Single Review: Hunter Hayes, “Invisible”
Hunter Hayes scored a killer Grammy performance slot to debut this song, which has all of the necessary components to become a career record.
Showing solidarity with the outcasts in high school halls is as timely as ever, and his youth helps him be the ideal vessel for the heartwarming message. There are moments which come perilously close to the maudlin, with shades of Billy Gilman’s “One Voice” or the Mark Wills hit, “Don’t Laugh at Me.” Thankfully, he’s sounding a lot more like a young Keith Urban than a young Bryan White, and the song is just vague enough that it can become a personal anthem for pretty much anyone who feels unnoticed or noticed in all the wrong ways.
2014 ACM Nominations
Having had just enough time to catch our breath after the Grammys, we now find ourselves gearing up for ACM season. This year’s Academy of Country Music Award nominees have just been announced today. Not surprisingly, this year’s nominees are wildly uneven, with “bro country” scoring ample representation. Miranda Lambert and Tim McGraw lead with seven nominations each.
Single Review: Lucy Hale, “You Sound Good to Me”
Pretty Little Liars actress turned country newcomer Lucy Hale cites Shania Twain and Martina McBride as major musical influences, and to a degree it’s perceptible on her debut single “You Sound Good to Me.” The track begins with a light, airy fiddle hook, and segues into an effervescent uptempo pop-country love song with an atypically sparse production arrangement by country radio standards (murky background vocals aside).
Album Review: Rhonda Vincent, Only Me
Rhonda Vincent
Only Me
Modern bluegrass legend Rhonda Vincent shows off two sides of her musical repertoire with her delightful new album Only Me, which is split across two six-track discs. The first disc is a collection of bluegrass songs, while the second showcases Vincent’s prowess in performing traditional country music.
2014 Grammy Winners
This year’s Grammy winners will be posted here as they are announced.
Here are the awards, in the order of presentation:
Pre-Telecast Winners:
American Roots Song: Edie Brickell & Steve Martin, “Love Has Come For You”
Americana Album: Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, Old Yellow Moon
Bluegrass Album: The Del McCoury Band, The Streets of Baltimore
Folk Album: Guy Clark, My Favorite Picture of You
Country Solo Performance: Darius Rucker, “Wagon Wheel”
Country Duo/Group Performance: The Civil Wars, “From This Valley”
Country Song: Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves, and Josh Osborne, “Merry Go ‘Round”