Boy Never Stays”
written by Brandy Clark, Sarah Darling, and Josh Osborne
from the Sarah Darling album, Angels & Devils
Clark’s songs reel you in early, usually with an opening line that immediately grabs your attention. “He’s the first taste of something you shouldn’t have. He’s the first lie you tell to your mom and dad.” Her masterful use of pathos is what sets Clark apart from most of her peers.
“Boys and Buses”
written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne
digital download track from Season One of Nashville
There’s an incredible irony to the fact that Hayden Panettiere’s character on Nashville is supposed to be a flashy pop singer making disposable music for tweens. The songs she actually sings on the show are often top-notch, better than much of what’s on the radio today. “Boys and Buses” may have a chorus that would make Julie Roberts swoon, but it’s chock full of clever details and turns of phrase that are Clark’s hallmarks.
“Dandelion”
written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, and Kacey Musgraves
from the Kacey Musgraves album, Same Trailer Different Park
A sweetly mournful song about love gone wrong, built around the false hope of wishing on a weed.
“The Day She Got Divorced”
written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, and Mark D. Sanders
from the Reba McEntire album, All the Women I Am
When we reviewed this album three years ago, this track was noted as among the strongest. We called it “vivid and real, with lyrical imagery that would make Jeannie C. Riley proud.” One of the few great McEntire performances this century, it’s especially impressive that Clark’s own reading on her debut album is even better than McEntire’s reading of this dark and dreary divorce number.
“Get Outta My Yard”
written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, and Kacey Musgraves
from the Gretchen Wilson album, Right on Time
Wilson’s latest album opens with this cut. It practically screams for a more aggressive performance, the latest reminder what Wilson’s outlaw image never really shows up at the mic. If Lambert’s looking for another rave-up, she might want to anchor her next set with this one.
“It is What it is”
written by Brandy Clark, Luke Laird, and Kacey Musgraves
from the Kacey Musgraves album, Same Trailer Different Park
The late night phone call concept has been done well before, but never quite this emotion-free. She doesn’t need him now and isn’t likely to hate herself in the morning for loving him tonight. “Maybe I love you,” she wonders, or “maybe I’m just kinda bored.” This is the best track on Musgraves’ album that hasn’t been flagged as a single yet.
“Last Night’s Make Up”
written by Brandy Clark, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Shane McAnally
from the Lorrie Morgan and Pam Tillis album, Dos Divas
You know that a writer is capturing universal truth when a song can be as convincing by a voice weathered by time as it would be if sung by someone as young as the writer herself. This tale of morning after regret is one of Morgan’s finest moments, on par with her signature ballads from the nineties.
“Love Without You” (featuring Sheryl Cr0w)
written by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally
from the Darius Rucker album, True Believers
The Crow backing vocal is easy to miss until she starts singing some of the lines in the end, but Rucker hasn’t had his own talent showcased this well too often, so it helps that she stays out of the way for most of the track. The subtlety of the lyric and the quiet production allow him to shine as an interpreter.
“The Maker of Them All”
written by Brandy Clark and Billy Montana
from the Guy Penrod album, Breathe Deep
A stunning and uplifting celebration of how all of us are creations of God, using sharp contrasts to make the point of how many diverse and seemingly contradictory things are part of a greater plan designed by one maker. “The hands that have to fight. The hands that pray for peace at night. The Lord is the maker of them all.”
“Something Worth Stealing”
written by Brandy Clark and Jill King
from the Jill King album, Rain on Fire
“There’s love,” King sings, “and then there’s runaway desire.” There are a lot of songs about the actual cheating, but they usually document the heat of the moment. This indiscretion is coldly calculated, no matter how hot the flames of passion underlying it might be.
“That’s How I’ll Remember You”
written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, and Madeleine Slate
from the David Nail album, The Sound of a Million Dreams
“Summertime in Brooklyn, mustard on your lip. I knew I loved you by the bottom of the fifth.” Not too many country songs capture moments that perfectly detailed, and this has got to be the only one where the moment takes place at a Brooklyn Cyclones game.
“Tryin’ to Go to Church”
written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, and Ashton Shepherd
from the Ashton Shepherd album, Where Country Grows
One of the most charming tracks from Shepherd’s second set, she rattles off the reasons she can’t quite make it to church in her exaggerated twang. My personal favorite: “Here comes that husband-stealin’ heifer and I reckon I’m gonna have to fight.”
“Waitin’ on a Train”
written by Brandy Clark, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Shane McAnally
from the Buffy Lawson album, I’m Leaving You For Me
The debut solo album from former Bomshel Buffy Lawson features this gem that compares waiting for a man to love her in return to “standing in an airport, waiting on a train.”
“When I Find Me That Mountain”
written by Brandy Clark and Trent Jeffcoat
from the Trent Jeffcoat album, When I Find Me That Mountain
Clark doesn’t engage her faith much on her debut album, but if this and “The Maker of Them All” are any indication, she’s got a great country gospel album waiting inside of her.
“You Can Come Over”
written by Brandy Clark, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Mark Narmore
from the Craig Campbell album, Never Regret
A true hidden gem, this one tells the heartbreaker in question, “You can come over but you can’t come in.” A talk on the front porch, a ride in the truck. Those are just fine. But walking through his front door will just lead to her leaving again.
Yes, I get it. The boys of Florida Georgia Line have got to make their $$$, and the way to do that these days is to give radio what they want. But if you’re going to serve up radio filler, you could at least serve up a different variety of radio filler than what you’ve previously been putting out.
Case in point: ”Round Here” is the third consecutive rural party anthem that Florida Georgia Line has released, and of those three, “Cruise” is the only one that has been any good at all.
Yes, I still believe the hook and melody of “Cruise” had something great going for it – even though the song’s place in country music history is being blown grossly out of proportion by Billboard’s nutty new chart rules. But the same cannot be said for “Round Here,” which grasps at a trite, overused phrase for its title, and burrows down into the usual formulas. Bloated production and affected vocals only make things worse.
The bottom line: Kiss some radio butt if you must, but don’t make a one-trick pony out of yourself. Remember Gretchen Wilson?
Written by Rodney Clawson, Thomas Rhett and Chris Tompkins
In a year that has already brought the deaths of immortal talents like George Jones, Slim Whitman, Patti Page, and Jack Greene, not to mention the untimely loss of Mindy McCready, it is understandable that the recent news regarding Randy Travis is having the country music fans collectively holding their breath with nervousness and dread.
There is something distinctly different about how I am processing the news about Randy Travis. The thought of losing him is inextricably linked with a feeling that we’d be losing an essential core of the country music that I fell in love with more than two decades ago. Now, I remember Randy Travis from when I was a child. What little kid wouldn’t be in love with a catchy song like “Forever and Ever, Amen”?
By the time I was old enough to discover country music on my own, he was already something of an elder statesman, despite his young age. As I delved into the history of the genre I was falling in love with, widely accepted concepts like Travis starting the new traditionalist movement and Storms of Life being one of greatest albums of all time had taken root. The truth is, traditionalism never really went away, and even during the Urban Cowboy years, artists like Ricky Skaggs and Emmylou Harris were having commercial success with roots-based music.
But Randy Travis didn’t just have a bit of success. He sold millions of records in a time where almost no country acts were doing so, and certainly none who didn’t incorporate pop or rock sounds into their work. His massive success was the tipping point that made the nineties boom inevitable, as labels saw new acts like Clint Black and Alan Jackson as being capable of superstar status, instead of just being genre favorites that sold moderately well.
He never really got the credit he deserved for this, with the industry treating him like old news despite him continuing to score hits and sell platinum throughout the nineties and early 2000′s. There are so many great singles that I was around for when they first came out. “Before You Kill Us All.” “Look Heart, No Hands.” “Out of My Bones.” “Whisper My Name.” “If I Didn’t Have You.” “Better Class of Losers.” “The Hole.” “Three Wooden Crosses.” “Dig Two Graves.” The list goes on and on.
He’s also responsible, through no fault of his own, for what I call country music’s Messiah Complex. After he revolutionized the widespread appeal for traditionalism, which led to a solid decade of traditional country artists being signed and succeeding wildly, the sounds began to drift back to pop and rock flavorings. Since this shift, every slightly twangy newbie has been anointed as the savior of country music. Lee Ann Womack, Brad Paisley, Dixie Chicks, Joe Nichols, Josh Turner, Jamey Johnson, and Gretchen Wilson have all been shouldered with the burden of being the next Randy Travis.
This has led to deep disappointment when their second or third album struggled, or even worse, to feelings of betrayal when these selected stewards veered away from traditional country music. All that pressure, and not a one of them even started off with an album in the same league as Storms of Life, though Johnson and the Chicks came remarkably close.
I can’t get my head or my heart around the thought that his contemporary titan might not be with us anymore. I can’t stomach the coverage that focuses more on his personal troubles than his incredible body of work and peerless impact on country music as a whole.
Please use the comments to share your own thoughts and feelings about Randy Travis. Also, I recommend reading the Favorite Songs by Favorite Artists piece that Leeann Ward wrote a few years ago. It’s an excellent place to start for those who are looking to discover the his rich and diverse catalog.
“I can’t tell you where I’m bound/ Maybe I’m just spinning round and round…. And there may come a day when I have nothing left to say,” sings Gretchen Wilson on her new single “Still Rollin’.” Such words feel unfortunately indicative of the level of creativity the song displays.
Everything about “Still Rollin’” is forgettable. The production sounds like a karaoke track. The melody has scarcely any rise and fall to it, and the cliché-filled lyrics plod in circles with no discernible point. The song centers around a mediocre non-hook (“I keep on rolliiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnn’…”) that only makes it grating instead of memorable.
But the main thing that sinks the song is the vocal. When Wilson sings with the right amount of bite and sass, it can make even a “Redneck Woman” rehash like “Work Hard, Play Harder” enjoyable. That quality is entirely absent here, and her delivery instead comes across as dull and dispassionate.
How am I supposed to care about the new Gretchen Wilson song if
she doesn’t even sound like she cares about it herself? If she’s going to release three(!) new albums this year, let’s hope she has a lot more tricks up her sleeve than this single demonstrates.
Here for the Party came out when I was fourteen and just getting really into country music, and it was so much fresher than most of the mainstream stuff at the time that it instantly became one of my favorite albums. “Homewrecker” wasn’t my favorite on the set (that was “Chariot,” which still sounds cool), but I did find it amazingly clever and funny in a way I couldn’t once I had gotten properly acquainted with Loretta Lynn.
I thought this was the greatest song ever in elementary school, and I think I may have even concocted a dance to it with my childhood best friend. At that time, its vague, grandiose proclamations didn’t really phase me; now they leave me a little cold, though I suppose I’ll always enjoy it on some level.
In the last couple weeks, I’ve actually been weeding out songs from my iTunes, which has turned out to be over 10 gigs of music that I’ve decided I don’t feel I need to listen to anymore. It’s been surprising how many songs I’ve decided I’m totally over—whether it was due to over saturation (my fault since I don’t listen to radio) or change in taste over time. I used to absolutely adore “Check Yes or No”, but now it feels like a song that I’d obliterate if I was to review it. I remember thinking it was a cute story, but now I think it’s schmaltzy and predictable. My poor cynical heart.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s that time of year again: the 2011 Grammy Awards air this Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern. Country music has its hand in the Grammy pot via major nominations for Lady Antebellum, performances by Miranda Lambert, Lady A and Martina McBride, and appearances by Keith Urban, Zac Brown, Blake Shelton and Kris Kristofferson. We’ve picked and predicted the awards below – chime in with your own thoughts, and stop by on Sunday night for our live blog!
Album of the Year
Should Win
Arcade Fire, The Suburbs- Dan
Eminem, Recovery- Kevin, Tara
Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster
Katy Perry, Teenage Dream
Will Win
Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Eminem, Recovery- Kevin, Dan, Tara
Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster
Katy Perry, Teenage Dream
Kevin: In a field of newer artists, Eminem is the established veteran that is overdue for this award. It helps that he also made the best album of his career, as well as of the five nominees.
Dan: I could actually see Lady A coming out on top, since they’ve moved a lot of units and are the least divisive act here. But Recovery was a big comeback, and NARAS likes to use this award as a lifetime achievement thing. I don’t like that tendency, though; I’d rather we just reward the best set. To me, that was Arcade Fire’s ambitious concept album.
Tara: I really respect The Suburbs and really dig Recovery. Both are deserving, but Eminem probably has the edge with NARAS for the reasons stated above. (PS – I’m still not over it. TEENAGE DREAM?)
Record of the Year
Should Win
B.O.B featuring Bruno Mars, “Nothin’ On You”
Eminem featuring Rihanna, “Love the Way You Lie”
Cee Lo Green, “F*** You” - Dan, Tara
Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind” - Kevin
Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”
Will Win
B.O.B featuring Bruno Mars, “Nothin’ On You”
Eminem featuring Rihanna, “Love the Way You Lie”
Cee Lo Green, “F*** You”
Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind”
Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now” - Kevin, Dan, Tara
Kevin: Perhaps it’s an instinctual reaction as a native New Yorker, but I still get chills every time I hear “Empire State of Mind.” Jay-Z’s casual “Long live the World Trade” in the second verse perfectly captures how our city moved briskly forward after 9/11 like we always do, but we haven’t forgotten it.
No Urban or Hip-Hop record has ever won this award, so it pains me to predict that Lady Antebellum will triumph over four better records. I hope I’m wrong.
Dan: Cee Lo’s viral novelty hit was one of last year’s biggest delights. I could see this award going to any track but “Nothin’ On You,” but suspect voters will probably go with the least edgy track.
Tara: I could make an argument for four of the five songs here, but I can’t peel myself away from Green’s personality-packed throwback hit that practically begs you to love it. And do I. I agree with Dan and Kevin, though, that Lady A will take this.
Song of the Year
Should Win
“Beg, Steal, or Borrow” – Ray LaMontagne
“F*** You!” – Brody Brown, Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence & Bruno Mars
“The House That Built Me” – Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin - Kevin, Tara
“Love the Way You Lie” – Alexander Grant, Skylar Grey & Marshall Mathers
“Need You Now” – Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott
Will Win
“Beg, Steal, or Borrow” – Ray LaMontagne
“F*** You!” – Brody Brown, Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence & Bruno Mars
“The House That Built Me” – Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin – Kevin, Tara
“Love the Way You Lie” – Alexander Grant, Skylar Grey & Marshall Mathers
“Need You Now” – Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott
Kevin: I think the biggest hurdle for “The House That Built Me” was getting the nomination. It really stands out in this field. It used to be rare for the Song victor to not be nominated for Record, but it has happened three times in the last seven years, including last year.
Tara: I’d honestly be happy to see any of these songs win. I’ll back “The House That Built Me” and just take a guess that the voters will, too.
Best New Artist
Should Win
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence + the Machine
Mumford & Sons - Dan, Kevin, Tara
Esperanza Spalding
Will Win
Justin Bieber
Drake – Kevin, Dan, Tara
Florence + the Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spalding
Kevin: I dig Mumford & Sons the most, but Drake seems to be the guy to beat.
Dan: I think Mumford has the most potential going forward. They’re got a dark-horse shot at the win, too, though Drake does seem like the most logical choice. Bieber’s by far the biggest name right now, but NARAS didn’t give it to tween-fave forerunners Hanson or Jonas Brothers, so…
Tara: Ditto. Although I have an unexplainable inkling that the Bieber might nab the award.
Best Country Album
Should Win
Dierks Bentley, Up on the Ridge – Kevin, Tara, Leeann
Zac Brown Band, You Get What You Give
Jamey Johnson, The Guitar Song - Dan
Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
Miranda Lambert, Revolution
Will Win
Dierks Bentley, Up on the Ridge
Zac Brown Band, You Get What You Give
Jamey Johnson, The Guitar Song
Lady Antebellum, Need You Now – Dan
Miranda Lambert, Revolution- Kevin, Tara, Leeann
Kevin: I think Bentley made the best record, and perhaps the slew of collaborators will help raise its profile with voters. Usually the country album nominated for overall Album wins this award, but I’m thinking that Lambert’s recent awards streak will continue here.
Dan: I pick Johnson by a nose, but genuinely like every album here besides Need You Now. Hoping Kevin’s right about that one.
Leeann: Like Kevin said, Bentley deserves to win and I hope he does, but I think Lambert’s album may win due to accessibility and her reputation for artistic integrity.
Tara: Up on the Ridge and Revolution both hit my sweet spot: they straddle the line between reverent and relevant and make me genuinely excited about country music’s future. Bentley’s album is the better of the two (and the best of the bunch) – but I think Lambert’s will pick up the most votes.
Best Female Country Vocal Performance
Should Win
Jewel, “Satisfied”
Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me” - Dan, Kevin, Tara, Leeann
LeAnn Rimes, “Swingin’”
Carrie Underwood, “Temporary Home”
Gretchen Wilson, “I’d Love to Be Your Last”
Will Win
Jewel, “Satisfied”
Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me” - Dan, Kevin, Tara, Leeann
LeAnn Rimes, “Swingin’”
Carrie Underwood, “Temporary Home”
Gretchen Wilson, “I’d Love to Be Your Last”
Kevin: This is Lambert’s best shot at a Grammy. Underwood will threaten, as always, but I think the strength of this song makes it tough to beat.
Leeann: Lambert’s signature song is the strongest and likely most long-lasting of the bunch.
Tara: Lambert and Underwood turn in two of the most emotive, powerful performances of their careers, but “The House That Built Me” is undeniably the better song. Since Underwood’s Grammy streak seems to be up for now, I think the voters will side with Lambert.
Best Male Country Vocal Performance
Should Win
Jamey Johnson, “Macon”
Toby Keith, “Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song)” - Kevin, Leeann
David Nail, “Turning Home” - Dan
Keith Urban, “‘Til Summer Comes Around”
Chris Young, “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song)” - Tara
Will Win
Jamey Johnson, “Macon”
Toby Keith, “Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song)”
David Nail, “Turning Home”
Keith Urban, “‘Til Summer Comes Around” - Dan, Kevin, Tara, Leeann
Chris Young, “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song)”
Kevin: I am not going to complain about Urban winning again for my favorite single from his last two albums. But Toby Keith is way overdue in this category, and he’s nominated for one of his best vocal performances to date.
Dan: Nail’s nuanced performance brought what could have been a very rote song to life. And his career could use the boost.
Leeann: I think the Grammy voters will reflexively give the award to Keith Urban, but Toby Keith’s song is the most poignant of the nominees.
Tara: Urban’s got his hold on this category, but I’m in Young’s corner. His slow-burning hit is as charming as it is sexy, which isn’t an easy thing to pull off. And that voice.
Best Duo/Group Country Vocal Performance
Should Win
Zac Brown Band, “Free”
Dailey & Vincent, “Elizabeth”
Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”
Little Big Town, “Little White Church”- Tara
The SteelDrivers, “Where Rainbows Never Die” - Kevin, Leeann
Will Win
Zac Brown Band, “Free”
Dailey & Vincent, “Elizabeth”
Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now” - Kevin, Tara, Leeann
Little Big Town, “Little White Church”
The SteelDrivers, “Where Rainbows Never Die”
Kevin: I think it’s a race between Lady Antbellum and Zac Brown Band, with LA in the lead. But the SteelDrivers get the annual “song I discovered because it was nominated for a Grammy and fell in love with after hearing it” award from me.
Leeann: The SteelDriver’s song is my favorite with Little Big Town at a close second, but I suspect that Lady A won’t be shut out for such a hugely popular radio hit across the board.
Tara: Dear NARAS: since “Single Ladies” got screwed over for ROTY last year, please show Little Big Town some love for their crazy awesome countrified version. It’s just as good…maybe even better?
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals
Should Win
“Bad Angel” — Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert & Jamey Johnson
“Pride (In The Name Of Love)” — Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury & The Punch Brothers
“As She’s Walking Away” — Zac Brown Band & Alan Jackson – Kevin, Tara, Leeann
“Hillbilly Bone” — Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins
“I Run To You” — Marty Stuart & Connie Smith
Will Win
“Bad Angel” — Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert & Jamey Johnson
“Pride (In The Name Of Love)” — Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury & The Punch Brothers
“As She’s Walking Away” — Zac Brown Band & Alan Jackson – Kevin, Tara, Leeann
“Hillbilly Bone” — Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins
“I Run To You” — Marty Stuart & Connie Smith
Kevin: Best collaboration in a very long time. Love hearing an artist from my youth playing elder statesman so well.
Leeann: It’s difficult for me to imagine that “As She’s Walking Away” won’t be rewarded for both its popularity and the significance of the still active veteran, Alan Jackson, dispensing wisdom to the up-and-coming bright stars of country music in the Zac Brown Band.
Tara: I love the groove of “Bad Angel,” but its collaboration isn’t nearly as dynamic nor as fitting as that of “As She’s Walking Way.” I can’t imagine any “wise man” but Jackson pulling up a stool next to Brown in this song.
Kevin: Punch Brothers are approaching Nickel Creek levels of awesomeness. Possibly exceeding them.
Leeann: Kevin’s right. Even as someone who isn’t typically fond of instrumentals, I dig those of the Punch Brothers.
Best Country Song
Should Win
“The Breath You Take” — Casey Beathard, Dean Dillon & Jessie Jo Dillon
“Free” — Zac Brown
“The House That Built Me” — Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin - Dan, Kevin, Tara, Leeann
“I’d Love To Be Your Last” — Rivers Rutherford, Annie Tate & Sam Tate
“If I Die Young” — Kimberly Perry
“Need You Now” — Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott
Will Win
“The Breath You Take” — written by Casey Beathard, Dean Dillon & Jessie Jo Dillon
“Free” — written by Zac Brown
“The House That Built Me” — written by Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin – Kevin, Tara, Leeann
“I’d Love To Be Your Last” — written by Rivers Rutherford, Annie Tate & Sam Tate
“If I Die Young” — written by Kimberly Perry
“Need You Now” — written by Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott
Kevin: My heart is owned by “If I Die Young”, but I think that “The House That Built Me” is objectively the best song.
Leeann: While The Band Perry’s song sounds the coolest, the writing for “The House That Built Me” is clear frontrunner for the best song of the year. It deserves and likely will be recognized as such, especially since it was both very critically acclaimed and successful as a single.
Tara: No question “The House That Built Me” is the best written song of the group, and I think it’ll be recognized as such.
Best Bluegrass Album
Should Win
Sam Bush, Circles Around Me
Patty Loveless, Mountain Soul II
The Del McCoury Band, Family Circle
Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, Legacy
The SteelDrivers, Reckless – Kevin
Will Win
Sam Bush, Circles Around Me
Patty Loveless, Mountain Soul II
The Del McCoury Band, Family Circle – Kevin
Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, Legacy
The SteelDrivers, Reckless
Kevin: Kudos to Loveless for her nomination, but I like the SteelDrivers set more.
Best Americana Album
Should Win
Rosanne Cash, The List
Los Lobos, Tin Can Trust
Willie Nelson, Country Music – Dan, Kevin
Robert Plant, Band of Joy
Mavis Staples, You Are Not Alone
Will Win
Rosanne Cash, The List
Los Lobos, Tin Can Trust
Willie Nelson, Country Music
Robert Plant, Band of Joy
Mavis Staples, You Are Not Alone - Kevin
Kevin: So I think Staples is nominated for an awesome gospel album and Nelson for an awesome country album. This category is confusing.
Gretchen Wilson delivers the song in this breathy whisper – not quite singing, not quite talking, and not quite lining up with the sparse musical accompaniment.
I kept feeling like it was off, and that it reminded me of something but I couldn’t quite place it.
Until I suddenly remembered, and once I made the connection, there was no going back to listening to this song with a straight face again.
Written by Rivers Rutherford, Annie Tate and Sam Tate
Karmic retribution for every boring vocabulary lesson I ever bored my students with during my years as an English teacher.
I’d call this Jo Dee Messina’s B-material, but I’m pretty sure she’d have passed on this one, even though she’d sing it a lot better. I get that Ashton Shepherd is bringing country back to country, but a dull vocal isn’t improved by exaggerated twang. It just sounds forced.
The lyrical content suggests that Shepherd is aspiring to be a modern day Loretta Lynn. But the problem that surfaces with “Look it Up” is the same one that plagued most of Gretchen Wilson’s similar attempts and just about all of the recent Lynn tribute album. Shepherd apes Lynn’s attitude without contemporizing it, and ends up with a song that is outdated before it’s even been officially released.
Sara Evans was one of the most successful female artists from the earlier part of the last decade, which was not a particularly good era for women as a whole. Her ease with both pop-flavored and purely traditional country allowed her to adapt to quickly changing trends in the genre.
This makes her catalog a fascinating one to sample. In compiling this Starter Kit, it would be easy to just list the hits. But I’ve left off some of her more overexposed tracks in favor of some gems that either didn’t quite dominate the charts or weren’t sent to radio at all. I think her crossover numbers haven’t aged that well, anyway.
Be sure to let me know what I missed in the comment threads!
“Shame About That” from the 1997 album Three Chords and the Truth
The title track got all of the love, and the most airplay of the three low-charting singles from Evans’ debut album. But I think that this is the coolest little record, with Evans sounding like the female heir to Buck Owens as she can’t even feign sympathy for the ex who is now regretting his departure.
“No Place That Far” from the 1998 album No Place That Far
Vince Gill provided the harmony vocal on this soaring ballad of devotion. After a slow and steady ascension, it became the first of four number one singles for Evans, powering her sophomore set to gold status. The record still holds up today, perhaps because it was one of the last great nineties records that allowed a new artist to break through on the back of a solid song.
“I Thought I’d See Your Face Again” from the 1998 album No Place That Far
One of those wonderful could’ve been hits, had the label only released it as a single. This is one of the finest moments in Evans’ early years. It’s a multi-layered exploration of the finality of goodbyes. She’s fully aware that ending the relationship meant that the quiet nights together were gone, but she can’t get her head around the fact that she may never even see him again for the rest of her life.
“I Keep Looking” from the 2000 album Born To Fly
Evans reached her sales peak with her third album, powered to double platinum status by both the hit title track and her cover of the pop song “I Could Not Ask For More.” But the finest single from that set was “I Keep Looking,” which is a smart and funny take on what it’s like to always want what you don’t have. “Just as soon as I get what I want, I get unsatisfied. Good is good but could be better…”
“Backseat of a Greyhound Bus” from the 2003 album Restless
In the grand tradition of Dolly Parton classics like “Down From Dover” and “Just Because I’m a Woman”, Evans finds the heroine inside a woman who has been shunned by her community. The setup makes you believe for a minute that this unwed soon-t0-be mother is going to fall in love with a man on this bus ride, but it’s a thing of beauty when she falls in love with her newly born daughter instead.
“Perfect” from the 2003 album Restless
Perfection is an impossible standard, of course. But here is a wonderful love song that embraces the imperfections as being what actually does make their loving marriage perfect. Plenty of great details here, my personal favorite being how in every wedding picture, her daddy looks annoyed.
“Suds in the Bucket” from the 2003 album Restless
When Evans first debuted, she was celebrated by critics for resurrecting a traditional country sound that recalled pre-Nashville Sound country music. She didn’t break through commercially until she left that style behind, but in one of those moments of pure serendipity, she revisited that style as a goofy end to her very pop-flavored fourth album. The label sent it to radio, and it became her signature hit, not to mention her third #1 single.
“Rockin’ Horse” from the 2003 album Restless
If I was going to make a list of the best country songs of the 21st century, this one would be in the upper echelon. Simply put, I think it’s brilliant. Perennial optimist that I am, I’m always looking for the opportunities created by the challenges that confront me. I’ve never heard a better metaphor for this point of view than the one Evans constructs here.
The framework she uses is that a tree struck by lightning when she was a child almost hit her house, terrifying her at the time. Her father took the fallen tree and used it to build her a rocking horse, which she deems “something magic out of something frightening.” This becomes a symbol for her approach to life: “When it’s pouring down on me, in my mind I see the rocking horse inside the tree.”
“‘A Real Fine Place to Start” from the 2005 album Real Fine Place
You really can’t go wrong by covering Radney Foster. His original version was great, but a soaring vocal by Evans lifted an already great song into the stratosphere.
Her fourth and final #1 hit, it helped her win the ACM Award for Female Vocalist, a perhaps overdue acknowledgment made possible by the very short window between Gretchen Wilson’s breakthrough and Carrie Underwood’s.
“Cheatin’” from the 2005 album Real Fine Place
Reba McEntire was the most dominant female in country music for a longer time period than any woman since Kitty Wells, so it always amazes me just how little her influence can be heard in the music of the women who came after her.
“Cheatin’” is a glorious exception, as Evans twists and turns and trills her voice as if she’s the second coming of late eighties McEntire. Granted, Reba never showed anywhere near this much backbone when her man was running around, but it’s great to hear someone singing the way she used to back in her heyday.
“Coalmine” from the 2005 album Real Fine Place
A coal mining disaster limited this song from reaching its full potential, as it was horribly tacky to have playing on the radio in the wake of so many miners having died. But it’s still a great little number.
Sure, it’s a blatant attempt to capture the “Suds in a Bucket” lightning twice, but I wouldn’t mind Evans revisiting that sound on every album she releases for the rest of her career.
“Low” from the 2008 soundtrack album Billy – The Early Years
It’s been five years since Evans released a studio album, perhaps because the songs that she’s attempted to launch a new set with have underwhelmed both critics and country radio. But she has released a real gem during the same period, which is her uplifting contribution to the soundtrack for Billy Graham biopic.
“Low” asserts that her faith will always give her the strength to rise above those who would keep her down. In an era when most songs of faith are little more than Hallmark cards with a sprinkling of spirituality along the edges, “Low” actually engages the gospel and applies it to everyday life.
Besides the fact that Wilson has once again turned out a country pride anthem in the vein of “Redneck Woman”, she name drops several legends of Southern Rock while appropriating their style for her own.
Gretchen, I’ll give you a pass on Hank Jr. and Charlie Daniels, even though you sang about both of them on your first hit. But come on, the Allman Brothers Band? ZZ Top? Are you kidding?
I’d say it’s like she’s not even trying anymore, but she probably is. It just turns out that she’s a one-dimensional character, and that character hasn’t been fresh or interesting since 2004.
As a general rule, you can scan the credits of any new country album and assume that if Brandy Clark is a writer on one of the songs, it’s the best song on the album. As Clark readies the release of 12 Stories, her debut album as an artist, it’s a great time for fans of that remarkable set to get caught up on Clark’s work to date.
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