2009 – Page 4 – Country Universe

Review: Chris Young, “The Man I Want To Be”

November 28, 2009 Leeann Ward 8

One thing that mainstream country music still has in abundance is artists with great voices. Chris Young can easily be counted among such talent, but he is also firmly in the category of artists with quality voices saddled with inferior material.

Supported by a simple melody with a chorus that overreaches for memorability, “The Man I Want to Be” also stretches to work within the confines of a lyrical hook: “I want to be a (insert adjective or verb here) man” pervades the song and turns out to be more of a distraction than a clever turn of phrase.

Review: Jack Ingram featuring Patty Griffin, “Seeing Stars”

November 24, 2009 Dan Milliken 2

Jack Ingram wistful It’s taken a long time to put words together for this review, mostly because the prospect of Patty Griffin being billed on a mainstream single is too exciting not to cloud critical judgments a little. I mean, seriously – “featuring Patty Griffin.” From the same label that just won Taylor Swift a Female Vocalist award. It’s far too much cool for a body to digest in one sitting.

Review: Brad Paisley, "American Saturday Night"

November 22, 2009 Tara Seetharam 21

Paisley2 It’s no secret that in country music, some expressions of patriotism are more prevalent, and arguably more acceptable, than others. It’s refreshing, then, to see Paisley offer a solid albeit frivolous departure from the conventional with “American Saturday Night,” a proud depiction of America as a nation whose identity is molded by not one, but numerous cultures:

You know everywhere has something they’re known for
Ah, but usually it washes up on our shores.

Discussion: Please, Tell Me How the Story Ends

November 19, 2009 Leeann Ward 10

It’s pretty much an old cliché that country music artists tend to be the most personable and accessible to their fans. I don’t know if it’s technically true, but I tend to believe it myself. Over the years, I’ve heard some stories that have blown me away regarding the generosity of country music artists and I’m not talking about the highly publicized fundraisers or official charitable events. I think those are certainly worthwhile, but it’s the intimate stories that truly tug at my stiff heartstrings.

One of my favorite stories is about Johnny Cash. His brother, Tommy, tells of a time that they were in a locker room together and he caught Johnny inconspicuously looking for the most worn out pair of sneakers that he could find so that he could slip a $100 bill in them.

Favorite Songs by Favorite Artists: Wynonna

November 18, 2009 Guest Contributor 16

wynonna A Guest Contribution
by Michael Allan

One of my earliest musical memories is singing along to the Judds’ Rockin’ With the Rhythm album as a child in the car. Unfortunately, the world’s most famous mother-daughter duo was forced to end their career early in 1991 when Naomi was diagnosed with hepatitis. To this day, however, their catchy songs still get plenty of “spins” on my iPod.

Even if Wynonna had never pursued a solo career after the Judds, her place in country music’s history would have been secure. However, I for one am so happy she did continue to sing and make music after her mother’s retirement. Her voice has a distinct personality, yet her catalog is eclectic. You never really know what to expect when Wy releases a new album – except that it will most likely be good.

However, beyond her music (which you will read about below), being the woman in a poster on my teenage bedroom wall and being my first autograph (scored by my grandmother when the CMA Music Festival was still called Fan Fair), I have a great deal of respect for Wynonna the person. She devotes countless hours of time to charities such as YouthAIDS and faces potential scandals and her personal struggles with remarkable candor and humor, all the while sharing the gift of her voice with us.

#25
“Why Now”
from The Other Side (1997)

We’ve all been there or know someone who has. You can’t help loving someone, even if you know they’re bad for you. Wynonna’s voice and singing style capture the emotions and feelings of pain that go along with it. One of the Judds’ later singles from Love Can Build a Bridge that is often overlooked, “One Hundred and Two”, is similar in spirit and comes highly recommended.

Album Review: Carrie Underwood, Play On

November 15, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 51

Play On Carrie Underwood
Play On

It’s getting easy to take Carrie Underwood for granted. Her vocal talent so far exceeds all of her contemporaries that she can outsing them all from the corner of her mouth. On her newest album, Play On, she continues to find new ways to stretch that voice, using a variety of approaches ranging from full-on power to subtle nuances.

It helps that she’s as comfortable singing a shameless pop hook as she is a pure country melody. This should come as no surprise. Any artist of Underwood’s generation has been weaned on both Randy Travis and Def Leppard, on both Reba McEntire and Madonna, on both the Dixie Chicks and Shania Twain. Play On makes the case that all of these influences can be mixed together, sometimes even on the same song.

Hey Mr. DJ. Put a Record On.

November 13, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 36

Radio Driving to work this morning, I scanned the XM stations and settled on Roadhouse, which was playing Tammy Wynette’s “I Don’t Wanna Play House.” Thus started a stretch of songs that got me all the way to work: Kenny Rogers, “The Gambler.” The Judds, “Young Love (Strong Love).” Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn, “After the Fire is Gone.” Charlie Rich, “A Very Special Love Song.”

It was awesome, one of those rare times where I felt like the DJ might as well have been me, so aligned were the selections with my personal taste. When thinking of the sorry state of country radio these days, the temptation to take over the airwaves is inevitable.

What if you got to be the DJ for an hour at your local country station? Assuming you could play any ten songs, what would they be?

CMA Live Blog 2009

November 11, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 462

CMA Awards Winners

Musician of the Year – Mac McAnally

Musical Event of the Year – “Start A Band”, Brad Paisley & Keith Urban

Music Video of the Year – “Love Story”, Taylor Swift

Single of the Year – “I Run To You”, Lady Antebellum

Song of the Year – “In Color”, Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller, James Otto

Vocal Group of the Year – Lady Antebellum

New Artist of the Year – Darius Rucker

Album of the Year – Fearless, Taylor Swift

Vocal Duo of the Year – Sugarland

Male Vocalist of the Year – Brad Paisley

Female Vocalist of the Year – Taylor Swift

Entertainer of the Year – Taylor Swift

– – –

11:05 DM: Final tally of CMA staff predictions: Leeann – 9, Dan – 7, Tara – 6, Kevin – 5 (not counting Video). Leeann triumphs again! Thanks for joining us, everyone!

11:04 KC: Artists who have won 4 CMA awards in one night: Johnny Cash. Merle Haggard. Vince Gill. Alison Krauss. Dixie Chicks. Taylor Swift.

Happy Veterans Day

November 11, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 6

ArmisticeDay Happy Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day. In memory of my father, a veteran of the United States Navy, I share his favorite song. When the video came on, he stopped whatever he was doing and just watched:

Age Ain’t Nothin’ But a Number

November 9, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 24

george-strait1 While Taylor Swift mania continues to grow, there’s another impressive accomplishment being achieved by two veterans of country music on the opposite end of the age spectrum.

Contrary to what is commonly believed, there has always been a ceiling on how old you could be and still get country airplay. This year, both George Strait and Reba McEntire have been working steadily to shatter that ceiling.

Take a look at the age of country legends when they earned their most recent top ten solo hit:

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