As most of my favorite artists tend to be, Rodney is talented in multiple ways. Not only does he have a charismatic voice, he’s an accomplished musician, songwriter and producer. He has used these talents for himself, but has also shared them with many other artists. In fact, high-profile artists like Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Johnny Cash, Chely Wright, among many others, have benefited from his musicianship, compositions and producing abilities.
In this feature, we will focus on some of the best Rodney Crowell songs–whether they were big hits, minor hits or unreleased album tracks—but these twenty-five songs certainly do not do enough justice to this man’s contribution to country music. As a result, look for an accompanying Favorite Songs by Favorite Songwriters feature on Rodney Crowell to come soon.
#25 “You’ve Been on My Mind”
from the 1989 album Keys to the Highway
The lyrics are a little ambiguous, but it’s clear that this is a lonesome song about love lost. Crowell can do a lonesome song with the best of them and he does just that here.
#24 “Telephone Road”
from the 2001 album The Houston Kid
With an infectious, driving production, “Telephone Road” depicts Crowell’s childhood with fondness (an ice cream from the ice cream truck was only 5 cents), but without the irresponsible nostalgia that seems to afflict many such songs of today (I’m looking at you Bucky Covington). To be totally shallow, this is one to blast on some good speakers.
#23 “Adam’s Song”
from the 2003 album Fate’s Right Hand
Anyone who has experienced the passing of a loved one knows the reality that Crowell sings about. As he knowingly observes, “We’ll keep learning how to live with a lifelong broken heart.”
#22 “Many A Long and Lonesome Highway”
from the 1989 album Keys to the Highway
This is the first song I’d ever heard by Rodney Crowell. At the time, I had just gotten into country music and the song was already four or five years old, but I had no idea of his history. I simply thought it was a great, melodic song. I still do.
#21 “Song for the Life”
from the 1978 album Ain’t Living Long Like This
To me, this song sounds mature and reflective, from a man who has lived and learned. However, in a 2005 20 Questions interview with CMT, Rodney reveals that he wrote this song when he was a mere twenty-one years old. And, is that Willie Nelson I hear singing background vocals? Yes, it is.
#20 “Fate’s Right Hand”
from the 2003 album Fate’s Right Hand
The title track of the critically acclaimed Fate’s Right Hand explores changing times and injustices much better than Toby Keith’s “American Ride” does.
#19 “Topsy Turvy”
from the 2001 album The Houston Kid
This song vividly paints the picture of Crowell’s parents’ abusive relationship. It’s from his perspective as the fully aware child who witnesses the turbulence. He doesn’t mince words throughout the song, but especially when he admits, “I cross my heart and tell myself ‘I hope they die’”. He also details the lack of meaningful response from neighbors and police officers.
#18 “Beautiful Despair”
from the 2005 album The Outsider
It’s not a feeling that one wants to embrace often, but there are times when leaning into that feeling of despair propels one to action or at least some needed introspection. From this song, it’s likely that despair has played a beautiful function in his life.
#17 “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight”
from the 1978 album Ain’t Living Long Like This
Emmylou Harris was one of the first people to record a Rodney Crowell song and what a gem it is. While Harris’ recording of it is the strongest and most exuberant version, Crowell’s version is great too.
#16 “This Too Will Pass”
from the 2003 album Fate’s Right Hand
What I like about a Rodney Crowell penned inspirational song is that it’s not embarrassing to listen to. It’s inspiring without sounding like a page from Chicken Soup for the Soul.
#15 “My Baby’s Gone” (with Emmylou Harris)
from the 2003 album Livin’ Lovin’ Losin’: Songs of the Louvin Brothers
From the excellent Louvin Brothers tribute album, one of the many shining moments is this duet from Rodney and Emmylou Harris. It just cements the fact that they need to do a duets album. Stat!
#14 “The Rock of My Soul”
from the 2001 album The Houston Kid
While this song is not strictly autobiographical, it is a chilling representation of Crowell’s tumultuous experiences with his father.
#13 “Dancin’ Circles Round the Sun (Epictetus Speaks)”
from the 2005 album The Outsider
Here’s another example of Rodney Crowell inspiring without sickening.
#12 “After All This Time”
from the 1988 album Diamonds & Dirt
If you’re not listening carefully, you might think this is a pretty love song. It, however, is a wistful love song to a relationship that no longer exists.
#11 “I Walk the Line Revisited” (With Johnny Cash)
from the 2001 album The Houston Kid
This is a joyful account of the first time Crowell heard Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line” on the radio as a kid. It’s an obvious full circle moment when Cash sings an altered melody of the classic on Crowell’s song about it.
#10 “We Can’t Turn Back”
from the 2005 album The Outsider
In his gentle but no nonsense way, Crowell explores the notion that we can’t change the past, which means that we can only focus on the present and what we can do to make it better.
#9 “Artemis and Orion”
from the 2003 digital release Lost Tracks
Supported by a delightfully simple production and memorable tune, Rodney sings a version of the story of Artemis and Orion from Greek Mythology. I’m not sure of the origins of the song, since it seems to have been randomly recorded by Crowell, but it is fun to listen to.
#8 “’Til I Gain Control Again”
from the 1981 album Rodney Crowell
Crowell has written several songs that have become classics for him and for others. “’Til I Gain Control Again” was first recorded by Emmylou Harris in the mid-seventies, then made famous by Crystal Gayle in the early eighties and subsequently recorded by many artists over the years. Crowell’s own version is beautifully sung with just the right air of forlornness.
#7 “Things that Go Bump in the Day”
from the 2005 album The Outsider
I hardly even know what this song means, but I still love it for its bouncy production, unshakable melody and Crowell’s energy while singing it. I dare you not to get it stuck in your head.
#6 “The Outsider”
from the 2005 album The Outsider
The effective use of horns in this bluesy soul infused song is enough to hook me, but the theme of being okay with being different is something to embrace too.
#5 “Things I Wish I Said”
from the 1989 album Keys to the Highway
Much has been written and said about Rodney Crowell’s difficult relationship with his violent father, but the end of that story is that they found a way to heal their relationship and turn it into something healthy and tender. This song is personal to Crowell as it describes the relief that he feels that he has no regrets with the passing of his father. Likewise, it is a universal sentiment that most of us can relate to as well.
#4 “She’s Crazy for Leaving”
from the 1988 album Diamonds & Dirt
I love this song because both the melody and the song’s vividly painted story are equally funky. The scene that’s created for the song is fodder for a hilarious and ridiculous comedy sketch.
#3 “Riding Out the Storm”
from the 2003 album Fate’s Right Hand
A not so beautiful picture is underscored by a beautiful melody and poetic lyrics. That’s one of Rodney Crowell’s effortless songwriting talents.
#2 “Making Memories of Us”
from the 2004 album The Notorious Cherry Bombs
Keith Urban is who made this song famous and Crowell a little richer, but Rodney Crowell, backed by Vince Gill, is who makes it a fine treasure. Written for his wife as a last minute Valentine’s Day gift, it’s a tender love song that rivals most modern songs of its ilk. It’s one of those “action” songs that I especially love. He’s not just promising to love her, but also pledging to be an active part of their relationship in order to create meaningful memories.
#1 “Shelter from the Storm” (with Emmylou Harris)
from the 2005 album The Outsider
Again, there’s no reason that Emmylou and Rodney shouldn’t make a duets album together. With sublime vocal chemistry, they turn this Bob Dylan song into something entirely different than what it once was. Instead of having to dig for the gem, they put it out there front and center for us. It’s gorgeous and it’s their interpretation that makes it so.
In “Beautiful Despair”, Crowell acknowledges the depth of Bob Dylan’s songwriting and his feelings of inadequacy when compared to Dylan’s ability. He sings: “Beautiful despair is hearing Dylan/ When you’re drunk at 3 a.m. / Knowing that the chances are/ No matter what you’ll never write like him.”
As a Dylan fan, it may be heresy to think it, but methinks Rodney Crowell is being too hard on himself. It is not a knock on Rodney Crowell’s incredible songwriting that I chose a song that he did not write as my top Crowell song, but rather, a testament to his ability to interpret a legendary song well enough to make it his own.
In some parallel universe where I had actual musical talent and the opportunity to record an album, I suspect I’d forgo the pile of demo tapes sent to unknown artists and just look for awesome album cuts from great songwriters.
Matraca Berg’s catalog of recorded cuts would be a good place to start, an epiphany that serves Kenny Chesney well. Berg is usually associated with female artists, and indeed, this song was originally recorded by Deana Carter, who also co-wrote the song. But Berg’s pen has been responsible for some great moments from Keith Urban and Randy Travis, so it’s no surprise that Chesney does well with this one.
Chesney sings it with more personality and general presence than Carter did, and the record also benefits from picking up the pace toward the end, a choice that would have elevated Berg’s own version as well. The harmony vocal of Grace Potter isn’t essential until the song starts to fade away, but it does ease some of the loneliness embedded in the lyric.
All in all, it’s just nice to hear Chesney singing a great song again.
But it should be beneath the stature of a legend like George Strait. His talent helped him pull of “Write This Down” and “Don’t Make Me Come Over There and Love You”, but there was no saving this one.
Anyone who has read this blog for any amount of time likely knows about my love for Vince Gill’s music and even his character. I don’t, however, love every song that he sings, which is probably why I don’t understand those super fans who love every song that their favorite artists sing. That’s certainly not the case for me.
Vince has some album tracks that I don’t like, but one single in particular that has never sat well with me is “Pretty Little Adriana.” The melody is plodding, but my bigger problem is that Vince has said that it was inspired by a missing child by the name of Adriana, but the lyrics sound like an intimately longing love song. And even if it was only very loosely inspired by a child (as fictional license might allow), I still don’t like “little” to be applied to a woman, as in “the little woman,” or in this case, “Pretty little Adriana.”
About him sitting on the couch and calling Nicole a half-hour after she’s left for the airport ‘cause he just loves her sOooOoOoOO much. Jack Johnson would gag.
It’s nearly impossible to choose a definitive favorite song, but I can pretty reasonably settle on “One More Year” as one that I haven’t tired of in three years despite my husband’s penchant for playing certain songs repeatedly until I can hardly stand even a great song after a certain saturation point. Such is not the case with “One More Year.” I’m still impressed by its understated devastation every time I hear it.
The first time I heard it, on a fuzzy radio station in the background, it sounded like “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me” redux. Within my first proper listens, it had me dancing around my dining room. “Days Go By” takes a sad truth – that time is constantly slipping away from us – and twists it into a joyous, mandolin-clanging celebration of life and the time we do have. Carpe some diem, y’all.
It’s hard to find words that speak to the personal connection I’ve formed with this song, so I’ll let my favorite line sum up its lyrical poignancy: “Now I’m just rolling home into my lover’s arms” is as best a description of the ease of true love as I’ve ever heard. As I said in my very first Country Universe post, I’ll take this song in any form by any artist (literally – I have over ten versions on my iPod), but if I had to choose, the conviction in Underwood’s acoustic version is second to none.
No matter how much I like a song, I always go through periods where I’m tired of hearing it, and will skip it from time to time when it pops up on shuffle. That’s true about every song I love except this one, which I never tire of. I don’t know if it’s the way the ABBA-borrowed hook fades in and out, or if it’s the insanely catchy chorus that she sings nine times and it’s still not enough. It’s the perfect pop song by the perfect pop artist and nothing else sounds as good in comparison, even from her own deep catalog of ear candy hits.
This is going to be a really important show, you guys.
WINNERS
Entertainer of the Year: Taylor Swift
Top Female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert
Top Male Vocalist: Brad Paisley
Album of the Year: Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
Song of the Year: “The House That Built Me”
Single of the Year: “The House That Built Me”
Top Vocal Duo: Sugarland
Top Vocal Group: Lady Antebellum
Top New Artist: The Band Perry
Top Till You Drop:
Vocal Event of the Year: Zac Brown Band & Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”
Music Video of the Year: Miranda Lambert, ”The House That Built Me”
- – -
10:02 Well, all right, that was fun enough. Kinda. Thanks for playing along, y’all, and have a good night!
9:58 A shocking upset! As shocking as, like, one of those chewy Sweet Tarts.
Entertainer of the Year: Taylor Swift
9:56 Hey, how about next year we get James Taylor to come back and sing with the Dixie Chicks again? Yes or yes?
9:52 They segue into “Sweet Baby James.” At least this pairing makes musical sense.
9:48 Leeann: Zac Brown and James Taylor, Carrie Underwood and Steven Tyler, Jennifer Nettles and Rihanna? Is CMT testing for upcoming Crossroads episodes?
9:45 Was having some trouble with the site for a few minutes there. Now we’re up to Zac Brown Band doing a very cool “Colder Weather” with James Taylor.
9:41 Amazing how only a year and a half ago the idea of Miranda winning one of the really competitive awards still seemed like a pipe dream.
Top Female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert
9:36 “Love Gets a Hold of You” or something. It sounds okay – almost in the same you’re-gonna-miss-me-boy! vein as “Turn on the Radio,” though. I think we’re all ready for some more mature Reba now. Take a lesson from Martina.
9:34 Reba’s out to sing something or other. I just saw today that “If I Were a Boy” got yanked as a single; this must be the new one?
9:27 Darius Rucker singing “Music from the Heart” with a choir of various ages and developmental disabilities. Very passionate, touching performance.
9:25 Chris Young’s trying out the hatless thing.
9:25 Oh, for real? At least he acknowledged he has too many now.
Top Male Vocalist: Brad Paisley
9:22 I don’t know how I’m still awake through all this. I shouldn’t be saying such things at 9:23.
9:17 Leeann: Martina is worming her way back into my heart again. I’m a soft touch.
9:17 …Who just tweeted, “Holy crap, I’m singing.” Perfect.
9:14 Awesome. It does. This reminds me of Jeannie C. Riley, the spunky honesty of it. And I like to fantasize that she got some inspiration for that opening “honestly, I think I need a drink” line from Drunken Martina.
9:13 Martina’s coming out with “Teenage Daughters.” I really hope this translates well to stage.
Top Vocal Duo: Sugarland
9:10 Kevin: Naomi Judd: The answer to the age-old question, “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”
9:09 Leeann:Ronnie Dunn sounds so much like Brooks & Dunn. Go figure.
9:07 He looks and sounds like musical Jesus. I mean that in a complimentary way!
9:03 Ronnie Dunn’s coming up with “Bleed Red.” Excited for that, kinda. I think C.M. Wilcox is right and that it’ll work well as an award show performance even if the single itself is a little sleepy (to some of us).
8:56 Leeann: Good. Have Kristian introduce Nettles/Rihanna to show how secure he is about being put on the sideline all the time. We’re convinced.
8:55 True fact: The banner at the top of this post will light up and spin all through this Rihanna-Jennifer Nettles performance. Watch closely!
8:53 She interjects a bit of some song I should probably recognize but don’t, and then “I’ll Fly Away.” And she sounds real good.
8:53 I bet there are some Christian folks out there from Miranda’s life who are like, “We did not say that!”
8:52 A Miranda performance is usually my favorite part of an awards night. But it’s “Heart Like Mine.”
8:41 Or, as our pal Corey Parkman of Farce the Music just put it on Twitter, “I wonder what Sara Evans would sound like if she ever got over that sinus infection.”
8:38 The return of Sara Evans to the ACMs. Last performance I remember from her here was that severely pitch-challenged one of “Coalmine” the night she won Top Female years ago. She sounds better here, but still not up to many of her recorded performances.
8:35 I mean, seriously, y’all. “Need You Now” is the only reason Need You Now has sold like it has, and the album selling like it has is the only reason it’s getting this recognition. “Need You Now” won Song and Single of the Year at last year’s ACMs; couldn’t that have been enough?
8:31 IEIOF432IfffkDdk&*$#vdsadvfdjfpvfs >:(
Album of the Year: Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
8:28 Well, don’t think I was missing much. Such a shame – he truly would be one of the best male vocalists in the game if he had better taste.
8:25 We get a Blake Shelton performance. Don’t recognize the song.
Single of the Year: “The House That Built Me”
8:14 Jason Aldean doing the Colt Ford country-rap “Dirt Road Anthem” and it’s every bit as cool you would imagine. (That is, decidedly un-.)
8:09 Apparently their dad’s name is Steve Perry. I snickered harder than I should have.
Best New Artist: The Band Perry
8:07 Kevin: And my favorite of the 57 performances so far is…Taylor Swift. No one can ever accuse me of not having an open mind.
8:05 Kimberly Perry delivers the “well” in “If I Die Young” with way too much spunk. “Well! I’ve had just enough time. So if I do die – y’know, whatever!”
8:03 Whoops, apparently it’s a guitjo/ganjo. Whatever, it’s not like I’m a writer of music-related opinion articles or something!
8:00 Taylor Swift singing “Mean” and strumming the banjo, which is not how I’ve known anyone to play the banjo. Pretty cool scene, though – they’re in front of an old-timey house and the band’s all decked out in their Depression-era best.
7:55 Kevin: Not naming the songwriters for Song of the Year is an absolute disgrace.
[They announced it as "Miranda Lambert, 'The House That Built Me,'" though she's not the one who wrote it.]
Song of the Year: “The House That Built Me”
7:53 Finally, we get one: Song of the Year.
7:50 Eric Church doing “Smoke a Little Smoke,” the one single of his I really dig, with verve. BUT THERE STILL HASN’T BEEN A SINGLE AWARD.
7:45 Back from commercial, Keith Urban performing his newest hit, “Without You (Nicole Kidman)(Pt. 3)(Ballad Version).”
7:42 Leeann: Seriously? Still no award yet? What are we watching?
7:38 Dierks Bentley running laps around the arena to “Am I the Only One,” determined to make us like the unlikable.
7:36 Kevin:That’s what I wanted that song to sound like on the album.
7:35 I’ll say this: JNett still has the best stage charisma of any mainstream country star who isn’t Keith Urban.
7:32 Leeann: Half hour in and still no award yet at this…uh…awards show.
7:32 Sugarland’s here, Jennifer apparently with hair extensions, and they’re doing “Tonight.” Figured this would probably be the next single. Like Kevin, I’d like the recorded version if not for the head-cold-ish performance.
7:30 Well, that was fun. Good thing I gave up on the term “country music” meaning anything a few weeks ago!
7:27 Kevin: We’re officially down the rabbit hole.
7:27 They segue into “Walk This Way.”
7:26 Steven Tyler is really good at screaming awesomely and only ok at remembering the words to Carrie Underwood songs.
7:24 Two Soul Surfer ladies come out to introduce Carrie, who’s doing “Undo It.” WITH STEVEN TYLER! OK, I like this now.
7:20 Apparently Dr. Pepper’s current slogan is “There’s nothing like a Dr. Pepper.” Uhhhh.
7:17 Pleasant enough song (“Somewhere Else”), and he’s got that sweet Toby growl going.
7:16 Leeann: It’s nice to like Toby Keith music these days.
7:14 “ARE THEY READY?! DOES ZAC BROWN ENJOY THE FEEL OF HIS ASS IN THE SAND?!” Best Blake line of the night so far.
7:13 The celebrity cheap shots are coming hard and fast, though.
7:10 We are promised no Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan jokes. God? Is that you?!?
7:07 Celine Dion’s here now, and she’s VERY VERY EXCITED! I honestly can’t think of a better Vegas gate-keepeer, though.
7:07 Kevin: Since when did Alabama become a trio? What a poorly cropped picture, lawsuit or not.
7:06 It would be great if, instead of writing songs about how great the classic acts were, today’s artists just figured out how to measure up.
7:04 Leeann: Good. We get this disappointing Paisley song out of the way now.
7:04 “Old Alabama” now.
7:02 Cute-ish opening skit with Blake Shelton “rehearsing for his wedding night” by serenading a blond-wigged Reba with “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking.”
6:52 Leeann: John Rich is so much more tolerable when he’s with Big Kenny.
6:38 The JaneDear Girls just appeared onscreen. When are they un-appearing, I wonder?
6:33 Wynonna and Naomi Judd chilling with Suzanne Alexander now. Colorically speaking, Wynonna has become a human sunset.
6:31 Chris Young is now talking to Storme which means his voice is audible – yay!
6:26 On some red carpet somewhere, GAC’s Storme Warren just presented to Vocal Event award, inevitably, to “As She’s Walking Away.”
6:15 Dierks Bentley will be playing “Am I the Only One” tonight. Have fun, no one!
6:04 Super-jealous of The 9513′s sweet new live blog layout. Also: the smartness of their live-bloggers. Also: the fact that Brady and Brody Vercher are named thusly.
5:59 Red carpet time, woo!! I bet everybody’s totally wearing clothes this year.
Refresh for updates. Major categories will be announced above the fold:
Male Country Vocal Performance: Keith Urban, “‘Til Summer Comes Around”
Country Duo/Group Vocal Performance: Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”
Country Song: Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, “Need You Now”
Country Collaboration with Vocals: Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”
Country Instrumental Performance: Marty Stuart, “Hummingbyrd”
Bluegrass Album: Patty Loveless, Mountain Soul II
Americana Album: Mavis Staples, You Are Not Alone
Traditional Folk Album: Carolina Chocolate Drops, Genuine Negro Jig
Contemporary Folk Album: Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs, God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise
Southern/Country/Gospel Bluegrass Album: Diamond Rio, The Reason
Traditional Gospel Album: Patty Griffin, Downtown Church
_____
Short Form Music Video: Lady GaGa, “Bad Romance”
Long Form Music Video: The Doors, When You’re Strange
Recording Package: The Black Keys, Brothers
Boxed Limited Edition Package: The White Stripes, Under Great White Northern Lights
Album Notes: Big Star, Keep an Eye on the Sky
Historical Album: The Beatles, Original Studio Recordings
Engineered Album, Non-Classical: John Mayer, Battle Studies
Remixed Recording: Madonna, “Revolver (David Guetta’s One Love Club Remix)”
Surround Sound Album: Michael Stern & Kansas City Symphony, Britten’s Orchestra
Instrumental Composition: Billy Childs, “The Path Among the Trees”
Instrumental Arrangement: John Scofield, Vince Mendoza & Metropole Orkest, “Carlos”
Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals: Christopher Tin, Soweto Gospel Choir & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, “Baba Yetu”
Compilation Soundtrack Album:Crazy Heart
Score Soundtrack Album: Toy Story 3
Motion Picture, TV, Visual Media Song: Ryan Bingham & T. Bone Burnett, “The Weary Kind”
New Age Album: Kitaro, Sacred Journey Of Ku-Kai, Volume 4
Children’s Musical Album: Pete Seeger With The Rivertown Kids And Friends, Tomorrow’s Children
Children’s Spoken Word Album: Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Andrews’ Collection Of Poems, Songs, And Lullabies
Spoken Word Album: Jon Stewart (With Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Jason Jones, John Oliver & Sigourney Weaver), The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook)
Musical Show Album: Billie Joe Armstrong, American Idiot (Featuring Green Day)
Hawaiian Music Album: Tia Carrere, Huana Ke Aloha
Native American Music Album: Various Artists, 2010 Gathering Of Nations Pow Wow: A Spirit’s Dance
Zydeco/Cajun Music Album: Chubby Carrier And The Bayou Swamp Band, Zydeco Junkie
Reggae Album: Buju Banton, Before The Dawn
Traditional World Music Album: Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté, Ali And Toumani
Contemporary World Music Album: Béla Fleck, Throw Down Your Heart , Africa Sessions Part 2: Unreleased Tracks
Dance Recording: Rihanna, “Only Girl (In the World)”
Electronic/Dance Album: La Roux, La Roux
Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Michael Bublé, Crazy Love
Latin Pop Album: Alejandro Sanz, Paraiso Express
Latin Rock/Alternative/Urban Album: Grupo Fantasma, El Existential
Tropical Latin Album: Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Viva La Tradición
Tejano Album:Little Joe & La Familia, Recuerdos
Norteño Album:Intocable, Classic
Banda Album:El Güero Y Su Banda Centenario, Enamórate De Mí
Gospel Performance: BeBe & CeCe Winans, “Grace”
Gospel Song: Jerry Peters & Kirk Whalum, “It’s What I Do”
Rock or Rap Gospel Album: Switchfoot, Hello Hurricane
Pop Contemporary Gospel Album: Israel Houghton, Love God. Love People.
Contemporary R&B Gospel Album: BeBe & CeCe Winans, Still
Engineering, Classical: TIE: Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina AND Eliesha Nelson & John McLaughlin Williams, Quincy Porter: Complete Viola Works
Orchestral Performance: Giancarlo Guerrero, Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina
Opera Recording:Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Rundfunkchor Berlin, Saariaho: L’Amour De Loin
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.
You’re giving me an achingly sincere vocal performance. You’re giving me a stripped down production that’s genuinely country, fiddle and all. You’re giving me your life story, from the music to the marriage to the birth of your daughter.
It all adds up to so much goodness that you almost distracted me from the clunky and self-indulgent songwriting. I can’t even give you a pass on that, because you didn’t write it.
You might have pulled it off if you’d held off on using the line, “Up until you came along, no one ever heard my song, now it’s climbing like a bullet,” until later on, maybe in one of those random breakdowns you like to do at the end to extend album versions from four minutes to twenty.
See, I love it when you get personal. Remember “Song For Dad” and “You’re Not My God”? Loved ‘em. And “Thank You” was basically this song, done more artfully and in a more universally relevant way.
But “Without You” just feels too much like “Keith Urban sings about what it’s like to be in love with Nicole Kidman” to be interesting to me. It might be an unfair criticism, given that’s what your life is all about these days and it’s made you blissfully happy, but it’s a boring song.
Maybe blissful happiness is hard to write about well when you’re not Rodney Crowell. Perhaps you should go back to covering him when you’re feeling this way?
I became a country fan twenty years ago, and have been fully immersed in the genre for about as long. I’ve read up on the history, heard pretty much every significant artist and recording, and can speak knowledgeably about the genre’s highs and lows over the past few decades.
We’ve never been this low. I think I finally understand why that is.
Jonathan Keefe from Slant wrote this in his review of the JaneDear Girls album, and it really hit home with me:
…the JaneDear Girls use a couple of catchy melodies and garish costumes to mask the fact that they can’t sing even a little bit, and, if they could, wouldn’t have a single authentic thing to say. In other words, they’re exactly what country music, in the throes of a pretty severe identity crisis, doesn’t need right now: its own Katy Perry.
This is the paradox that’s increasingly devouring country music. Artists are singing more than ever about how country they are, yet they’re doing it with songs that sound less country than ever.
Perhaps all of these “loud and proud” country identity songs are a reflection of the country lifestyle being fully swallowed up by suburbia, and “country” is now more of a chosen lifestyle than it is something homegrown. But “country music” has almost completely shifted to “music about being country.” You don’t have to sound country, you just have to revel in being country.
Country music cannot retain its identity this way. As a radio format, it isn’t going anywhere. As the larger player on the field, it’s managed to absorb a good chunk of what we used to call Adult Top 40, picking up a few of their core artists along the way.
But as a relevant genre of its own? That can’t continue if the vast majority of the new mainstream artists have little connection to what came before them. Superstars are hard enough to come by as it is, and when you think about the ones who have emerged from country music in recent years – Sugarland, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum – their tenuous links to country music as a distinct art form are virtually nonexistent.
Ten years ago, Carrie Underwood would’ve been grouped as a pop-country diva. These days, she’s the only recent superstar that even seems to care that her music sounds identifiably country. And while there is no shortage of alternative country acts who are connected to the genre’s roots, their very existence on the outskirts of the mainstream prevent them from having a meaningful enough impact to carry on country music’s rich legacy.
Without a new generation of country stars breaking through enough to really captivate the interest of the public, I see no way for country music to continue as a viable art form and culturally relevant presence in contemporary music.
Feel that chill in the air? It’s not just climate change, friends. The music industry is suffering through historic lows in record sales, the worst since SoundScan started tallying them in 1991.
How are country artists faring? Let’s take a look at cumulative sales for current albums. Sales are rounded to the nearest hundred.
Top Selling Current Country Albums
Taylor Swift, Fearless: 6,233,900
Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift: 4,955,000
Lady Antebellum, Need You Now: 3,138,700
Taylor Swift, Speak Now: 3,078,600
Zac Brown Band, The Foundation: 2,489,200
Carrie Underwood, Play On: 1,937,041
Lady Antebellum, Lady Antebellum: 1,835,800
Jason Aldean, Wide Open: 1,364,700
Miranda Lambert, Revolution: 1,149,000
Rascal Flatts, Greatest Hits Volume 1: 994,600
Sugarland, The Incredible Machine: 815,200
Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party: 766,300
Tim McGraw, Southern Voice: 749,200
George Strait, Twang: 670,200
Kenny Chesney, Hemingway’s Whiskey: 655,200
Zac Brown Band, You Get What You Give: 636,000
Rascal Flatts, Nothing Like This: 585,800
Luke Bryan, Doin’ My Thing: 509,200
Keith Urban, Get Closer: 508,200
Brooks & Dunn, #1′s…and Then Some: 479,700
Toby Keith, American Ride: 432,100
Chris Young, The Man I Want to Be: 408,000
Eric Church, Carolina: 380,600
Darius Rucker, Charleston, SC 1966: 376,700
The Band Perry, The Band Perry: 364,000
Josh Turner, Haywire: 361,800
Justin Moore, Justin Moore: 325,600
Easton Corbin, Easton Corbin: 314,000
Toby Keith, Bullets in the Gun: 279,400
Jamey Johnson, The Guitar Song: 256,300
Gary Allan, Get Off on the Pain: 238,000
Reba McEntire, All the Women I Am: 224,800
Jerron Niemann, Judge Jerron & The Hung Jury: 222,700
Billy Currington, Enjoy Yourself: 222,000
Tim McGraw, Number One Hits: 220,500
Dierks Bentley, Up on the Ridge: 204,900
Zac Brown Band, Pass the Jar: 202,100
Trace Adkins, Cowboy’s Back in Town: 194,200
Johnny Cash, American VI: Ain’t No Grave: 190,100
Brad Paisley, Hits Alive: 189,200
Alan Jackson, 34 Number Ones: 181,000
Blake Shelton, All About Tonight: 160,700
Little Big Town, The Reason Why: 158,300
Blake Shelton, Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton : 142,300
Jaron and the Long Road to Love, Getting Dressed in the Dark: 119,700
As most of my favorite artists tend to be, Rodney is talented in multiple ways. Not only does he have a charismatic voice, he’s an accomplished musician, songwriter and producer. He has used these talents for himself, but has also shared them with many other artists. In fact, high-profile artists like Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Johnny Cash, Chely Wright, among many others, have benefited from his musicianship, compositions and producing abilities.
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