Thursday, December 2nd, 2010
Yay! Christmas time is here again!
This year, instead of writing about this year’s crop of Christmas projects individually, I’ve decided to round them up in one post in an effort to make sure I acknowledge all of them. Unless I’ve overlooked one, the only album that will be omitted from this roundup is Shelby Lynne’s Christmas album, which is super good/compelling and funky, so it deserves its own review and it will come as soon as I figure out how to write about it.
Let the fun begin!
Carter’s Chord, Christmas
As Toby Keith’s best discovery so far, Carter’s Chord is a talented sister duo that hasn’t yet gotten the success that they deserve. With only one digitally released studio album that has received criminally little attention, they’ve still managed to deliver a delightful 4-song EP that would be well worth adding to your Christmas collection.
All of the songs are well produced, with very tasteful country arrangements, but the standout track is the warm and bluesy “Snowed In.” Surprisingly, the lead vocal on “Up on the Housetop” could easily be mistaken for a Miranda Lambert performance.
Lady Antebellum, A Merry Little Christmas
Yes, since I typically don’t shop at Target, I made a special trip to purchase this exclusive 6-song EP. It was at least one-third worth the effort. Literally. “Their versions of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”, “Blue Christmas” and “Let it Snow” are given nice, if not unremarkable, country leaning treatments while “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “On This Winter’s Night” lean more toward R&B. “Silver Bells”, however, suffers from the generic pop production that Lady Antebellum all too often utilizes for their regular music.
Point of Grace, Home for the Holidays
For the last couple of years, Contemporary Christian group, Point of Grace, has attempted to make gains in the country market. They haven’t been successful, but they continue to try with the release of their fourth Christmas album (the third being a collection of their first two), Home for the Holidays. Their smooth harmonies are sweet but vibrant enough to stay out of the syrupy territory. The original “Candy Cane Lane” is laced with fiddle and steel guitar and, incidentally, is one of the stand out tracks on the album, along with the gorgeous “Emanuel.” Standards such as “Silver Bells”, “Little Drummer Boy”, and “Holly Jolly Christmas” are also treated to decidedly country arrangements and ably performed on the whole.
Mandy Barnett, Winter Wonderland
Mandy Barnett’s Cracker Barrel exclusive Christmas album is an unapologetic throwback to the Nashville sound of Yesteryear both in production and notable reverb affects. At this point, it’s unoriginal to compare her voice to Patsy Cline, but the similarity is pretty much irrefutable, so it’s no wonder that Barnett aptly capitalizes on the comparison and we, in turn, continue to make the connection. Ultimately, it’s a pleasant album, but more for background than intrigue.
Jason Michael Carroll, Christmas on the Farm
With Jason Michael Carroll’s chart success being somewhat spotty, it’s easy to forget that he possesses one of the top voices among the current country crop as he slips under the radar much of the time. Therefore, it’s the surprise of the season that his Christmas EP is one of the best Christmas projects of 2010. His talent gorgeously shines through most especially on the gently and beautifully sung arranged “Auld Lang Syne”, but on “Silent Night and “O Little Town of Bethlehem” as well. “Joy to the World” is a rousing back porch pickin’-type affair that is ridiculously infectious. The title track is also upbeat, but is the lone contemporary produced song on the set. It wouldn’t sound like a typical Christmas song if not for the setting, but it’s fun, if not superfluous, nonetheless. If this EP is representative of Jason Michael Carroll at Christmas Time, more please!
Friday, July 23rd, 2010
A lot of songs from both ends of the charts here, including a husband-and-wife duet that spent six weeks at #1.
400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #250-#226
#250
I Meant Every Word He Said
Ricky Van Shelton
1990 | Peak: #2
Listen
At least the third song on this list about a guy mulling over romantic gestures he wishes he’d made to his former love, and the most traditional among those songs. You could easily imagine this one being a minor classic by a 60′s or 70′s legend, so close is its replication of that style. – Dan Milliken
#249
I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying
Toby Keith with Sting
1997 | Peak: #2
Listen
My hard-and-fast rule for Toby Keith: The sadder he is, the happier the listening experience tends to be. He’s all kinds of sad in this snapshot of post-divorce melancholia, reflecting on everything from unfair custody protocol to the greater motions of the universe. Even a gratuitous Sting cameo can’t detract from the single’s gloomy grandeur. – DM
#248
You Ain’t Much Fun
Toby Keith
1995 | Peak: #2
Listen
Toby Keith is also funny, though. What’s a man to do? Sobering up ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be from is perspective. Ever since he’s done so, his wife has been taking advantage of his increased functionality by giving him honey-do lists that he wasn’t ably tackling pre-sobriety. It’s enough to drive a man to drink. – Leeann Ward
#247
Tender Moment
Lee Roy Parnell
1993 | Peak: #2
Listen
Actions speak louder than words. – KC
#246
Go Rest High On That Mountain
Vince Gill
1995 | Peak: #14
Listen
Every once and awhile an artist delivers a song so powerful that it seems to shatter all divides in its genre. A tribute to both the late Keith Whitley and Gill’s late brother, “Go Rest High On That Mountain” pairs deeply spiritual lyrics with a tender, emotion-soaked performance. The combination is magic. – TS
#245
Nothing
Dwight Yoakam
1995 | Peak: #20
Listen
Living up to its title, the Yoakam’s barren heart and soul are replicated in the arrangement of the song. If emptiness has a sound, this is it. – Kevin Coyne
#244
(Who Says) You Can’t Have it All
Alan Jackson
1994 | Peak: #4
Listen
Jackson more than earns his neo-traditional street cred thanks to this song. Just soak up that lonesome steel guitar! – LW
#243
It’s Your Love
Tim McGraw with Faith Hill
1997 | Peak: #1
Listen
A good power ballad shot to greatness by its artists’ striking chemistry – palpable, fiery and so very genuine. More than just a hit single, “It’s Your Love” represents the moment in country music history at which we were introduced to one of its definitive couples. – TS
#242
Grandpa Told Me So
Kenny Chesney
1995 | Peak: #23
Listen
Amidst a collection of country life lessons passed down from two generations back is one to live by: “There’ll be times that you want to hold on but you’ve got to let go.” – KC
#241
Thank God For You
Sawyer Brown
1993 | Peak: #1
Listen
This man has a lot to thank God for, including stereotypical parental figures, but he’s most thankful for his girl. – LW
#240
I Never Knew Love
Doug Stone
1993 | Peak: #2
Listen
An earnest, soulful confession of love. It’s hard to ignore the fact that it leans more in the adult-contemporary direction than that of anything else, but when a song is this moving, it’s also hard to care. – TS
#239
What She’s Doing Now
Garth Brooks
1992 | Peak: #1
Listen
In an unusual tact for Mr. Brooks, he forgoes melodrama in order to allow the natural drama of pining for a lost love to speak for itself. The dialed down performance works in the service of the song, as the sadness appropriately penetrates through. – LW
#238
Find My Way Back to My Heart
Alison Krauss & Union Station
1997 | Peak: #73
Listen
Some of the best songs from AKUS play on the home life that’s sacrificed by following the musical dream. Krauss remembers how she used to laugh at songs about the lonely traveling life, but she’s not laughing now. – KC
#237
I Know
Kim Richey
1997 | Peak: #72
Listen
It takes more than self-awareness to mend a broken heart. – KC
#236
Leave Him Out of This
Steve Wariner
1991 | Peak: #6
Listen
A man makes a soaring yet understated plea for his lover to let go of her past love. The song is made sadder by the touch of resignation in Wariner’s performance, which suggests the man knows he’s making his plea in vain. – TS
#235
Just My Luck
Kim Richey
1995 | Peak: #47
Listen
Roba Stanley once sang about the joys of the single life and its simplicities. Richey is about to leave it behind, and wonders just how lucky that makes her. – KC
#234
What if I Do
Mindy McCready
1997 | Peak: #26
Listen
A whole song about deciding whether or not to go all the way with one’s movie date. McCready gives a fantastically entertaining performance, speak-singing her lines with a a bold campiness that most other gals wouldn’t dare. – DM
#233
Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow
Alan Jackson
1990 | Peak: #2
Listen
Stories of would-be stars trying to make it big in Nashville are nothing too novel, but Jackson’s plucky earnestness gives this one an accessibility many of the others lack. – DM
#232
Now That’s All Right With Me
Mandy Barnett
1996 | Peak: #43
Listen
The other great Barnett single of the era, fusing Patsy Cline-style vocal class, Pam Tillis-style production and Gloriana-style youthful exuberance. – DM
#231
With You
Lila McCann
1999 | Peak: #9
Listen
Ten years before “You Belong With Me” made its splash, McCann set her sights on the same demographic with a song just as relatable, vibrant and passionate. That the song lacks Taylor Swift’s sharp perspective is perhaps what makes it such a great record: there’s something so pure about McCann’s fully unapologetic, headfirst fall into love. – TS
#230
My Maria
Brooks & Dunn
1996 | Peak: #1
Listen
The rare country cover of a pop song that improves on the original. No offense, B.W. Stephenson. – DM
#229
Boom! It Was Over
Robert Ellis Orrall
1992 | Peak: #19
Listen
How far can an amazing song title carry you? All the way to #229, that’s how far! – DM
#228
Somewhere in My Broken Heart
Billy Dean
1991 | Peak: #3
Listen
So simple and plain in its heartbreak, and so understated and quiet in its delivery. – KC
#227
I Just Wanted You to Know
Mark Chesnutt
1993 | Peak: #1
Listen
Chesnutt makes a phone call to an old love that could be construed as creepy, pathetic or terribly sad – take your pick. I’m going with a mixture of all three, with a pinch of selfishness thrown in. Either way, “I Just Wanted You to Know” is a memorable slice of the-one-that-got-away reality.- TS
#226
I’m Gonna Be Somebody
Travis Tritt
1990 | Peak: #2
Listen
In the twenty years that passed since the release of this song, the path to success in the music industry has morphed into something that looks very different than it used to. Unlike that of Bobby in the song, these days an artist’s journey can come in all shapes and forms, sometimes abrupt and sometimes completely unprecedented.
Think what you want about this paradigm shift, but here’s what I believe: regardless of how you shoot to the top, the only way you’ll achieve longevity and, most importantly, respect in country music is if you share the fire in Bobby’s eyes. This soul-stirring hunger and unshakable passion is the heart of “I’m Gonna Be Somebody” and the reason it remains a timeless classic. Here’s to hoping – and I’m optimistic – our modern artists are made of the same stuff. – TS
22 Comments
Category Back to the Nineties
Tags: Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Billy Dean, Brooks & Dunn, Doug Stone, Dwight Yoakam, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Gloriana, Keith Whitley, Kenny Chesney, Kim Richey, Lee Roy Parnell, Lila McCann, Mandy Barnett, Mark Chesnutt, Mindy McCready, Pam Tillis, Patsy Cline, Ricky Van Shelton, Roba Stanley, Robert Ellis Orrall, Sawyer Brown, Steve Wariner, Sting, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
The second segment of our countdown includes the first appearances by Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire, two of the biggest-selling stars of the decade.
#375
How Do I Get There
Deana Carter
1997 | Peak: #1
It’s always a gamble when friends decide to take their relationship to the next level. “How Do I Get There” explores the struggle of following one’s heart, even though it’s taking a big emotional risk to do so. – Leeann Ward
#374
If I Could Make a Living
Clay Walker
1994 | Peak: #1
This song is either ridiculously cheesy or irresistibly cheesy depending on your taste, but there’s no denying Walker sells the heck out of it with charm and enthusiasm. – Tara Seetharam
#373
It Sure is Monday
Mark Chesnutt
1993 | Peak: #1
Mark Chesnutt is one of the best male vocalists of the nineties, but there were many times when he did not always rise to the challenge of conveying the energy to elevate a decent song to a good one. Case in point: “Friends in Low Places”, which was eventually properly energized by Garth Brooks. “It Sure Is Monday”, however, is a positive example of Chesnutt actually making a song his own by demonstrating the ability to breathe life into a decent song and make it really good. – LW (more…)
21 Comments
Category Back to the Nineties
Tags: Blackhawk, Clay Walker, Deana Carter, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, George Strait, Jo Dee Messina, John Michael Montgomery, Lari White, Lee Ann Womack, Lee Roy Parnell, Lorrie Morgan, Mandy Barnett, Mark Chesnutt, Mark Wills, Mike Reid, Paul Brandt, Reba McEntire, Sammy Kershaw, Tanya Tucker, Toby Keith, Tracy Lawrence, Ty Herndon
Today is the 100th Annual International Women’s Day.
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