Country Universe – A Country Music Blog

Single Review: Jessica Andrews, “Everything”

Monday, November 17th, 2008

This is not a country single.  Not by any stretch of the imagination.  It’s one of those pop songs with enough of a rock flavor to make it palatable to adult top 40 radio stations.   The only reason this is being marketed to country is because Jessica Andrews has had some country hits. It would fit in better on the radio in between Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson, the latter of which had a country hit by recording one of her own songs again as a duet with Reba McEntire.

See, that’s where we are now.   Artists can send songs to country radio that are indistinguishable from what’s being played on top 40 radio, and quite frankly, it’ll fit in just as well at country as it does at top 40.   If they’re lucky, it’ll get played on both, like “All Summer Long” and “Teardrops on My Guitar.”

Anyway, the grade below isn’t because it’s a pop song trying to pass itself off as country.  It’s because it’s not a very good pop song.   Derivative melody, flavorless vocal, busy production with everything going on and nothing going on at all.   Not even fiddle and steel could make it interesting.

Grade: D

Listen: Everything

CMA Flashback: Horizon Award (New Artist)

Sunday, November 9th, 2008

For a look back at the other major categories, visit our CMA Awards page.

2010

• Luke Bryan
• Easton Corbin
• Jerrod Neimann
• Chris Young
• Zac Brown Band

Usually there isn’t this much turnover in this race unless most of last year’s nominees are ineligible.  This year, only one of the four eligible nominees from last year – Zac Brown Band – earns a nomination.  With their massive success and their multiple nominations, they’ve got an excellent shot at winning. Then again, Easton Corbin is elsewhere on the ballot, too. It could be a horse race.
2009

• Randy Houser
• Jamey Johnson
• Jake Owen
• Darius Rucker
  
• Zac Brown Band

Thirteen years after winning the Best New Artist Grammy as part of Hootie & The Blowfish, Darius Rucker won the country music equivalent, adding an exclamation point to the most successful pop-to-country crossover in a generation.

2008

• Jason Aldean
• Rodney Atkins
  
• Lady Antebellum
• James Otto
  
• Kellie Pickler

The industry favorites Lady Antebellum became the fourth band in history to win this award, following Rascal Flatts, Dixie Chicks and Sawyer Brown.

2007

• Jason Aldean
• Rodney Atkins
  
• Little Big Town
• Kellie Pickler
• Taylor Swift

In the year since winning the Horizon Award, Swift has solidified her position as the genre’s most successful rising star.  While her debut album hasn’t reached the sales heights of the first discs by previous winners Carire Underwood and Gretchen Wilson, Swift is still one of the genre’s only significant sellers.

2006

• Miranda Lambert
• Little Big Town
• Sugarland
• Josh Turner
• Carrie Underwood

I had a sneaking suspicion that Josh Turner was going to take this home, but as I’ve said before, Carrie’s got the best pipes since Trisha Yearwood. That she’ was acknowledged for that at such an early stage of her career is pretty amazing. Somehow I think the thrill of winning Horizon was short-lived, as winning Female Vocalist the same night left that memory in the dust.

2005

• Dierks Bentley
• Big & Rich
• Miranda Lambert
• Julie Roberts
• Sugarland

Four of these five were nominees again the following year, and all in categories besides just Horizon, though Lambert got another shot at that as well. I think Big & Rich and Sugarland are making the most interesting music, and they’re moving more units than Bentley, though he’s no slouch himself. The CMA showed good judgment this year.

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